New Mexico Squash Racquets Association 
January 1996
New Mexico Squash Racquets Association
Hello again from Los Alamos and Happy New Year to all NMSRA members and squash readers! In this issue of the Tell-Tale we have some interesting contributions. One of the main concerns of Los Alamos NMSRA membership is the state of affairs of squash in New Mexico. NMSRA Treasurer Clarence Duffy writes about some of his thoughts on the matter, as does President Richard Hammer in the President's Passing Shot. I would like to thank Charlie Perkins for a comprehensive write up of the Kiva Classic held last December.
Many readers will find the summary of the new USSRA ranking criterion, contained in this issue, rather informative. As it turns out, it is relatively easy to locate one's skill level based on these points; I'm a double AA maybe AAA for example. The deciding factor for me was the criteria ``Gives the pro's a serious match.'' On a more serious note, however, just how NMSRA members might become ranked is contemplated by Richard Hammer in his article to follow.
I have contributed two articles to this issue. One, as usual, is from Austin Francis' Smart Squash and the other is from a relatively new book I highly reccommend to players at all levels, entitled the TheSquash Workshop, by Ian MacKenzie. Its a British published book, by Crowood Press and sells for 18.99 (pounds whatever the hell that means) actually, a meager $44.95 at booksellers almost nowhere. If you are still reading this article I will tell you that you can obtain the book from the USSRA product line the next time you are ordering squash ties for X-mas presents.
Of course you will be reminded at several junctures in this issue of the upcoming Green Dot Desert Classic, another Chris Lang production. It should be a great event, as always, and I look forward to seeing many of you there. In closing may I say that I always welcome any contributions to the Tell-Tale from the members at large.
See you!,
Mike H.
by Richard Hammer
I hope that you have been reading about the new USSRA ranking system. We are including a copy of the new USSRA ranking creiteria in this months newsletter. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this topic and have concluded that it may not be widely accepted in New Mexico unless we can have a local person certified to be a USSRA ranker. I have been investigating this with the USSRA and would propose that the NMSRA help pay the expenses for an NMSRA member to become certified. In exchange, this person would be able to certify NMSRA members at a reduced rate. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic.
I miss the Santa Fe Open and would like to find a way to revive this wonderful tournament. I have at least four NMSRA members that have told me that they would be willing to work this tournament, but we need someone from Santa Fe to work with us. The Santa Fe Open would be a perfect way to KICK off the new NMSRA year in May 1996. What do you say Santa Fe members???
I hope you all will be participating in the upcoming Albuquerque tournament. I will not be playing because I am still recovering from knee surgery (I have one more month on crutches to go), but I will be there watching some great squash. Promote joining the USSRA/NMSRTA if you know any non-members that are going to play in this tournament, the $7.00 sanctioning fee is a total waste of money. The $35.00 fee to join the NMSRA will cover all tournament sanctioning fees for the year. All the money the NMSRA recieves from dues is used to support New Mexico squash.
We are at risk of losing our association with USSRA because our membership is so low. This has some serious ramifications for New Mexico squash:
Thanks,
Richard
by Clarence Duffy
Since rediscovering squash a few years ago, it has become an important part of my life. I played while a graduate student in Vancouver, British Columbia, but with no organization behind me to provide tournaments, a network of players, or any real means of improving my game except to read an occasional book and go into the court and pound away at the ball. In New Mexico, I've learned considerably more about the game and I've enjoyed it much more. My game has even improved, although I'm certainly not running out of room to get better. Although certainly not the only factor, the NMSRA is a significant factor in adding to my enjoyment of squash. Having assumed the duties of treasurer for the NMSRA part way through this year, I have become more aware of the status of our organization.
The NMSRA does not appear to be a healthy organization. Membership is down (it now stands at 38) and expenditures exceed revenue. Perhaps this just reflects a general satisfaction with the status of squash in New Mexico on the part of most players. I can always find someone to play with so what's the problem? If you are getting this newsletter that's probably not your attitude. After all, you're a member. We do, however, still need your help. Current membership is too low to assure our continued recognition by the USSRA. To be recognized as an independent organization 50 members are required. The most effective means to increased membership is for all of us to encourage non-members to join. For membership forms you can contact me at
Clarence Duffy 200 Camino Encantado Los Alamos, NM 87544 (505) 662-3290 cduffy3141@aol.com
What can you tell people to convince them to join? The NMSRA helps to assure that squash players and squash facilities will continue to exist in New Mexico. Membership benefits include news about squash. You get the Tell-Tale to let you know what's going on locally and Squash News for information on the national and international scene. You get the schedules of upcoming tournaments and you save at least $7.00 per tournament on registration fees. In the past year the NMSRA has contributed to sponsorship of professional squash in New Mexico (it's the best squash most of us get to see) and helped bring a referees clinic to Albuquerque. Knowing the rules really does make the game safer and more fun. Finally you get the chance to associate with some very nice people. At $35.00 the price is right. Twenty five dollars of that goes to membership in the USSRA (the cose is $40.00 if you join the USSRA only and there are no direct benefits to NM squash.) If you only wanted Squash news the cost alone would be $20.00. Current hot national news is the USSRA's new rating system for squash players. Have you ever wondered how your level of play would compare to players in other parts of the country? This helps. A summary of the rating criteria appears in this issue, and you can also check out Squash news for the USSRA's internet address and find the criteria there thanks to Chris Janton, one of NMSRA's Arizona members. Think about it; I'll bet you can come up with a few reasons of your own for being an NMSRA member.
Edited contributions by Mike Hawrylycz from Austin Francis' book Smart Squash.
"If so many top-ranked players are well into their thirties, there must be something about squash, other than strength and endurance, which defines excellence. I think there is, and I believe that this special ingredient is a combination of complexity and finessse which takes longer to master than in most other sports. Take one small example: in tennis there is no such thing as a nick or a ball so tight to the wall that it is simply unhittable. But in squash both exist, they are outright winners, and they may be mastered by players who stick with the game. And significantly, neither shot depends on power.
The conclusion I have drawn from these observations is: an older player who is willing to master shot selection and shot execution can often win over a more agile, harder-hitting opponent. The older player must be in reasonably good condition, of course, but even if there is a modest endurance gap in favor of the younger player, it can often enough be overcome by an intelligent, consistent game.
Vic Niederhoffer agrees: "One of the distinguishing features of squash is that a mid-level player with good skills can overcome a physical disadvantage in terms of strength or agility. I would say that an average player with good finesse and anticipation, diversification, and concentration should beat an opponent who is ten to twenty percentage points higher on various physical tests."
I asked Norm Peck to imagine that he is talking to a team of graduate players in their thirties or older who are getting ready to play the Princeton undergraduates, and to lay out what he feels will be a winning strategy. Here it is: "I want you to practice two things this week on the return of serve. Either you will hit a reverse corner or, if you're not comfortable with that, I want you to neutralize the serve by bringing it carefully down the line with good length to force your man into a defensive situation. No cross-courts off the serve, until you catch him leaning into your rail shot, and nothing hard. Secondly, I want you to concentrate on shotmaking: your serve, a defensive lob, and finishing shots such as a three-wall nick, straight or cross-court drop, or a roll corner."
"The outcome of most of your matches is going to depend on your shotmaking ability and your being able to dictate the flow of the match. You can do this if you realize that some of these kids have played squash for only a couple of years. Although they are good althetes, your experience will help you to use the entire court to your advantage. The main strategy is to leave your shots in one of the four corners of the court, keeping the ball from coming back out toward the center. Make your opponents cover a tremendous amout of court, completely twisting and changing direction within the course of a point. You do this and unless your man is awfully quick and has excellent shotmaking skills of his own, you're going to be dictating the pointsa dn the match."
From the point of view of one who has been there, here is Cal MacCracken telling you some of the secrets that have contributed to one of the all-time great veteran squash records: (Ed. Cal MacCraken was the National Veteran's Hardball Champion from 1960-63, and the National Senior Hardball Champion from 1970-72.) "The older squash players can use intelligence and their knowledge of the game to better effect than in a lot of other sports. There's always something new to learn in squash. That's one of the things that intrigues me about it. You can learn stroke refinement every year. When you get to be my age and your refexes arent' quite as fast, you can't turn quite as far- your knees aren't that strong- you can't reach quite as far, and so on, you have to make a refinement. The main thing I have done is learn to lob well, because in getting to the ball I am often a step behind, and it is important to get out front and get your opponent behind you."
"You're usually not in a position to hit hard cross-court returns at the younger players. So I have learned to keep a lob along the wall so close that my opponent has to let them drop down and take them in the rear corner. Then I can move up to the front of the court. This is the main thing I rely on now when I play younger players. Also I try to rattle a younger players with variety. For example, hard serves that come out into the middle. Hard serves aiming for the corner nick. I give them balls at different angles, speeds, with different English, trajectories and heights. I also volley every time I can to stay out front. I try to keep them guessing as much as possible so that they don't get grooved on doing any one thing."
"When I was in my mid-thirties, I used to be known as a well-conditioned player. The players who are of college age really are not yet, most of them, in conditions for real tough squash. Its just like marathon runnners. They are never college kids. You have to develop the lung capacity and everything that goes with it, and you rarely do this by age twenty. It's usually by age twenty-five, or more, that you develop these things and they will last quite well, I think up into the mid-thirties. So that I beat most of those young kids who had fantastic strokes, much better than mine, by tiring them out. I new I could'nt win in three games, that it would be four or five. I remember playing Bob Hetherington, then a top Yale player. He used to come down and lose to me, and it really killed him. He once said to me "I can't believe it, Cal, you're older than my father!"
By Charlie Perkins
The Kiva Classics, the world's highest doubles tournament, has become a premier Veteran Double tournament. It is played each year in early December in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This year's event included a new 65+ Doubles division (this division is scheduled to be added to the Nationals at Baltimore). Nine teams competed in the 65+ doubles, showing that this is a viable bracket. Equally impressive was the draw of nine players in the 70+ Softball Singles. At 7,000 feet elevation, Santa Fe's height did not scare off any of the Vets.
This year's entries included 82 players from 15 states, an impressive spread for any tournament outside the nationals. Winners in the five Doubles divisions were representative of the wide attraction of the Kiva Club's annual event. And the quality gets better every year.
The final match proved to be the most exciting of the journey. Bob Bush and Ed McWilliams (Denver) were up 2-1 games and serving at 14-7 in the fourth game. Kris Surano and Ed Dold (Oakland) had won the first game after being down 12-14, pulled out the miracle again and won the fourth game also. After getting behind again in the fifth by 7-9 they ran 7 straight points and finished 15-12. Surano and Dold knowcked out Vere Gaynor and Lee Bulger (Cincinnati) in the semis by 3-0. The McBush team got a good scrap from Guillermo Palmer and Ed Biggs (Colorado Springs) with a 3-0 win the in the other semi.
The 50+ Doubles final was also an exciting, come from behind, five set match. The team of Taylor Quick (Denver) and Dick Rice (Rochester) took the first two games from Dennis Driscoll and Mike Tramutt (Denver), but could'nt hold, losing the last three. Quick and Rice had a tough battle with Portland's Khalid Mir and Sandy Koski to win their semi by 3-2. Drisoll and Tramutt also played a Portland team in the semi's winning 3-0 over the Mikes - Oliver and Davis.
The 55+ Doubles final was also a five setter. Renny Bowers (Rochester) and Brent Baird (Buffulo) won over the Philly team of Sam Howe and Ash Eldredge. The New Yorkers had a 3-1 semi's victory over the west coast team of Peter Gaylor and Ivan Glover. Howe and Eldridge got a good work out in a 3-2 semi from Warren Young (Dallas) and Burt Wong (Colorado Springs).
The 60+ Doubles was won by the Kiva team of Bones Jones and Dave Matthews by 3-0 over Don Boyko (Boston) and Murray Smith (San Francisco). Jones and Mathews had a 3-1 semi win over another Portland team of Jim Archer and Jim Perkins. (Portland has discovered the Sant Fe charm with a total of seven players coming this year.) Boyko and Smith beat the St. Louis team of George Fowler and Barlow Martin by 3-1 in the other semi.
Surprisingly, the largest draw in the tournament was the 65+ doubles which fielded nine teams with players coming from seven states. The team of Steve Yost (St. Helena, CA) and Charlie Perkins (Santa Fe) won the finals by 3-0 over the team of John Callendar (San Francisco) and Ed Hobler (Chicago). Yost and Perkins won their semi by 3-0 over the team of Paul Fisher (Oakland) and Joe Moddrell (Wichita). Callendar and Hobler had a 3-2 semi win over the Denver team of Chuck Gilmore and Jim Anderson.
The 70+ Softball Singles also had a large draw of nine players from five states. Doug Talbott (Atlanta) took the finals with a 3-0 win over Ed Hobler (Chicago). Talbott had a tough battle with Frank Wolak (Albuquerque) taking a 3-1 semi match. Hobler won by 3-0 over Chuck Gilmore (Denver). So maybe the high altitude training isn't everything!
The 65+ Singles also had a good draw of seven players coming from six states. But Kiva's Mark Bolsterli took the finals with a 3-1 win over Joe Moddrell (Wichita). Bolsterli had a 3-0 semi win over Paul Fisher (Oakland) while Moddrell defeated Charlie Perkins (Kiva) by 3-0).
The 55+ Singles had eight players with Warren Young (Dallas) winning by 3-0 over Los Alamos's Dick Silbar in the finals. Young won 3-0 in the semi over Sandy Clark (Marina del Rey. CA) and Silbar also won by 3-0 in the other semi over Ivan Glover (Sausalito, CA).
The 45+ Singles, with ten entries from five states, was won by Sandy Koski (Portland) in a well contested 3-1 match against the defending champ, Denver's Curt Castleman. Koski took his semi with a 3-0 over Kiva's Phil Edgerton and Castleman took out Larry Fellmann (Dallas) in the other final.
Santa Fe has a reputation for great weather. This year it rewarded all of the out of state players with a memorable splendid weekend.
Excerpts on the Drop shot from Ian MacKenzies, The Squash Workshop
"The drop shot has an impact and significance in squash which vastly outweighs the percentage of times it is played. A sprinkling of good drops carefully selected when the opening is given can turn a closely contested match into a one-sided victory. When used to move and stretch, they can kill off a tiring opponent. Used for outright attack against a well-matched opponent, they can lead to victory but often lead to suicide. In this section we look at when to play a drop, something that is more important than with any other shot. It explains the shot combinations that should become reflex reactions in your game. Beacuse the drop is the coup de grace in a rally- sometimes audacious, occasionally spectacular - it is easy to overdo. Do not try to do too much tactically or technically. Work at and use the principles of touch and cut. Define your target area exactly. Endeavor to achieve accuracy and consistecy. You may not play many drops in a match so it is not a good place to practice them. Learn solo and pairs exercizes so that you can work at your drops and make them a telling part of your game.
Tactics - The drop is an opportunist shot. The skill is as much in recognizing the opportunity as in playing the shot. Look to use all the variations and opportunities that arise but keep in mind the basic principles described below. There are six key points to remember, including the two key principles governing the attacking game, deciding when and where to drop.
On the drop I try for the nick but if I can't get the nick I try to get the ball near to the wall so my opponent can't play a good shot. - Jansher Khan.
Here are some drop combinations.
February 2-4, 1996, Green Dot Dessert Classic
Contact Chris Lang (505) 888-4811
February 9-11 1996 Colorado Springs-Air Force Academy
Contact Richard Hammer 1-505-662-5144
Mike Hawrylycz Secretary NMSRA, 1152 20th Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544