AussieNick Coaching

Connie Barnes (Director S&H Squash cbarnes@sportandhealth.com ), an Australian Coach, is Sport and Health’s Director of Squash. In this position she oversees squash programming throughout the 22 center Sport & Health enterprise, which includes six centers with squash courts. Connie played Squash at State grade level in Australia for 15 years before arriving in Bethesda in 2002. As well as her corporate duties Connie still coaches adults and is very active in the Sport and Health junior program which has 8 school teams and over 200 individual participants. Connie’s on-court achievements in 2004 include winning the Fisher Cup Women's Div 1 Cup, and the Potomac Fever Women's Division and 4.5 Men's Division. Connie played in the A Division on the Women's National Teams event (the Howe Cup) 2002-2004 and the annual Lacy Cup which she captained 2002-2005.

Jahangir Naseem (Head Pro jnaseem@sportandhealth.com) is currently one of the top players in the DC metro area. He has won many tournaments, including the skill levels of the US nationals in 2006, the Maryland state championships in 2007, the Sport & Health Open in 2007, and the Potomac Fever. As a Professional Squash Association (PSA) player he has participated in tournaments worldwide. Jahangir has trained under several elite players in Pakistan, including Muhammad Sadiq, the

Pakistan

and Asian champion. Jahangir has had 20 years of experience in playing squash. Key to his training is fitness. He has created new ideas to coach, especially youngsters, with new techniques and ideas which will bring enthusiasm and zeal to his coaching.

Doug has been playing and teaching squash for almost 30 years. He took up squash as a young adult and quickly got addicted to the speed, endurance, and strategy required to play the game. Within five years he achieved a ranking of #75 on the WPSA professional list. Continuing to compete as an amateur, he went on to win the Virginia State Open tournament twice. He holds the Pro I teaching certification, and has taught lessons in the past at Metropolitan Club (D.C.) and Bethesda Sport & Health. Most of his professional career has revolved around fitness, which allows him to help squash players assess and improve their conditioning as well as their techniques.

Matt Dankner (Bethesda and Regency)

Matt is currently one of the top players in the Washington DC area (5.5+). He has coached for the Princeton Squash Training Center and the University of Rochester men’s squash team. As assistant coach, he trained and worked with former world #3 and current U.S. Junior Men’s Head Coach, Martin Heath. During his tenure, the team climbed from 25^th to 16^th in the national collegiate rankings and won the CSA Barnaby Trophy for most improved team (2007). Additionally, he was honored as part of the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year (2007).

Dr Rod Barnes (Bethesda). Rod learnt to play squash through the 1980's in Brisbane, Queensland during a golden era in Australian squash. Rodney and Brett Martin, Rodney Eyles, Chris Robertson, Tristan Nancarrow and many others that played in Brisbane through that period went on to be some of the world's top players. Rod chose a different path through life, sitting in an office chair, throughout this easy lifestyle he has made a habit to find time to get out on the court and whine about how much joint pain he is in, suggesting that lesser men would be in wheelchairs. To his credit he has maintained a state grade standard for 25 years and in his 40's still holds close to a 6.0 NCSRA rating, remaining one of the top players in the tri-state area. Rod has a "real job" providing technical support to the Government, working with Riverside Research Institute in Rosslyn, VA. Rod is the President of Aussienick, and a dog's body for Queen She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

Dr Jim Hogan (Australian Representative) is yet another product of Brisbane squash, starting at the age of 14 and reaching the highest junior league and a decent senior standard, just in time to become high caliber cannon fodder. Like his contemporary, Dr Barnes, Jim has taken a sedate pathway through life, coupling a real job as a professor with a secret plan to maintain squash fitness and joints in working order until he outlasts all those who were (once) able to beat him. A frequent visitor to the US and the tri-state area on scientific business, Jim acts as Aussie Nick's representative in Queensland, helping to develop links between DC and Brisbane.

Physical Training

Yongmei (Connie) Ye is our squash strength and conditioning coach. Yongmei has over nine years experience in the fitness and sports fields as a sports coach, physical education teacher and personal trainer. She coached track and field in the Nanjing, China school system and was herself the Nanjing womens 1500 meter champion. She was the fitness and strength coach for the Chinese national badminton champion (age group 12) and several of her runners were municipal champions. Connie graduated from the National Personal Training Institute in Falls Church, Virginia and is holds a certification as a personal trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In addition to personal training, Connie has received formal training in nutrition, yoga and group exercise. Don't let the smiling face fool you she knows what it takes to be elite, and is rapidly gaining the moniker of 'Madame Pain'. For more details see Personal training for Squash and Racquetball with Yongmei Ye and Geovanny Ardon

Sports Medicine

Dr Steven H. Bernstein, MD is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon. Steve is a 1995 graduate of Brown University Medical School. After finishing his Orthopaedic residency at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, he completed an Orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at Washington University where he was assistant team physician for the St. Louis Rams, Blues, and Cardinals. He remains active in team coverage and is currently the head team physician for Division IAA Bowie State University. He also maintains his affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals and travels to Jupiter, Florida to provide medical coverage for the team during spring training.

After practicing for three years in Silver Spring, Dr. Bernstein moved to Chevy Chase to join this practice in August, 2004. Dr. Bernstein practices general orthopedic surgery including trauma, hand surgery, foot and ankle, as well as pediatrics. He specializes in Sports related injury and arthroscopic surgery involving the knee, shoulder, and ankle. He has particular interest in shoulder instability, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, patellar instability, and meniscal repair.

Squash Special Guest Assistants/Summer Camps

John White, former world #1, now resident coach at Franklin and Marshall college in Pennsylvania. This Aussie champion (who played for Scotland!) has recorded the fastest struck squash ball at 172 mph. The ball stills zings of John's racquet, and at the time of writing he still secures a top 20 spot in the PSA rankings. Not bad for a 36 year old! John has helped Aussienick out with summer camps and was a big hit with the Washington membership when he ran some clinics at Bethesda in the Summer 2008.

Mohamed Awad (Summer Camps), was born in 1955 in Alexandria, Egypt and at the age of 15 he started playing squash. He quickly took to the game and by the time he was 18 he had won the Alexandria and Cairo opens, and by 19 he was a member of the Egyptian national team. In 1983 the Egyptian team won the world team championship. Mohamed was brought to squash by his father, who was also a famous player and trainer. Mohamed, along with younger brother Gamal Awad who reached #2 in the world, toured the world with Mohamed peaking at #9 internationally. Since 1980, after a couple of years in Sweden, Mohamed has lived in Germany at Berlin, Bremen and Munich. Since 1993 he is the lead trainer in the Parkclub Nymphenburg.

Lisa Camilleri lives in Northern Queensland, Australia and won nearly every honor possible to a Queensland junior squash player whilst growing up. She was also named Queensland Player of the Year in the seniors in 2004, 2005. Lisa is currently ranked #64 on the Women's tour (WISPA) and is coming to the US in 2007 to try and improve on that. She will be basing with Sport and Health Jan-March and has graciously agreed to do some play the pro sessions and have hits with the members when she is available through that period.

Mike Corren is a South Australian native who rose to #38 on the PSA rankings in 2004. He started his playing days in Australia before basing in New Zealand then Europe through the mid-late 1990's. Until recently Mike was coaching in Salt Lake City, but is now in Auckland recovering from injury. Mike has vowed to come back stronger in 2007 and attempt to regain a top 40 spot in the world rankings. Part of this journey will include some time based in our region and we are very much looking forward to that. Mike is also pretty handy at swapping the racquet with a pen or keyboard and can spin a ripping yarn. Fortunately for us he has agreed to write a series of articles for AussieNick.

Bryan Keating (Summer Camps) is Bethesda's highest rated junior, and has peaked in the top 20 in the country in several age brackets. He is the first junior to play in the Bethesda premier league team, and he has won several matches at this level. Bryan has frequented several training camps throughout the US.

AussieNick, a squash information center for adults and juniors based on the Potomac in the USA, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of squash players in the Washington DC, Suburban Virginia and Maryland regions. It was created to provide information about Junior and Adult squash, coaching, equipment, pro tips and more. AussieNick programs are associated with squash courts at RIO (Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland), Tenley (North-West Washington DC), Bethesda, Regency (Mclean, Virginia), Arlington and Worldgate (Herndon and Reston areas, Virginia) Sport and Health Clubs.

Programming

Squash Coaching Staff

Physical Training

Sports Medicine

Squash Special Guest Assistants/Summer Camps