Everything I expected from the Nationals turned out to be right: The tournament was run perfectly, old friends and competitors were there (so it was great to catch up), the legends of the sport were there, the competition was intense, and my boys really enjoyed the whole scene. That was the coolest thing: They really got into it, watching the greatest players in North America playing their hearts out, hanging out with them, making friends, and sneaking on the courts, especially the really COOL glass courts.
I did acquit myself well, winning my first match against one of the best players in Canada, and then coming up against one of my college friends, and a legend of squash for the past 30 years, Will Bigelow.
I won the first game handily. Huh? I said to myself, that shouldn't have happened! I lost the next game in overtime, with a couple of chances to win that one as well. The third game was not quite as close, but it was long. Very long. The fourth game, with Will up 2-1, was like I came up against a buzz saw! Before 5 minutes were up, it was 8-2, and of those 8 points, he had hit 7 outright winners. I picked up my game a bit, and held up my side of the court, changing to a high game, trying to keep him away from this streak of shots, but he slammed two overheads into the nick for winners. I kept trying to keep him deep, but he would have nothing of it. I hit what I thought was a good cross court to his backhand, shoulder high, one of the hardest places to hit anything from, and he hit a cross court drop into the right wall nick, rolling on the floor. He won the last game, 11-4, and the match, 3-1. Gracious to the end, he tried to tell me how he thought he was a goner there. Yuh!
In all, the Nationals were as always a landmark in my life. This time, it marked my first time back in national competition in 12 years, the first chance my kids had to see top squash, and a great place to make new friends and build lasting memories. Hats off to Coach Assaiante and Trinity for such a wonderful facility, and to US Squash for hosting such a great event. I'll be back...and Will, watch out next time!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
ZOOSSE VISITS TRINITY COACH PAUL ASSAIANTE
While at the US National Squash Tournament at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, I had a quick chat with Paul Assaiante, the Trinity Squash coaching legend-in-his-own-time, who has led Trinity to 11 straight undefeated seasons, 11 National titles, and 202 team wins in a row. This is a record for intercollegiate competition in all sports, and proof that Coach Assaiante’s recruiting and coaching strategies have been immensely successful. The small coach’s office was very orderly, with a shelf full of trophies. On it were 11 rings; one for each of the team’s 11 National Titles.
This is how the conversation went:
Hey Coach, great event. Congrats.
Thank you, and thanks for coming. It’s great to be able to host the Nationals here.
What you’ve been able to do with Trinity, starting with a run-of-the-mill program, to 11 titles, has been absolutely amazing.
Thanks…I have been so lucky…
Undefeated in 202 matches, 11 National titles in a row.. Wow!
Eh, that’s just a matter of time. We WILL lose, so I try to get them not to focus on that. We almost lost one this season, it was really close, could have gone either way.
Your recruiting program has been able to bring in players from all over the world. Although this has given you an incredible pool of talent, which has been a key driver for your success, it’s caused some big hassles for you in the squash community. Obviously, you’ve proven that the strategy works.
It’s been great, to work with these kids, to see people who only had squash in common become a team, and real friends. It’s like our own little U.N.
But when you first started it, you were getting killed by everyone about it. They were calling you un-American, saying that you shouldn’t even compete in the U.S. Nationals because none of the kids were Americans, etc. What’s it like now?
Every day, I hear it. Still. Phone calls, articles, conversations with parents of kids who aren’t getting playing time or didn’t make the team…Every day. It’s horrible.
What do you say to them?
Look at what we’ve done. It’s not a slam against the American kids, it’s just that we don’t have the depth of talent in the U.S. We just can’t compete. That’s changing, with the urban programs, like City Squash ,Street Squash, and the like, and more courts around. But it’s still a country club sport, roughly speaking, so not enough people are getting into the game.
How do you see that progressing in the future?
There are definitely more public facilities, that are available to everyone. That will give many more kids the ability to play the game, and start much younger… like the one out by you, Southampton. How’s that going?
It’s been great.
So what’s going on out there?
(Wondering who’s getting interviewed) It’s going great! We have all the local schools getting involved, both public and private, and all demographics. And it’s only a year old. We have Sayed Selim from Egypt, and he’s running a great program. We’re really psyched about it.
That’s what’s going to make the difference. I see squash now like what tennis was in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. It’ll graduate out of the private clubs, and become a real great game for everyone. There are courts popping up all around the country. And then we’ll have many more people playing, and the level of play will just explode.
So there’s hope for us..
Oh yeah. And if it goes to the Olympics, it would add much more to the game here in The States. We could someday be well represented at the top of the game.
Then you’ll have more Americans on the team?
Of course, if it works out. But I have no problem with these kids; they’ve been absolutely wonderful. It’s been a really great experience.
Great, Coach, thank you.
Coach Assaiante was a great presence at the event. Along with overseeing the event from the College’s side, he also played in the 55 and over draw. He had a great match on Saturday, and it was great to watch. Almost his whole team was there to root him on, with yells and chants of “Coach, Coach, Coach”. Although he has been a controversial figure for internationalizing the game here in the US, he has obviously proven the wisdom of his strategy, and more than that, he is really loved by his team members.
This is how the conversation went:
Hey Coach, great event. Congrats.
Thank you, and thanks for coming. It’s great to be able to host the Nationals here.
What you’ve been able to do with Trinity, starting with a run-of-the-mill program, to 11 titles, has been absolutely amazing.
Thanks…I have been so lucky…
Undefeated in 202 matches, 11 National titles in a row.. Wow!
Eh, that’s just a matter of time. We WILL lose, so I try to get them not to focus on that. We almost lost one this season, it was really close, could have gone either way.
Your recruiting program has been able to bring in players from all over the world. Although this has given you an incredible pool of talent, which has been a key driver for your success, it’s caused some big hassles for you in the squash community. Obviously, you’ve proven that the strategy works.
It’s been great, to work with these kids, to see people who only had squash in common become a team, and real friends. It’s like our own little U.N.
But when you first started it, you were getting killed by everyone about it. They were calling you un-American, saying that you shouldn’t even compete in the U.S. Nationals because none of the kids were Americans, etc. What’s it like now?
Every day, I hear it. Still. Phone calls, articles, conversations with parents of kids who aren’t getting playing time or didn’t make the team…Every day. It’s horrible.
What do you say to them?
Look at what we’ve done. It’s not a slam against the American kids, it’s just that we don’t have the depth of talent in the U.S. We just can’t compete. That’s changing, with the urban programs, like City Squash ,Street Squash, and the like, and more courts around. But it’s still a country club sport, roughly speaking, so not enough people are getting into the game.
How do you see that progressing in the future?
There are definitely more public facilities, that are available to everyone. That will give many more kids the ability to play the game, and start much younger… like the one out by you, Southampton. How’s that going?
It’s been great.
So what’s going on out there?
(Wondering who’s getting interviewed) It’s going great! We have all the local schools getting involved, both public and private, and all demographics. And it’s only a year old. We have Sayed Selim from Egypt, and he’s running a great program. We’re really psyched about it.
That’s what’s going to make the difference. I see squash now like what tennis was in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. It’ll graduate out of the private clubs, and become a real great game for everyone. There are courts popping up all around the country. And then we’ll have many more people playing, and the level of play will just explode.
So there’s hope for us..
Oh yeah. And if it goes to the Olympics, it would add much more to the game here in The States. We could someday be well represented at the top of the game.
Then you’ll have more Americans on the team?
Of course, if it works out. But I have no problem with these kids; they’ve been absolutely wonderful. It’s been a really great experience.
Great, Coach, thank you.
Coach Assaiante was a great presence at the event. Along with overseeing the event from the College’s side, he also played in the 55 and over draw. He had a great match on Saturday, and it was great to watch. Almost his whole team was there to root him on, with yells and chants of “Coach, Coach, Coach”. Although he has been a controversial figure for internationalizing the game here in the US, he has obviously proven the wisdom of his strategy, and more than that, he is really loved by his team members.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
And Finally, a Return to the Nationals..
It's one day before the US Squash National Masters (Age Group) Championships. US Squash, the National Governing Body for squash, is running the tournament at Trinity College, just outside of Hartford, CT. This is going to be one crazy weekend. They are pulling off the impossible, running the Masters, which comprises all age-group players from 30 to 80 (yes, 80!), male and female, and, at the same time, the US Closed Championships (the best players of any age in the US).
400 individual athletes and their entourages will be descending on Hartford, on what seems to be a chilly, grey, otherwise run of the mill March weekend. My whole family - my wife and my three boys, are coming up to Hartford with me, to watch me play, to watch the spectacle of the Nationals, to get their first taste of top competition, and yes, to spend a few days cavorting in the hotel's pool. For them, it's a great break from the usual weekend chores and activities, with some excitement and a bit of enlightenment as to what happens on the national level.
But for every one of us who is playing (I'm in the 50's), it's a special weekend, the culmination of all the work and dedication we have put in over the past season. For me, the Masters represents my return to national competition after an 11 year hiatus. (Wow, has it been that long?) For this reason alone, it's both sad and nerve-wracking. It's sad because so much of my personna and self-image revolves around my being a top competitor, and that has been lost or superceded by my becoming a husband and dad over the past 11 years. ANd of course, it's nerve-wracking, because I have no idea how I will fare, against challengers known and unknown.
I know at least 10 of the 25 people in my draw from first-hand encounters on the court, past club affiliations, their reputations, or from their squash careers, as All-American collegiate players, teaching pros, touring pros or college coaches. (That in itself should be scary!) And in looking at the other age groups, I see the legends of squash throughout. I'm a little nervous, because after 11 years away from the circuit, I have no idea what to expect from my competitors. Are they all suffering from the wear and tear of 30 years of competition, and suffering hip and knee pain, or has time spared them, as it has me? And I've been working out and re-honing my game in a bit of a bubble, with no first hand knowedge of the level of my competitors.
Part of the genius of US Squash is their bringing together the current and past top players in one event, capped by a gala dinner on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday. Every year, for about a hundred years, US Squash, or its predecessor, the Unites States Squash Racquets Association, has put on this event, and generations of squash players have enjoyed the camaraderie, the competition, the coming together of the spirit of squash itself in one venue, and one grand event. I can't wait.
It was so much fun when I was playing tournaments up and down the eastern seaboard, rising to the top 10 in the age Groups, as well as the B's and then the A ranks. I played in dozens and dozens of tournaments, winning my share, and building my own reputation and rank, up to the top 10 in the A's in the New York area, and #3 in the 30's in the nation. And every time I played in one of them, I fought the nerves and anxiety all of us face. But most importantly, I always came away from them with a bigger game, more self esteem, and more determination to push my game to the next level. Every one of the tournaments I played in left a mark on me, with new friends, new shots, and eventually, the game I wanted, a game that could beat anyone on a given day. Eventually, my game proved to me that I could win.
If you're an aspiring player of any individual sport, or a club player with no real plans to rise to the top of your sport, but just want to see what it's like, I recommend doing at least some events you would otherwise consider over your head every year. It's a win-win situation. First, you get to see athletes at the top of your sport playing at the top of their game, and secondly, you come away just a little bit better, bigger, stronger, and jaded. The tournaments become less daunting and scary. Eventually, they become necessary parts of your life and your season. You are there to vanquish foes, and they are all within your reach. You come to tell yourself, "Pshaw, it's just another tourney, just another competitor."
But it's never just another tournament. It's always a landmark of your life. It's always an event you'll never forget. And you become a part of them as much as they are a part of you. Win or lose, they are important. And when you win, the trophies remind you of what you can achieve when you commit yourself to it. Not just in your sport, but in life.
So wish me luck, that I acquit myself well, and that I surprise some people who forgot I can play in the big time. Myself being one of them.
400 individual athletes and their entourages will be descending on Hartford, on what seems to be a chilly, grey, otherwise run of the mill March weekend. My whole family - my wife and my three boys, are coming up to Hartford with me, to watch me play, to watch the spectacle of the Nationals, to get their first taste of top competition, and yes, to spend a few days cavorting in the hotel's pool. For them, it's a great break from the usual weekend chores and activities, with some excitement and a bit of enlightenment as to what happens on the national level.
But for every one of us who is playing (I'm in the 50's), it's a special weekend, the culmination of all the work and dedication we have put in over the past season. For me, the Masters represents my return to national competition after an 11 year hiatus. (Wow, has it been that long?) For this reason alone, it's both sad and nerve-wracking. It's sad because so much of my personna and self-image revolves around my being a top competitor, and that has been lost or superceded by my becoming a husband and dad over the past 11 years. ANd of course, it's nerve-wracking, because I have no idea how I will fare, against challengers known and unknown.
I know at least 10 of the 25 people in my draw from first-hand encounters on the court, past club affiliations, their reputations, or from their squash careers, as All-American collegiate players, teaching pros, touring pros or college coaches. (That in itself should be scary!) And in looking at the other age groups, I see the legends of squash throughout. I'm a little nervous, because after 11 years away from the circuit, I have no idea what to expect from my competitors. Are they all suffering from the wear and tear of 30 years of competition, and suffering hip and knee pain, or has time spared them, as it has me? And I've been working out and re-honing my game in a bit of a bubble, with no first hand knowedge of the level of my competitors.
Part of the genius of US Squash is their bringing together the current and past top players in one event, capped by a gala dinner on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday. Every year, for about a hundred years, US Squash, or its predecessor, the Unites States Squash Racquets Association, has put on this event, and generations of squash players have enjoyed the camaraderie, the competition, the coming together of the spirit of squash itself in one venue, and one grand event. I can't wait.
It was so much fun when I was playing tournaments up and down the eastern seaboard, rising to the top 10 in the age Groups, as well as the B's and then the A ranks. I played in dozens and dozens of tournaments, winning my share, and building my own reputation and rank, up to the top 10 in the A's in the New York area, and #3 in the 30's in the nation. And every time I played in one of them, I fought the nerves and anxiety all of us face. But most importantly, I always came away from them with a bigger game, more self esteem, and more determination to push my game to the next level. Every one of the tournaments I played in left a mark on me, with new friends, new shots, and eventually, the game I wanted, a game that could beat anyone on a given day. Eventually, my game proved to me that I could win.
If you're an aspiring player of any individual sport, or a club player with no real plans to rise to the top of your sport, but just want to see what it's like, I recommend doing at least some events you would otherwise consider over your head every year. It's a win-win situation. First, you get to see athletes at the top of your sport playing at the top of their game, and secondly, you come away just a little bit better, bigger, stronger, and jaded. The tournaments become less daunting and scary. Eventually, they become necessary parts of your life and your season. You are there to vanquish foes, and they are all within your reach. You come to tell yourself, "Pshaw, it's just another tourney, just another competitor."
But it's never just another tournament. It's always a landmark of your life. It's always an event you'll never forget. And you become a part of them as much as they are a part of you. Win or lose, they are important. And when you win, the trophies remind you of what you can achieve when you commit yourself to it. Not just in your sport, but in life.
So wish me luck, that I acquit myself well, and that I surprise some people who forgot I can play in the big time. Myself being one of them.
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