AussieNick News

Besides the tremendously successful DC area school program and SIVL Cup, Sport and Health squash programmers have plenty of other great junior activity in the pipeline this 08/09 winter. Clinics cater for all players from beginner to intermediate, and are offered at Regency and Bethesda centers. Two tournaments are approaching, one the first week in January at Bethesda (Trifecta 2) and a third in mid-February at Worldgate (Trifecta 3). November's Trifecta 1 at Bethesda had solid support with nearly 70 slots taken up. As usual the S&H coaching staff encourage a casual and encouraging atmosphere so even the less experienced can enjoy participating in tournament play. With many vowing to return for 2 and 3, hopefully they will be even bigger and better. This year winter break camps are also being offered late in December. A list of links is provided below, but for the full story go exploring our junior pages.

The sun setting over the Capitol heralded another wonderful night for the 4^th annual SquashEmpower Gala. By 6pm the wine tasting was in full swing with wines selected by wine maestro, Rod Barnes. (The selection of these wines is one job he actually looks forward to each year). We were delighted to see many faces from previous years (regulars including Isabel Lanier, Deb Dean, Lila Bahadori, David Dickieson, Cyndy Esty, Joe Cleary,………….. First time attendees included Howard Day (co-founder of the DC Academy, another Urban Youth program in DC with which SquashEmpower is currently in merger discussion with). Patricia Valente, Mehmood and Nina Nathani…….also attended. The evenings activities included a welcome by Rod Barnes and a run down of the charities activities over the last 12 months by President Scott Spector. Scott was also delighted to receive a donation from Bob McNally, Tudor Foundation, who has become SquashEmpower’s single largest supporter. Bob’s wife, Denise, also assists with SquashEmpower program.

Tiffany, SquashEmpower student then gave a speech about what she liked about the program and how she felt it would help her in the future. Her speech touched the hearts of many, and reminded us of what the night was all about. The silent auction finished at 7.30pm with wonderful items including an Australian bag of goodies, lessons and clinics with top local pros and racquets all enticing heavy bidding. The extraordinary Joel Bernstein (who, with wife, Donna Bernstein won the Volunteer of the Year Awards) cajoled, enthused and amused the audience to donating significant sums for various high end live auction items. Joe D’Amico won a holiday in Southern France which he will be using for an anniversary trip. Isabel Lanier won the beautiful Cyndy Esty purse. On a side note, Cyndy gave her own purse to SquashEmpower student Tiffany as a gift, I’m sure Tiffany will treasure this always. Sandy Masur and Palmer Page donated Summer camps for the kids and gift certificates for SCLA and Sport & Health were received well by the audience.

The evening included for the first time live music and dancing! 'MADatlantic' which includes drummer Bob McNally and base guitarist Joel Bernstein played a variety of songs which the audience rocked to for 90 mins.

Our thanks goes to all those who donated wines, items for auction and attendees who enjoyed the evening and bidded on these items. It was a wonderful, successful evening. Finally our thanks goes to Geppettos catering, Josh Carin and his crew do a wonderful job every year.

The staff and kids at SquashEmpower are currently gearing up for the fall session of squash and tuition. It is also the time of year when SquashEmpower runs its major annual fundraiser. This year the gala event will be held at the Top of the Hill function center. Your invite to the proceedings can be found here. SquashEmpower is always seeking major backers for its charity and if you can help please check out the Sponsorship page and fill out and send the donation form. Saif Ullah the executive director explains what a difference this can make in his covering letter.

On the same weekend of the gala the Sport and Health Open squash tournament will be held featuring flights across the standards and to be held at Bethesda and Worldgate.

Wilson the latest school to join S&H

Article from the Wilson Beacon says it all.

Howe Cup 2008

HISTORY - The annual women's five-person team tournament began in 1928 as an inter-city competition between New York, Philadelphia and Boston. It didn't receive the Howe Cup title until 1955 when Virginia Griggs of New York City donated a permanent trophy, the Howe Cup, named in honor of Margaret Howe and her twin daughters Peggy and Betty. Margaret A. Howe was the US Champion in 1929, '32 and '34. Peggy Howe White was the US Champion in 1952 and '53. Betty Howe Constable was the US Champion in 1950, '56-'59 and then went on to become the Women's Squash coach at Princeton University from 1972-1991.

The B Division was started in 1958 and a C Division was added in 1968. In 1993 the Howe Cup tournament converted from hardball to softball. Since the conversion participation in the tournament has grown so much that often regions send several teams in each division. The Howe Cup has been held all over the country and in 2004 in New York City an A Doubles draw was included for the first time. Washington DC is looking for more players!

Upcoming women's squash league events/Howe Cup training, as follows:

Sunday Sept 14: SCLA, 3-6pm
Sunday Sept 21: Results, 3-6pm, including CLINIC with Larissa
Sunday Sept 28: Potomac Squash Club, 3-6pm
Sunday October 5: Results, 3-6pm
Saturday Oct 11: SCLA, 1-3pm
Oct 17-19: SquashEmpower tournament, Bethesda S&H
Saturday Oct 18: Potomac Squash Club, 1-4pm, including CLINIC with Shahid
Sunday Oct 26: Results, 3-6pm (team scrimmages)
Sunday Nov 2: Potomac Squash Club, 11am-1pm, followed by brunch at AJ's house
Friday Nov 7 - Sunday Nov 9: HOWE CUP!!!

Please email AJ if you plan to participate in training sessions so she can stagger the times by skill level if necessary. ajjaffin@hotmail.com or if you would like further details.

For Sunday playing with Women at Bethesda Sport & Health see http://www.aussienicksquash.com/women/08fall.pdf

Jahangir Naseem joins Sport and Health Sept 2008

Jahangir Naseem has joined the coaching fraternity at Sport and Health. Jahangir is one of the top players in the region and along with his playing prowess, brings enormous enthusiasm for the game. The growth of squash within Sport and Health, especially at the junior level, has increased demand for more coaching staff but they are extremely hard to find in the US. Often coaching has to be done by part timers (like your editor) so S&H are indeed lucky to find someone of Jahangir's ability to work full time. Jahangir will be based at Regency Sport and Health but will be available at all other S&H centers also.

The train has left the Railstation

US Squash caught everyone by surprise last week with a snap announcement to discontinue their multi-function automation and databasing software package, Railstation. This was done in favor of an unnamed alternative that should be available in about 6 weeks. Provided with less than two days notice of the disconnection, US district squash associations have been thrown in to turmoil with leagues, tournaments and membership sign ups disrupted. NCS league has had to revert to manual entry and retention of data. The move angered NCS board members who, with the encouragement of US squash, had put in a lot of voluntary effort to bring their local league under the wing of Railstation, and who were appreciating the reduced work load due to the further automation the system brought.

Since the announcement, US Squash President Kevin Klipstein has been inundated under a barrage of inquiries and complaints, but has remained reticent to provide specific details on why the change was so abruptly activated. He stated that under the (undivulged) circumstances there was little choice and that the move would be a positive for US squash in the longer run. The statement released by US squash indicated the new package would be owned with the implication perhaps this may provide significant control over development and running costs. A conference call with district presidents was planned for 7/21/08.

Comment by Rod Barnes:

At Aussienick we are certainly no great fans of Railstation and are not particularly sorry to hear that alternatives are being considered by US squash However, we have no way of knowing whether the new software will be an improvement and have little confidence that US squash know the answer to that question either. Given the haste of the transition it is hard to imagine the new software, when first delivered, will provide the functionality that Railstation was tailored with through many (painful) years of development. Whatever the technical merits and potential long term benefits of the decision we are, nevertheless, totally stunned by the way the transition has been handled by US squash. One can only imagine the circumstances that they have gotten themselves into, to have to pull the plug on Railstation in such an abrupt manner, six weeks before the scheduled turn on time of the new system. Let's hope that US squash has the integrity and good sense to come out in the open very soon, and set the record straight on what led to this. A lot of damage has already been done, but all that can happen with their continued silence on this matter is to feed the rumor mill and further rip US squash apart.

Even Tennis Players play Squash!

What do Edberg, Lendl, Murray, Castle, Henman, Santoro, Federer and Nadal all have in common? They all have played squash. Top tennis players recommend more wrist and the adoption of squash techniques for some shots and playing the game to increase speed, agility and strength. Sometimes it seems that there is a whole different ball game out there. And that game is squash. Rafael Nadal has started playing it more this year. Roger Federer has just been getting better and better. The champion, though, may well be Fabrice Santoro, of France, who was knocked out in the first round by Andy Murray, another decent-looking squash player, three days ago. We are talking here about the use of the wrist. Any beginner given the traditional start to tennis will be taught to lock the wrist, to hit groundstrokes as if the hand is an extension of the forearm. Yes, roll the wrist, but not do not break it, do not use it as a hinge. Do not play squash. But in the ever-changing world of technique, the wrist hinge has found its way through the gates of the All England Club. It arrives as a collective product of new technology, better athleticism and sheer desperation to keep the ball in play. But you would never have seen Pete Sampras, the American who won seven Wimbledon titles and an equal number of other grand-slam events, playing it.....: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article4221722.ece

Well Whitey has been and gone. He ran us ragged and taught us lots. Whilst we were hurting and learning, he made us laugh. Forty people enjoyed his company on Friday night on the deck. He will return. Now be on the lookout for a future world #1 called Max White. We've never witnessed a kid with that much energy, we'll have to nickname him pinball.

John White will be at Bethesda Sport and Health and available for lessons and Clinics from July 10-12, open to all players. John will also be in attendance at a fundraiser for SquashEmpower at the Barnes residence on Friday July 11th. Cocktails, appetizers and a chat with John all inclusive in a $40 fee. Please sign up and make the former world #1 feel welcome in Washington. More details at this link.

It is time to start preparing for Washington DC’s premier professional squash event for 2009, the National Capital Open. Through ASTI’s and your generous support in 2008 we were able to grow the National Capital Open from a 10k event in 2007 to a $24k prize money event. This culminated in two rising stars; Dutchman LJ Anjema (currently #17 in the world) and Aussie Cameron Pilley (Currently #18 in the world, pictured below : the 6’5” stringbean about to destroy a ball) compete the final in front of over 100 people in grandstand seating at Worldgate Sport and Health (below left).

We are currently scoping the event for 2009 and looking for expressions of interest for the following:

- 2008 Sponsors interested in continuing their support
- New Cash Sponsorship for the 2009 event
- Assistance with organization, fundraising, refereeing, hosting players, transport, food etc

Please respond if you can help. This event will only ever be as big and prestigious as you, the DC squash community, want it to be. AussieNick and National Capital Squash are facilitators but you ultimately decide. So far your decision has been to grow the tournament. Your response will largely decide what we do in 2009. In the same year Richmond, Virginia is on track to put up $100,000 prizemoney for their tournament! We won’t get there this year but I hope the DC community can pull together to get some of the world’s best here in DC in 2009 – surely the US National Capital is worthy of that!

This year's Bethesda S&H squash camps will have some extra star power with former world #1 player (and unofficial hardest hitter of the squash ball) John White joining the team. John will be running several days of junior camps and a session of adult camp. John is an Australian that plays under the Scottish flag in PSA tournaments. He is currently head coach at Franklin and Marshall college in PA. John has a reputation as hard hitter and shot maker. His talent and coaching experience, along with his friendly and approachable disposition will make for a very productive time for the lucky few who will take part. More details on how to secure your spot for the adult camp here: JOHN WHITE ADULT SUMMER CAMP and for the junior camp here: JOHN WHITE JUNIOR SUMMER CAMP

The 07/08 season of the Sport & Health Interclub Varsity League (SIVL) finished Friday Feb 29 with a presentation which saw Bethesda–Chevy Chase High School victorious. Caroline Sieber (B-CC Captain) was presented with the beautiful SIVL Cup which will be held in the Trophy Case at the school for the year. Connie Barnes, Director of Squash for Sport & Health, was magnanimous in her praise of Ms Sieber who also received a $200 Gift Certificate as the SIVL Most Valuable Player for the 2007-08 season.

Coach Barnes said that the SIVL has already become one of the largest High School squash leagues in the

. This season players from Landon, Whitman, St Albans, Holton Arms, Langley, Stone Ridge, Madeira, St Stephens and St Agnes, and GDS participated in 30 matches over the winter season. The B-CC team with its captain’s excellent promotion and organization skills included 17 players. Coach Barnes said that 3 other local school had already requested inclusion for next years league.

Participation in playing Squash has increased significantly especially at the junior level in the last five years. When Barnes commenced at Bethesda Sport & Health in 2002, there were 10 juniors playing, the number now approaches 200. The interest, Barnes claims, is due to the nature of the game “it is fast, exciting and challenging and also a family and lifelong sport.” Barnes continues, “while the Private schools play squash only in winter where it offers a welcome alternative, the Public schools play squash all year round. Our Summer camps are especially popular. We have two types, one for the younger set the 7 – 12 yr olds which are fun and teach the basics of squash. The other is for the squash participant who wants to improve in technique, form, and general ability and is for the more serious player”.

Squash is not only popular at the High School level, several Middle Schools including Pyle, Holton Arms, Cooper and Westland participate in coaching at Sport and Health Clubs (Bethesda, Washington DC, McLean, Herndon, Gaithersburg). The SIML Sport & Health Middle School League incorporates monthly matches between the schools played at Bethesda Sport & Health. If your school is interested in participating in squash Barnes can be contacted at cbarnes@sportandhealth.com

Club championships will be run at all sport and health squash clubs over the next month or two. All standards of player will be catered for, with players organized into boxes in a robin format, with final playoffs if necessary. All members are invited to play and should contact Rod at aussienicksquash@gmail.com Cost is $20 at all clubs (except Bethesda where it will be $10), and the majority of the funds will go to buying perpetual shields at all clubs except Bethesda. The results of the Bethesda 2007 championships can be found here.

Andrew Strasfogel and Donna Sharpe finally followed up on their October 2007 SquashEMpower gala silent auction win, by attending a George Stephanopoulos show taping. The prize was provided courtesy of Courtney Cohen of ABC News. Andrew states, "It was great to meet and have our photo taken with a fellow squash enthusiast, who interviews people like Barack Obama in his day job!"

The SquashEmpower auction is held annually at the Australian Embassy, as part of a Gala weekend of celebration and squash, where all benefits go towards the SquashEmpower program. SquashEmpower is dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth in the DC area using squash as a motivating vehicle. More can be found about this uplifting program at www.squashempower.org.

For a little glimpse at some of the kids in the program they can be seen here, doing a squash warm up dance that they choreographed themselves.

Bethesda veteran Ramon Barquin may have a claim to a substantial squash first, that is to be the first player to play squash

in Antarctica. Having played squash over the years in all continents except Antarctica, Ramon decided to take his squash racquet on a holiday cruise to Antarctica and hit the ball around a little.

What he did was hit the ball against one of the big tanks at an abandoned whaling station on Deception Island, one of the Shetland Islands, and then also hit the ball around a bit on his racquet in Neko Harbor to be able to say that he'd played on the continent proper. Some of the expedition staff became interested and insisted they did not know of anyone that had ever "played" squash in Antarctica. Their only doubt was whether there might be a court in the large U.S. research base at McMurdo Sound, but it turns out that there is no squash court there -- the National Science Foundation has informed him -- so that's been settled.

Three Antarctica veterans who have wintered in many bases down there and have served on close to 100 expeditions among them to the effect that they were not aware of anyone having played squash in Antarctica.

A record or not, it is a pretty unique experience and Ramon can now proudly say he has played squash in all 7 continents.

Article on SquashEmpower, the PSA and others that appeared in Connections and other regional newspapers recently. Click here to view.

Tues -> Thursday 4-9pm Watch the qualifiers and opening round squash at Bethesda Sport and Health
Fri 4-9pm Watch the quarter finals at Worldgate Sport and Health
Fri 8pm-> Come to the reception at the Marriott Herndon just above Worldgate S&H. (First drink and starter free!)
Friday -> Sunday Play the Wintersun Amateur Tournament
Saturday 12-2pm Join the clinics with the stars at Worldgate S&H
Saturday 2-4pm Watch the Semi-finals at Worldgate
Sunday 3-4pm Watch the final at Worldgate

To book email Rod Barnes or check out the online facility on the tournament web page click here.

Flashes