A Winning Day

 A routine day today that finished with a little flourish. Sometimes you have to enjoy the wins when you can get them, no matter how small, and today the stars were aligned for a run of small wins. 

• A 3/1 win against Gill at squash today. I'm slowing down against her as time goes by but today I proved I can still enjoy a good win if I follow a couple of basic rules - play long and tight, and get back to the T.
• No strikes needed to win Stuff's three strike trivia test. All correct on the first attempt.
• Solved Wordle on the second word even with only one correct letter (and not in the correct place) on the first line.
• 15/15 for the Stuff Quiz. Woohoo!

I'm on a roll. Maybe I should buy a Lotto ticket.

Squashing Again

A couple of weeks ago I had some strange dreams about squash. I'd turn up at a club and for some reason be unable to play e.g. the courts had missing walls. I was either going through some strange sort of squash withdrawal or my subconscious was telling me that something was missing from my daily routine now I'm back working full-time at school. So I located the Tawa Squash Club, paid my subscription and went to their Club Night the following night. I had three really good games that evening. My muscles suffered for it the next day but the strange squash dreams disappeared.

The people I met at the club were very friendly and I've organised a couple more games. The main challenge may be court availability as it's a very busy club with only three courts. There is an online booking system and you can book up to a week ahead. I'm not sure what time most people get up in the morning to book a game in advance but one woman told me the advantage of her job (she is a nurse who works night shifts) is that she can reserve a court when they become available at midnight!

Squash Legends

This weekend was the Te Awamutu Squash Club 50 Years Reunion - a celebration for the club and a chance to reminisce with many people who have enjoyed squash over the years.

Yesterday there was a fun tournament with a twist - we had to play with old rackets. Amazingly there were a few 30 year old rackets still in one piece that we were able to use. Many of us 'masters' learned to play using a wooden racket. In my case I had a really flash racket when I started, a Dunlop Maxply, which had a wooden head with a fibreclass shaft. It was the latest technology at the time. I had forgotten that the old rackets had towelling grips. After a while the grips got hard and scratchy, just like old towels, and if you didn't replace the grip soon enough you'd end up with a blister on your thumb. We all laughed at how small the heads of the rackets were and how heavy the old rackets were - but we all learned to play the game and some players even became squash legends.

Last night we acknowledged some of the legends. Ross Collins who has won the Men's Championship 23 times and can still thrash the up and coming young whipper-snappers. Les Brain who was a founding member 50 years ago, has contributed in many ways to the club and who is still playing competitive squash. And Susan Devoy who, though never a Te Awamutu Club member, is an inspiration to squash players everywhere - she won the World Championship four times and the British Open 8 times. Oh, and she walked the entire length of New Zealand for charity. She was kind enough to be our guest speaker and turned up even though Peter Leitch (AKA the Mad Butcher) had offered to take her to Sydney to watch the Warriors play in the NRL final today. I was glad to know that Susan has her priorities right and that her loyalties still lie with squash.

Still Squashing After All These Years

It can be a bit tough sitting at the computer for hours at a time while I'm studying. It's not a lifestyle I'm used to and I know I couldn't tolerate a desk job 8 hours a day 5 days a week. But at least I get a break from studying several days a week with a game of squash. I don't play competitively any more but I've got some regular social games that I thoroughly enjoy. I've had the odd squash injury and have a niggling lower back problem. Fortunately it rarely bothers me on the squash court. Once I sprained my ankle exactly a year to the day that I had sprained it previously. However I have never had an accident on the squash court like the one in the video below. Maybe it's just as well my club doesn't have glass backed courts!