tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754579306168824902024-03-19T10:48:33.287+00:00squashblogRaising the profile of squash through dialogue with the squash community, the media and other agenciessquashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-59664116421363583492012-02-03T10:40:00.001+00:002012-02-08T17:34:31.514+00:00An interview with Ivy Pochoda
Former US pro Ivy Pochoda's debut novel, The Art of Disappearing, was published in 2009.
Sustaining a career as a sportsperson and writing a book demand dedication and perseverance. But what other, less easily defined, psychological aspects might the two disciplines share?
Ivy offered me her own take. I also asked about the choice of themes and settings in The Art of Disappearing, and the squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-84660105248387235622012-01-04T17:06:00.000+00:002012-01-04T17:15:14.613+00:00Tickets available for Canary Wharf 2012
Tickets are available for this year's ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic, to be held at the East Wintergarden at Canary Wharf, London, from 19th-23rd March.
World Champion Nick Matthew will be bidding to equal the trio of tournament wins held by his England team-mate and new world number one, James Willstrop ...
The event - now in its ninth year - is one of the best on the professional squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-32635268974967994792011-12-01T09:00:00.000+00:002011-12-01T10:10:57.286+00:00World Series Finals 2011: codaBetter late than never :) ...
The recent news that the delayed final of the World Series Squash Finals 2011 will not be played brought a disappointing closure to the showpiece PSA tournament.
Nick Matthew and Amr Shabana were due to contest the trophy match at the beginning of the year. It promised a fitting climax to, arguably, the best squash spectacle ever staged in the capital ...
Thesquashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-43511249384276743142011-11-16T13:21:00.004+00:002011-11-16T13:35:51.451+00:00Why isn't Nick Matthew a national hero? So bemoans Frank Keating in today's Guardian.The article discusses the lack of coverage of the Yorkshireman's second World Open victory, as well as the sport's strong claim for Olympic recognition.Also a couple of great anecdotes in there about finding Jonah Barrington working in a 60s bistro and reporting on squash in 1970s Pakistan ...Scroll down to the squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-20911283919177336902011-10-26T11:02:00.006+00:002011-10-26T11:30:10.260+00:00Permanent BBC legacy for minority sports?UTV Media - owner of TalkSport - has challenged the BBC to create a permanent Olympic legacy for minority sports by giving them more airtime.But without Olympic status, squash might not get a look-in ...The BBC has announced plans for a "pop-up" digital radio station - BBC5 Live Olympics Extra - to broadcast minority sports during the 2012 Games.But UTV Media have challenged the BBC to make more squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-89327512466786534012011-09-03T16:29:00.014+00:002011-09-04T16:17:57.313+00:00World Squash Day 2011Growing female participation is the focus of this year's World Squash Day, which will take place on Saturday 5th November.
The organisers usually try to theme the event or tie it in with some other campaign, and this year they've wisely given themselves the best shot at decent press coverage by holding it on Women's World Open finals day ...
WSF Chief Executive Andrew Shelley said in support ofsquashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-46333323183752971892011-08-15T20:02:00.006+00:002011-08-15T20:13:45.725+00:00Teach First squash event: 10th September 2011On September 10th 2011 Teach First is hosting a charity squash event at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London.
Entrants will get the chance to play their squash heroes at the prestigious club, with their entry money going to help disadvantaged youngsters ...
Teach First is an independent charity that places graduates who would not normally consider a career in teaching in challenging squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-83856506299631968432010-12-15T16:39:00.007+00:002010-12-15T17:51:59.351+00:00World's best to descend on Queen'sThe World's top PSA players will once again contest the ATCO PSA World Series Squash Finals 2011 at Queen's Club in January.Top of the eye-wateringly strong line-up will be newly-crowned World Champion Nick Matthew.And if that wasn't enough to get you hammering the Seetickets website in anticipation, the tournament's organisers are also billing 'court cleaners doubling as dancers'! ...The event squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-6687301958946333422010-09-22T12:52:00.006+00:002010-09-22T16:34:00.553+00:00Barney back to belittle the great gameJournalist Barney Ronay has a pop at squash in today's Guardian (have a read for yourself - and not for the first time!) in his article on the Games.The 2010 Commonwealth Games are in serious trouble as I write, with the Delhi organisers desperate to reassure competitors, spectators and the media that venues and accommodation will be ready on time.Some commentators are already questioning the squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-14139253111125352652009-08-14T12:50:00.004+00:002009-08-14T12:59:58.623+00:00Media response speaks volumes in aftermath of 2016 failureWomen's boxing and golf grabbed the headlines, with squash hardly warranting a mention. After recent optimism that squash would be put forward for the vote in Copenhagen for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, the sport will now not even be put through to the final voting stage.Again squash has failed. Those who have followed the campaign might see a drawn-out investigation into the reasons for squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-17708376642714997582009-07-04T22:23:00.006+00:002009-07-04T23:18:00.537+00:00What would they do?What could Malcolm Willstrop do for squash with £25 million? Or Neil Harvey? Or any of our top squash coaches?I'd pondered this ever since I found out that this was the pile of surplus cash the Wimbledon tennis fortnight generates for the Lawn Tennis Association each year ...Left: photo copyright AELTCSo over the past decade, the LTA - charged with developing tennis players in the UK - have had squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-81076884424852144152009-06-19T08:39:00.001+00:002009-06-19T08:12:42.529+00:00Sport magazine returns with Matthew articleIt disappeared from the streets of the 'Smoke for a few weeks but appears to have found new backing.Sport magazine - the London freesheet that we've featured here a few times for its coverage of squash events (and its great photos) - is back ... and a squash player gets a full page ...Flip to page 46 and you'll find a profile of England's Nick Matthew in the magazine's 'Sporting Bodies' feature. squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-91510890231819564632009-05-29T19:13:00.011+00:002009-05-31T17:20:36.688+00:00Squash 2016 receives worldwide support on WSDSquash's bid for Olympic status gained pace last Saturday 23rd May with the Squash 2016 logo being unveiled around famous London landmarks on World Squash Day.A Routemaster London bus was hired by James Poole to tour the banner around the capital, with publicity opportunities being taken at Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye and the Tower of London ...Elsewhere around the world World squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-31926064946168236712009-05-21T12:18:00.006+00:002009-05-21T16:29:00.840+00:00World Squash Day to descend on world capitalsWith just two days to go until World Squash Day 2009, squash fans around the world are preparing for events to publicise squash's bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games.Promotional bus tours and 24-hour squash marathons are just some of the events planned as far afield as London, Chicago, Madrid, Rio, and Tokyo ...Including: meeting times and route for Saturday's 'Big Day Out' in LondonWSD squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-3975705598886822072009-05-14T15:40:00.002+00:002009-05-14T15:44:14.506+00:00Finsbury and Sobell courts to be saved!STOP PRESS!It appears that there is a silver lining to the credit crunch where squash is concerned ...We've reported the latest developments on the future of the Finsbury and Sobell leisure centres for the past couple of years, focussing on the threat to the squash courts there.So today's news that Islington Council is going to shelve its plans to rebuild the premises (which would have almost squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-54974544378409985912009-05-13T18:49:00.007+00:002009-05-14T11:25:47.659+00:00Digging behind the headlines from Euro TeamsThe headlines (sic) reporting a double-English win may have lacked originality, but this year's European Team Championships was perhaps more remarkable for individual stories than the final result.I think I might give up tournament predictions after suggesting that the English women might struggle against the Dutch in the Final of this year's European Team Championships. They went on to beat the squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-50845892210497393622009-04-29T18:23:00.006+00:002009-04-30T09:41:15.577+00:00Looking for the UkrainiansLooking up the early results of this year's European Teams, I found this ad (left) dwarfing the adjacent scores on a well-known squash website.Of course! Now I remember the unfortunate stat from last year's tournament - the Ukrainian women's team being thrashed 81-0 on their debut.But where are they this year?The men's draw features a six-man team from the Ukraine headed by Ruslan Sorochynskvi. squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-31519587884362491002009-04-28T09:17:00.003+00:002009-04-28T10:37:09.015+00:00World Squash Day 2009: Squash 2016World Squash Day 2009 will be held on Saturday 23rd May.The day is being re-branded as 'Squash 2016 Day' this year in support of squash's bid to be included in the 2016 Olympic Games.National Federations and clubs all over the world are organising events to promote the sport and the Olympic bid ...From the WSF website:Squash 2016 Bid Team Member and former world champion Peter Nicol said: "Our squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-59307381678961975352009-04-26T07:15:00.001+00:002009-04-26T19:13:22.467+00:00Times article ridicules 2016 aspirationsA disappointing article last week in The Times by Giles Smith took a sideswipe at squash's Olympic aspirations.The article, about the role of persuasive language in winning bids for sporting events, suggests that squash has no chance in the 2016 vote because no one wants to watch it.An unnecessary remark given the main context of the article - but why not publish my response?The article concernedsquashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-5081214027265298452009-04-22T07:35:00.000+00:002009-04-22T08:36:13.558+00:00Peter Barker - what's rocking sportHallelujah! A sportsman's ipod is cracked open to reveal something other than rap and supermarket trolley 'lifestyle music'. Intriguingly, Peter Barker's listening preferences strike a maudlin tone not usually heard in the testosterone-sodden locker rooms of professional sport ...Right: An interview with Barker after winning the World TeamsAn interview for the Guardian's 'What's rocking sport' squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-62212309105567169442009-04-16T10:15:00.013+00:002009-04-17T16:20:08.696+00:00Canary Wharf Classic 2009When Peter Nicol asked me what I thought about the "interactive exhibition" I had just seen, I garbled something incoherent about "crowds getting involved" and "innovation".Five seconds later our promoter, VIP and resident Squash Legend was delivering a flawless live link-up for a regional news broadcast. I removed my fist from my mouth and pondered some more.Behind the court the sun set before squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-81829913415993634522009-03-27T14:18:00.005+00:002009-03-27T14:37:32.838+00:00BBC article singles out squash as most worthyIn a month where two showpiece squash tournaments held in London have worn their Olympic aspirations on their sleeves, a new article on the BBC Sport website sings squash's praises as a 2016 hopeful.The blog written by Matt Slater, who is responsible for Olympics-related content, weighs up the contenders for October's vote in Copenhagen before concluding that squash has the greatest claim for squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-28699659209435228022009-03-26T11:06:00.028+00:002009-03-26T22:09:50.480+00:00Super Series Finals 2009Watching Robert Edwards compere a squash tournament always reminds me of a Catholic wedding I once went to: a somewhat fussy ceremony spun out over a couple of hours, presided over by a man who knew what was best.I thought the veteran 'Voice of Squash' had retired, but '21st Century Squash' is clearly short of talent of Edwards' magnitude ...I came to Queen's Club on the last night agnostic to squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-60488540176852503902009-03-25T11:38:00.010+00:002009-03-25T12:53:04.492+00:00Innovative coverage being forged at the 'WharfGreat to see intelligent questions being put to the players in the videos being put out on the Canary Wharf website and YouTube.Deepening the coverage of a current event via prompt video postings can enrich a tournament - especially for those squash fans who cannot attend ... Videoing players is not in itself new or innovative (though there is certainly room for innovation where filming play is squashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775457930616882490.post-53447802077706977262009-03-23T13:47:00.004+00:002009-03-23T14:21:07.184+00:00Men in Docklands for second London showcaseThe London sojourn for the men's tour reaches a climax this week with the Canary Wharf Classic (23-27 March).Now in its 6th year, the docklands event is loved by players and spectators alike for its infectious atmosphere and East Wintergarden location.Following the launch of '21st Century Squash' at last week's Super Series Finals (report to follow very soon!), what can we expect from the Eventissquashbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397153424504470685noreply@blogger.com0