Nov. 19, 2002
Squashing the Competition
The George Washington University Serves Up a New Pair
of Varsity Teams Mens and Womens Squash
By Brian
Krause
Behind the glass doors of the enclosed courts on the second floor of
the Health and Wellness Center, student athletes play a game that appears
to be an intense version of tennis.
Although they use a racket and a ball, they are not playing tennis.
Unlike tennis, with its royal ancestry, squash is a game that originated
in the dank dungeon of Fleet Prison in London around 1820. Calling their
game rackets, inmates discovered that they could get exercise
and stay in shape by hitting a ball against the walls, which there were
plenty of, instead of over a net.
The game of rackets began to spread, and by an unusual turn of events
found its way to Harrow, and other English boarding schools. There,
students discovered that by puncturing the racket ball, it would squash
on impact with the wall, and would make the game more unpredictable
and require much more physical effort by the player.
Almost 200 years later, squash has evolved into an international phenomenon
that is played in 135 nations, with over 47,000 squash courts worldwide.
A popular sport mostly concentrated in New England and the Ivy Leagues,
it has now found a permanent home at GW with the introduction of both
a mens and womens squad.
Making her coaching debut is Sarah West, who will lead the womens
team in its inaugural season, bringing with her a lifetime of playing
experience. West first began playing squash when she was only seven
years old, and went on to earn four letters at Dartmouth College, where
she served as team captain her senior year and was named first team
All-Ivy in 2001 and 2002.
Squash is one of the only sports where the better you get at it,
the harder it becomes, says West. At higher levels, the
ball moves faster, points are scored faster, you have to be in better
shape, you need to have better racket precision, and you need better
touch.
With no womens squash program in existence, West was faced with
the challenge of creating a varsity NCAA team from scratch the
first time this had ever been attempted at GW.
It was difficult to recruit because I came in to an empty desk
and a phone, says West. I had to do a lot of research because
it is such a small culture here.
Not only did West check the high school scouting reports, but she also
recruited players at the Health and Wellness Center squash courts. By
holding the team practice on public courts, she hopes the exposure will
peak curiosity among student spectators.
I want to raise the enthusiasm of the girls in the sport and make
them more interested in picking it up, says West. Squash
is still a foreign term on this campus.
Although the womens team needed to be built from the ground up,
there was already a strong mens squash club on campus to draw
experienced players from for a varsity squad.
At the helm of the mens team for its inaugural season is Simon
Harrington, a GW alumnus who graduated in 1996 with a bachelor of arts
in journalism. A seasoned tennis and squash pro, Harrington was a member
of the club squash team during his four years at GW and is a certified
United States Professional Tennis Association and United States Tennis
Registry instructor.
The teams greatest strength is the comradery. Theyve
been very good and they really enjoy each other, says Harrington.
They even organized a steak dinner the night before the first
match.
Currently ranked 34th, Harrington hopes to break into the top 25 this
season and earn a position in a better division. He expects that the
infusion of young talent on the team will help bring the squad success.
We have some freshmen that will go a long way toward achieving
our goals, says Harrington. When we play competitive matches,
I expect them to be able to pull them off. When were evenly matched,
I expect they will win.
One player anticipated to be instrumental this season is freshman Greg
Vernick, who is listed by the College Squash Association as a Freshman
to Watch.
From West Roxbury, MA, Vernick began playing squash as a freshman in
high school while in search of a winter sport to play besides hockey.
The squash program was an important consideration when choosing to come
to GW, says Vernick, because he was not going to go to a school without
one.
I just want to get better this season, says Vernick. But
its going to be hard. I want to get in the best shape I can, play
as well as I can, and hopefully stay on this list.
While the men have already started competitive play, the womens
squad will continue to practice until the start of its season in January.
However, due to zoning restrictions on the Health and Wellness Center,
there are no home games scheduled.
Our biggest challenge is not getting injured with squash being
such a physical sport, adds Harrington. After only one month
of practice and one match, everyone on the team is already feeling the
abuse.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu