It takes a lot of mental strength to not get aggressive when getting down [in points].[/pullquote]Sophomore Conrad Lui steps onto the squash court, instantly feeling the thick heat entrapped in the arena. Enclosed by four walls, he prepares for the ensuing battle, a back-and-forth exchange lasting up to 90 minutes. As he settles in, he relaxes his nerves, and focuses on his fundamentals. When it’s time to spin his racket for first serve, he is ready for the intense match ahead.
Squash is rarely mentioned as a sport played by Paly students; Paly does not field its own squash team. However, Lui is an exception. Introduced to the sport when he was younger, Lui has stuck with it ever since, and now continues to play on a daily basis.
“Squash is always my favorite part of the day, not only because I enjoy playing it, but it is also a great way to get my mind off of school,” Lui said.
Squash, similar to pickleball, is played by a wide age range; some start playing as early as three-to-four years old, and continue well into senior citizen status. Squash is played on a six-by-ten yard court, where the opponents take turns hitting a rubber ball off of a wall, and utilizes similar rackets to tennis. The rubber ball ultilized is roughly the size of a golf ball, and players switch off hitting the ball against the main wall. The easiest way to win a point is by your opponent hitting the ball out of bounds, or letting the ball bounce twice after your hit. Another way to win a point is if you get a stroke, which occurs when your opponent is in the way of your swing or if they get in the way of the ball on its way to the wall. You need 11 points to win a game in singles and 15 points in doubles, and the first player to win three games is victorious in the match.
According to the CDC and Wisconsin DHS, while playing squash, the average American will burn 1,035 calories per hour, exceeding the amount of calories burned in popular sports such as soccer and basketball in the same time frame. The high amount of calories burned is due to squash consisting of fast-paced and high-intensity movement, as well as it being played indoors in high temperatures.
“When I first started playing squash I was surprised with how easily I was out of breath; most people do not understand that squash is a very physically demanding sport,” Lui said.
In addition to the physical challenges, Squash can also be mentally demanding on players, according to Lui.
“Once I start losing points, I tend to play more aggressive, which usually leads to me losing more points,” Lui said. “It takes a lot of mental strength to not get aggressive when getting down, but most of the time I feel it is the only way I can win the match.”
Squash gained popularity on the east coast due to its emergence from Ivy League universities. The same can not be said in California, leaving Lui having to frequently travel out of state for matches. This travel takes a toll on Lui’s academics and well-being, burdening him with a heavy workload of make-up assignments while playing in long, exhausting tournaments.
“I often travel to far tournaments, and when I am resting between matches I do homework to catch up, or any work to get me ahead,” Lui said.
The balance of school and travel only gets harder, according to collegiate squash player Gabriel Feinstein.
“Balancing travel and school is definitely difficult,” Feinstein said. “I make sure to complete my assignments well in advance if possible and communicate well with my professors. I also do a significant amount of work while I am traveling either on plane or bus.”
Even without the travel, squash demands a significant time commitment from Lui.
“I play four-to-six times a week and even more on holidays, but I generally put about 10 -14 hours a week into squash,” Lui said.
This commitment further increases at the collegiate level.
“I have around eight sessions a week,” Feinstein said. “Overall I probably spend 12 hours a week on court and another 10 hours doing other squash related exercise (recovery, lifting, running).”
Although this intense commitment and traveling schedule can be a contribuing factor of unpopularity amongst Bay Area students, the talent isn’t lacking, with multiple Bay Area kids making the “top 10 players” list in each age group.
With this dedication in mind, many skilled players have to miss class, forcing them to look for other options. One popular path for players is transitioning into a personalized private education with more flexibility. Zane Patel, a formerly ranked number one player in the US, transferred from Henry M. Gunn high school to Saint Francis to pursue his squash career.
“Switching to private school allowed my to focus more on my squash career, and was a big factor in elevating my game,” Patel said.
Due to squash’s absence at Paly, many are unfamiliar with college routes for the sport as well. Although not very popular nationwide, college squash has its own program called the College Squash Association, or the CSA.
Lui did not always think of squash as his path, as he did not know about the sport until he was introduced to it by his uncle when he was 13 years old. Since then Lui has fallen in love with the sport, dedicating almost all ofhis available time to training, and is hopeful to go to one day play at the collegiate level.
“I got into squash when I was visiting my uncle who lives in L.A., and he offered to play it with me,” Lui said. “I really liked playing [squash] and when I got back home, I asked my dad if I could play more, and just went on from there.”
Lui may have gotten into squash a little later in his life, but it has now flourished into one of the most significant parts of his life. Playing squash has forced Lui to learn how to deal with an overpacked schedule and how to overcome obstacles. As Lui continues his squash career, he hopes that squash can grow in popularity in California, as he thinks many would enjoy playing if they were given the opportunity.
“I hope that with squash becoming an Olympic sport it will gain recognition, and become more accessible across the country, or at least more accessible locally,” Lui said. “It is very popular for kids on the east coast, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be popular here.”
Squash is one of the oldest racket sports, beginning in England during the 1800s. There are three versions of squash: hard-ball singles, soft-ball singles and doubles. Hard-ball singles is played on the same court as soft-ball singles, but uses the ball of doubles. The soft-ball weighs more and is less bouncy than the hard-ball.
Double courts are typcially larger than the singles courts. All three of these are played on a four-wall court with wooden floors. You begin the game from either service box, and have to hit it onto the other side of the court. To serve, you must go over the middle line of the court and stay under the line at the top of the court. All shots after the third can go from the top line to the tin, which is a metal sheet on the ground floor that rises about two feet. Singles consists of one serve, while you get two serves in doubles.
A point is scored when an opponent lets the ball bounce twice, hits it out of bounds, is in contact with your striking motion or is hit by the ball. To win in singles, you must get 11 points and be ahead by two, and you must win three games to win a match.
In doubles you must win 15 points to win a game; the same three-game system applies as well. The current best players are Egyptian players, as it has been ingrained in their culture since England colonized Egypt. The English colonizers built courts outside in Egypt, and during the daytime, the heat was too much for the Englishmen, allowing the Egyptian kids to play in the intense heat.
This sparked an interest in squash amongst kids, as it was one of the only sports available for them away from the heat. This widespread culture has stayed in Egypt for 100 years and has created some of the best squash players of all time.
Although the U.S. is not a front-runner at squash, the women’s team is nearing the number one slot and the men’s team is improving in recent years.
Squash is also gaining popularity worldwide, due to the introduction of Squash to the upcoming 2028 L.A. Olympics.
