New Mexico Squash Racquets Association 
April 1995
New Mexico Squash Racquets Association
There's another special article, an interesting one from Scotland, about one of our favorite pros, Peter Nicol. Then there's the normal news and referee stuff. I hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Now, as this is my last opportunity as NMSRA Secretary to pontificate about the NMSRA, let me say that the NMSRA is doing very well. This previous year we initiated, conducted, and participated in some new and very popular activities, such as the TEAM New Mexico trip to Las Vegas and Rod Symmington's Referee Clinic (reported in this issue), just to mention a couple. We're now even on the Internet (the first association in the U.S.)- thanks to our good member Chris Janton of Tucson. Some previous activities, like the NM Statewide League, the NMSRA Team Tournament, and the NMSRA Eye Opener Handicap Tournament are history, but we still can boast about our traditional tournaments like the Albuquerque Open, the New Mexico Englishball Championships, and the upcoming Los Alamos Open.
In the last year, our membership has remained strongand our treasury sound. And, our newsletters have been read, literally by thousands, around the world via the Internet, bringing some well-deserved attention to New Mexico squash. New Mexico also gained an excellent pro, Chris Lang, at New Mexico Sports and Wellness. However, rumor has it that a great one, Aziz Khan, has left the Kiva Club and New Mexico.
We are a very transient society, and this affects the NMSRA more than anything. So many good members have come and left. However, like all good organizations, the NMSRA has changed to keep up with the changing membership, interests, and character of the association's members. Fortunately, as we enter our 12th year, there are still several individuals, some of whom's names are on the enclosed NMSRA Officer Election Ballot, who are willing to do the necessary hard work to maintain the NMSRA and keep it the backbone of squash in New Mexico for years to come, no matter how much times change.
Please take a moment, vote, and return the ballot. Provide any suggestions or ideas of how we can be even a better association. And if you can, think about helping out as well.
RANDY KAHN
[The following story is true, though the names have been changed. It was recently told to Randy Kahn and me by a professional squash player who was on the professional tour for a number of years. He is an expert at telling incredibly funny stories with a perfectly straight face, which of course, makes them all the funnier.]
As we lingered over some after dinner drinks and dessert, a very likeable and well-spoken squash pro, whom we will call "Sam," had just finished telling us several squash-related stories. Some were about everyday squash match experiences that we can all relate to; others were about Sam's time on the professional squash circuit; all, however, were hilarious stories that somehow focused on human nature. Each story seemed to be funnier than the last--an effect, no doubt, helped out by the drinks. The "finale" was what Sam himself admitted is a squash story "to top all stories."
Sam began by describing the leading character, whom we will call "Bert." According to Sam, although he did not know Bert very well at the time of this story, Bert's demeanor and appearance said it all. Imagine for a moment, said Sam, the ultimate squash "nerd." "This guy," elaborated Sam, "makes Woody Allen look like Robert Redford--he's totally weird. I know he has read EVERYTHING that has EVER been printed about squash." Got the picture? Good. Incredibly, Bert is also a touring squash professional--some information that, no doubt, conflicts with your mental picture of Bert. Now the story begins and all of it, said Sam, takes place over 24 hours--during the first tournament on a professional squash tour.
At the tournament check-in desk, Sam said he routinely inquired about the person with whom he would be rooming. You got it--it's our man Bert. Sam then got right into the details of the next 24 memorable hours he spent with Bert. "The guy is obsessed--says he has to have 14 hours of sleep before 'MATCH DAY' and sets the alarm accordingly" said Sam. It was immediately obvious that this guy definitely got under Sam's skin. "He sets the temperature at, like, 86 degrees and covers up with extra blankets . . . I spent the night butt-naked on top of the covers, drowning in my own sweat. At 5am, after no sleep whatsoever, knowing that Bert was soundly sleeping, I cracked the window open," continues Sam. This action is answered by a loud "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" out of Bert. "It's really warm in here," responds Sam, "I can't even breathe . . . I thought that a little fresh air . . ." "Shut that window! Don't you know you can catch pneumonia that way?" replies Bert.
The alarm goes off at 7AM; this seems incredibly early to Sam, considering the fact that he only got about one hour of sleep and neither Sam nor Bert are supposed to play until 9pm that night. "IT'S MATCH DAY!!!" shouts Bert. Sam groans, "Bert, it was so hot last night--I got no sleep . . . Besides, we don't play until 9pm tonight . . ." "GET UP--IT'S MATCH DAY--we need breakfast and a good warm-up!" says Bert. Bert hops out of bed and (are you ready for this?) straps on a neckbrace. With Sam staring in disbelief at this sight, Bert snaps "you just never know, you could move the wrong way in the morning--end up pulling a muscle." Bert then starts rigorously using his foot roller.
At the breakfast table that morning, Sam is delighted to see two fellow squash pros ("normal people," emphasized Sam) passing through the buffet line. Sam starts to invite the fellows to join them, when Bert kicks him under the table and whispers "No! Please don't invite them over . . . I am not speaking to Ned!" The two pros give a friendly nod and pass on by. Sam asks Bert what the problem is. "It turns out," says Sam, "that Bert didn't like that way Ned had done the rankings."
"Later that morning, we get to the practice court and start hitting," continues Sam. "Bert suddenly freezes in place and yells 'STOP!! This court is absolutely TREACHEROUS!!'" "What are you talking about?!" asks Sam. "There! Right there! Don't you see it? Right there! TREACHEROUS!!" responds Bert, pointing at a spot on the court floor. Sam says he does not see a thing wrong with the floor. "Right there! Look--those two floor boards . . could step there, go right over on your ankle, and it would be all over!" says Bert, very seriously. Sam says he is still trying to see what Bert is talking about, even getting down on his hands and knees. Bert goes over to his bag and returns with--(Sam assures us he is not making this up)--wood putty, putty knife, and (wait it gets better) fine grade sand paper. Bert spends the next 20 minutes puttying and smoothing out his work. "There! That's better," declares Bert.
Later in the day, Sam finds Bert back in their hotel room, getting some more sleep (as if he needed it) before his match--which is still 8 hours away. "Apparently," says Sam, "14 hours is not enough. I am convinced that all this guy does is sleep, eat, and play squash--period." Sam goes on, painting quite a picture: "Bert's strapped into his neck brace, sleeping peacefully in the 86 degree comfort of our room. A rattlesnake couldn't sleep in that kind of heat. Around the room Bert has scattered his sweaty practice clothes out to dry--or to cook, really--there's this incredible stink in the air. I want to stretch, but there's no room in this stinking inferno. So I decide to move Bert's rackets a few feet out of the way, to clear some room." This gesture awakens Bert with a start and he says in a loud voice, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sam starts to explain that he needed a little room, to do some stretching and Bert interrupts with "Did you touch my racquets?" "Well, I needed space . . ." Sam starts to explain. "DID YOU TOUCH MY RACQUETS??" asks Bert, rather angrily. That was it. Sam let loose with the following: "YOUR #&$%#*%# CRAP IS ALL OVER THE ROOM, THE TEMPERATURE IS UNBEARABLE AND IT STINKS LIKE HELL IN HERE!!!" Sam says that in all seriousness. Bert then asks, "Did you use your right hand or your left hand?" "I don't know!" answers Sam, incredulously. "What difference does it make?!" Sam says he then contemplated this totally irrational question for a second, "I absolutely, before going to my grave, had to know why on earth this guy wanted to know what hand I had used to move his racquets." So Sam made the mistake of asking. "I noticed at lunch that you had potato chips and that you ate with your right hand . . . I don't want any potato chip grease on my grips," explained Bert, in total and complete seriousness. "I wanted to kill him, then and there," says Sam, "but all I could do is stare back at him with my swollen, sleep-deprived eyes, about to faint at any moment in the sweltering heat and putrid air."
In the last episode of this story, Sam says he finds himself "still hanging out with this guy, despite the previous 23 1/2 hours. I'm warming him up for his match that night, when he asks to borrow a pair of socks. I pull out a brand new pair of perfectly acceptable socks, asking myself WHY I am doing this total geek a favor--a guy who has been nothing but a source of misery to me, entirely ruining the start of this tour." (To be fair, Sam did explain he believes that Bert means no real harm in the world--he just doesn't know what a total pain he really is.) Bert takes the socks, immediately turns them inside out, and starts rubbing them together. At this point, Sam says he honestly hesitates to ask Bert what he is doing. "I don't have to ask," says Sam, "Bert is already handing the socks back to me, saying 'No, these are unacceptable--it's the fabric--it's all wrong.'" Sam stares back in disbelief. Bert continues, "It's too rough--these could chafe my feet--very bad--I could get a foot infection."
[Ed note: In 1992, an unranked and very young Scottish Player named Peter Nicol blasted through the qualifier and then the main draw of Albuquerque's International Grand Prix tournament. In preparation for that tournament and for the following two U.S. Grand Prix events he had entered, Peter stayed with Jan and Frank Ellis in Albuquerque and trained for two weeks. He charmed us with his politeness and we were awed at his unbelievable ability to retrieve EVERYTHING in the court. But he also humorously inspired me - out of the court.... Between matches, most of the qualifiers and main-draw pros could be found playing cards and drinking a few beers. However, I would find Peter in a most remote corner of the club stretching and reading a very basic squash book, "How To Play Squash".
Peter, who's physical frame seemed too frail and unathletic to be a legitimate squash pro, went on to run through the qualifier draws and win the next two U.S. Grand Prix tournaments.
In less than two years, Peter has gone from number 250 to number 5 in the world. The following article provides an update to the world's new squash phenomenon.]
Peter Nicol leapt to international notice when, in his first appearance for the senior Scottish squad, playing at the bottom of the order as an untried 19-year-old, he defeated the experienced Jason Nicolle to put England out of a European Team Championship semi-final for the first time, then he went on to beat Marco Pulli of Finland to secure Scotland's only win in the event.
Now Peter Nicol is aged 21 and ranked fifth in the world, with a European Champion of Champions title, a brace of Singapore Open titles, a World Open semi-final, and a British National final in an ever expanding record.
He started playing at the age of eight at the Garloch Club in Inverurie, a small town just to the North of Aberdeen.
"Squash was a godsend to a sportsmad family that far north in Scotland", Nicol says now. "We all used to play all the time. With tennis and other outdoor games we were limited to two or three months in the year. But we could play squash at any time of the year, and we did". His father Pat was his first mentor. His mother Sigrid played and sister Julie was a Scottish international before opting for a business degree at university that has since taken her into sports management.
Pat's enthusiasm for the game continues as manager for the Scottish Squash Team in the last two major championships.
It was Dr. Eric Farr, an Aberdeen academic with a fierce love for squash and a belief in its future as a great competitive sport for worldwide spectator consumption, who bent Nicol's ambition towards the top of the professional ladder.
When Nicol turned up at the age of nine for one of Farr's Grampian Junior Coaching Group sessions, the good doctor was inclined to send him home for a couple of years. "Twelve was my usual minimum age and I felt he was still a bit young", Farr says.
"I took a lot of persuasion before agreeing to his joining us, but on his first day he went on court with one of our top coaches and played out a 32-stroke rally. That was enough for me. I knew he could go all the way".
An offer of terms with Aberdeen Football Club and qualification for a university place might have attracted another youngster away from the game.
But Nicol decided on a year out after school to test the professional water.
A move to Harrogate took him to David Pearson, the unsung coaching influence in many a formative professional squash career. The balance, the movement, the ability to work in all quarters of the court and, perhaps most important of all, the sense of humour and perspective that are central to Nicol's ambition, owe much to those early days at Harrogate under Pearson's thoughtful eye.
It was inevitable that working with Pearson would bring Nicol into contact with Neil Harvey, the former England captain now Chairman of the British Squash Professionals Association with a growing stable of young professionals around him at Cannons Club in London.
The Young Scot moved south to join the group. Now he could hardly be closer to Harvey. He lives in the Chingford house of his new mentor, trains with him daily, checks back from tournaments around the world for input.
"Neil has been on the circuit. He knows all the good and bad parts of it. He has been a tremendous asset to starting out", Nicol admits. Harvey is an astute tactician and a good watcher. If he cannot actually be behind the court for Nicol's big matches, he is sure to be near a telephone in good time to lend a little advice.
"Peter is the best sort of player to work with," Harvey says. "He listens, he learns from everything and he understands. Then he goes on court and works at it".
The work is paying off. Two hundred places up the PSA ranking in less than two years is good by anyone's standards.
The Nicol success story started with winning three titles in the North America circuit, a couple of Scottish titles, two Singapore Open titles and last but not least, an incredible series of scalps collected in the past year from the best players in the world.
He defeated Jansher Khan in the second round at the Leekes Classic, he beat world number two Brett Martin in Portugal, Austria, Hong Kong and finally in Barcelona. In Hong Kong he also beat Rodney Eyles to reach his most significant world tour final against Jansher Khan.
His next target is to overcome Peter Marshall and claim the British Title; "That is one target for this season but it is just a foothold for the real target of becoming World Number One" the young Scots admits, "I know I can do it. I do not want to sound arrogant, but I do not believe in false modesty either. I have become stronger and fitter this year. My game is improving all the time. I am really excited about what can happen from here".
And so are we.
[Ed. Note: The preceding article was provided on the Internet thanks to the Scottish Squash Racquets Association.]
In the last newsletter we talked about how to strategize to beat your opponent, who in the example was named Doug. Doug, however, is just one of your opponentS. No, we're not talking about the likelihood of playing Jeff in the next round (if you win), or the other players in the round-robin. It's the "other" opponentS, with a capital "S" for plural, that are right there in the court with you - whether you want them or not.
Your "other" opponentS are your other challenges you have to overcome in addition to Doug. Perhaps it's that bread-n-butter boast that you're missing, or maybe you're nervous. Perhaps your achilles is bothering you, or the ref is making some really bad calls. Or perhaps Doug isn't clearing as well as you'd like and his backhand follow-through is bugging you. What if you haven't had much sleep lately, or you keep worrying about that problem at work. Maybe you just had an unpleasant discussion with your spouse, and you can't keep your mind off it.
Oh yea, THOSE opponentS.
But to beat Doug, you're going to have to beat those opponentS too. And this is what challenge is all about. Some of us can beat our "real" opponent, Doug in this example, but don't because we loose to our "other" opponentS. Although it may be difficult to determine the best tactics to beat Doug, we all easily identify the "other" opponents. We know what's bugging us or what's not 100%. Typically these are our excuses for losing, or not playing well.
"Good" players recognize these "other" opponentS, and like trying to beat Doug, they accept the challenge to beat their "other" opponentS. And they do a pretty good job of it. That's why they typically beat the player that they should beat, and occasionally beat someone who is better than them.
Perhaps the toughest challenge is not being able to make yourself try. You thought Doug was a tough opponent! He is nothing compared to this. But you can overcome even this bad apple. And when you do, you can be very proud of yourself.
You will become a "good" player when you learn how to beat your opponentS.
And in the process, you will learn to look forward to taking on all of squash's
challenges presented by your "real" and "other" opponentS. That's where the
fun is, whether you win or lose. And if you lose, (knowing you tried your best)
when you shake your opponent's hand you really will be congratulating him for
beating a "good" player.
It has been my observation and experience over the last 18 years of playing squash that the majority of squash players will shy away from any opportunity to referee. This reticence arises often because of a feeling that, although we know the rules adequately enough to play the game, we do not have the knowledge and confidence to interpret situations from a referee's standpoint and (a) render the correct decision, and (b) be able to justify that decision based on a sound knowledge of the rules of squash.
It was a pleasure therefore to take part in the referee certification seminar held at Midtown Sports and Wellness on March 4th. There was an excellent turnout for this seminar with, in addition to the more local 'worthies', a number of players travelling from Los Alamos to participate. The seminar was presented in an entertaining and highly informative manner by Rod Symington, the USSRA's international referee expert.
The morning session was devoted to clarifying issues surrounding the respective roles of referees and markers, their relationship with the players and the vocabulary and procedure for keeping and announcing scores, and making calls. Thereafter the decision making procedures for given 'What if?' situations were presented and discussed using both slide and video presentation techniques. The highlight of the day was the staged match between Rod and Chris Lang, the Sports and Wellness squash professional. With seminar participants taking turns to referee and mark this game the atmosphere became very light hearted as this world renowned squash referee was placed at the receiving end of decisions that seemed at times to arise out of outright confusion, but to which the principle 'The referee is always right!' was rigidly applied. Lastly participants completed a short officiating certification test which resulted in all present attaining novice official status - the first step in the referee certification process.
In the six months preceding this course I had not seen one game refereed or
marked in Albuquerque, in the three weeks since the course I have seen several,
and most have been refereed to a standard that I am sure Rod Symington would
be proud of. Many thanks are due from all those who participated to both Rod
and also to Chris, whose organizational abilities saw that the day ran very
smoothly.
A few years ago I was invited by the Dallas SRA to conduct a Refereeing Certification Clinic. During the clinic, I asked the question, "What is it when you attempt to drive the ball down the rail and it hits the crack between the side wall and front wall and spurts out into the center of the court?" Ken Stillman, a stalwart of the Dallas squash scene, responded immediately, "Bad Luck!" When the laughter had subsided, I responded, "No, Ken, it's not bad luck, it's a bad shot. You did not hit the shot you intended; in effect, you hit a bad shot and it's just like any other bad shot - you have to suffer the consequences. So if you find yourself heading back to the T and running, in effect towards the ball instead of away from it, and into your opponent's backswing instead of away from it, you lose the stroke.
People are always asking me, "Why is this? Surely a player cannot hit a winning shot if he or she is behind the T, so shouldn't it just be a Let?"
This is the wrong way of looking at the situation, The concept of a "winning shot" has nothing to do with this kind of episode. The principle we apply here is the absolute requirement that you must give your opponent the complete freedom to swing at the ball (with a normal swing) and hit the shot of his or her choice. If you do not do that, if you run into the opponent's swing or impede your opponent from taking a full normal swing at the ball, you lose the stroke - no matter where it happens on court.
If you think about it for a second or two, you will realize that this requirement is absolutely necessary. If it were not in the Rules, an unscrupulous player would repeatedly crowd the opponent's swing and prevent that opponent from having a fair chance to hit the ball properly. And, the Rules are very, very strict about this - if you do not make every effort to get out of the way you lose the stroke.
This is when people raise the second objection, "But I was making every effort to get out of the way! Is it my fault that the ball decided to fly straight towards me?" Answer: Yes, under the Rules it is your fault. Hit better shots next time!
It is not enough to make every effort to get out of the way; you have to make that effort in an appropriate direction. If you happen to make an error and choose to go the wrong way, you are penalized. In effect, you made a bad decision - just as if you had anticipated your opponent's shot, moved in one direction, and the ball went in the opposite direction and beat you. If you choose to run into your opponent's swing, you lose the stroke.
I am sure many readers are still thinking, "O.K., we accept that that is the Rule, but it still seems to me to be bad luck." Perhaps there is an element of bad luck there (it was, after all almost a good shot!), but the Rule has to be there to keep the game totally fair.
So, in the future, when you run into your opponent's backswing or when you
are unable to clear completely out of the way so that your opponent has a complete
normal swing at the ball, admit you are wrong and offer your opponent the stroke.
I had the unenviable position of organizing TEAM New Mexico's recent trip to San Diego. In theory, it should have been a piece of cake, after the NMSRA's successful TEAM trip to Las Vegas.
For this trip, TEAM New Mexico started out with 9 players properly signed up in advance. However, by match time on Saturday 8 April, the team had been ravaged by circumstances and excuses. To begin with, top-player and team coach Chris Lang, decided to go to a tournament in Atlanta instead. Next, Mike Hussey backed out because of an out-of-town house guest. Then Tord Bowman dropped out because of an elbow problem. He was soon followed by Dennis Ohlsen and a shoulder injury. Lastly, a funeral made Randy and Julie Kahn unavailable for Saturday's match.
Never the less, thanks to the friendliness and encouragement of San Diego's Premier Club and owners Marty Dicker and Sid Jacobson, the matches went on as scheduled. On Saturday, David Neal, Scott Garrett, and Terry Linton battled long and hard despite each losing in 5 games. On Sunday, Randy and Julie Kahn joined the team. Although the host club was a bit less organized that day, they still managed to pull together the 5-man match - that this time New Mexico won 3-2.
As a result of the New Mexico no-shows, most of the team and host social interactions fell-through. This included Chris' four team practices, Friday night's team partying in San Diego's Gas Lamp District, and the Premier Club's host barbecue party on Saturday. Fortunately, this trip was billed as primarily a couple's or family fun weekend in San Diego (where there's a lot to do for everyone). To that end the Neals, Lintons, Garretts, and Kahns all had lots of fun, enjoying the America's Cup races, the zoo, and Sea World, just to mention a few of the group's activities.
Surprisingly, even though San Diego had to crop their previously organized two teams (18 players!), San Diego's Greg Sherman and Marty Dicker still managed to print up T-shirts for the 5 New Mexico players! Amazing!
Thanks to Karen Strong of Rio Grande Travel, Team New Mexico did enjoy unbelievable low airfares and terrific (and incredibly inexpensive) luxury hotel accommodations.
Any volunteers for organizing the next team trip?
NMSRA Newsletter
7423 Lantern NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
or call Randy Kahn at 881-9840.
(E-mail: Kahnr@PLK.AF.MIL)
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Annual membership to the NMSRA is $35, runs 1 May - 30 April, and includes membership to the USSRA. If you would like to become an NMSRA member, send your check made out to the NMSRA to:
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