SQUASH

This is a game I take very, very seriously, because I enjoy it so much!

What’s with the funny glasses, Nick?

They are actually protective eyewear, Nick, for sports. I tried conventional goggles, but found them uncomfortable, so asked my ophthalmologist if she had anything else, and yes, there was a cabinet in the back room with some old stuff that never sold, and there they were, perfect for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re 40 years old, Memphis Group style.

How long have you been playing?

That’s the question other players, younger players, always ask. They want to know how old Father Time is. So I tell them, I’ve been playing since I was 30.

So, not at school?

No. I played fives at Bedford. It’s in the school song, “Now cricket and football, boating and fives, and work by which men pay for their lives, ’tis ever by these the old school thrives, at Bedford by the river.” Fives wasn’t as important as athletics or swimming, but it made for some good rhymes! It’s like handball squash, played with leather gloves and a small hard ball. I didn’t play any sports after I left school, but one day in 1981 Graz Palumbo, who was the copywriter I worked with at the Raymond Lee advertising agency in Toronto, invited me to his club—the Columbus Centre—for a game, and I thought, hey, I can do this, and I’ve been playing ever since. That was around the time Karey and I started a family, making big lifestyle changes. I gave up smoking, took up squash. We lived in Leaside in the old Toronto borough of East York, and I’d take young Eric to the nearby Parkview Club, dropping him off at the creche there while I was on court.

Where do you play now?

At the Headwaters Racquet Club in Orangeville. When Karey and I moved out of Toronto in 2009, it had to be to a town with a squash club, and HRC had just opened. Before that I was playing out of Mayfair Lakeshore in Toronto. I also play in inter-club leagues, and in tournaments.

How did your heart attack affect your game?

Strangely, it gave it a huge boost. I was really pissed to have that happen at 58, as I had always stayed in shape and eaten healthily (or so I thought). I didn’t relish the prospect of being on statins for the rest of my life, and determined to deal with my affliction by diet and exercise, rather than drugs. So I went vegan and used squash as a health and fitness incentive. I’d never had any coaching, as I’d always thought that would take the fun and creativity out of the game, but the club pro, Johnny Wilson, changed my mind. Thank-you, Johnny! So I hit the gym, took lessons, did drills, and started entering tournaments. Lo and behold, much to my astonishment, I found I’d become one of the top players in my age group, in Canada.

What’s been the high point of your career, so far?

That was the year after the heart attack, when I won a bronze medal in the Provincial Masters championship. I played on teams in the Toronto and District League for 28 years for various clubs, made a few finals, didn’t win any trophies. Then last year my team at Headwaters won the Western League Division 3 Championship—that was special too. But really, the high point is always endorphins, waiting in the next game, in long rallies that turn into dance of a sort.

What’s your routine?

Western League on Mondays—versus clubs in Guelph, Elora, Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford. House league at HRC on Wednesdays, and a drop-in round robin with friends on Fridays. I do yoga (at home with Karey) twice a week, and gym on Sundays. I must confess, I haven’t entered any tournaments since before COVID, I really should get back into that.

What’s in the future for squash?

It’ll stay niche. Somewhat eclipsed by pickleball right now, but the Olympics, in which it’ll debut in 2028, will give it a bit of a boost. It’s managed to survive for over 100 years, it does have a unique appeal, not for mass spectators or pro sport silly money, but as something a certain kind of person can fit into their lifestyle. As someone who’s been working from home for 30 years, and rarely sees clients or associates in person, it gives me an opportunity to socialize with people from all walks of life. That’s particularly so for tournaments, and inter-club play, for which there’s always a dinner after matches, hosted by the home team at a sports restaurant or at the club in question. Dinner for ten—chicken wings and jugs of beer the typical fare, at long tables beneath gigantic video screens booming out sports channels. However, we do offer our guests veggie wraps as well as burgers and fries, in the more peaceful environs of The Nook, at HRC.

What keeps you engaged with the game?

At any given moment in a rally, you can play a lob, boast, drive or drop, or just aim for a nick (that’s when the ball hits where wall meets floor, rolling off dead, impossible to play). You can volley or wait till the ball passes you and take it off the back wall, or even hit it off the back wall. You can hold off on hitting a shot and play it at the last moment, deceiving your opponent. So many options.
I’m intrigued by the asymmetry that can occur between evenly matched players, with quite different skills, physique and style, and the challenge that presents in competition.
I’ve played men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes. I’ve been to venues all over Southern Ontario, from fitness franchises, community centres and the neighbourhood “Y” to key clubs and posh old-money clubs.
You might say I like diversity.

Ever gonna quit?

Not if I can help it. ●