Squash Magazine: Randall Scott: Check the Attitude at the Door

Geez, It's Only Squash League! Check the attitude at the door and have fun By Randall Scott

I have just committed the biggest travel blunder for a touring amateur. I had a great fare to play the Ohio Open. $173 to puddle jump from the Capitol to Ohio. That's nothing, that's a deal. Still, I waited. I had to get publisher permission, that took a while (no offense, Jay), then I had to get spousal consent (which is even harder than getting publisher budgetary approval), then I had this thing I had to do and I had to fly across the country to do that. By the time I called Northwest airlines, the fare has jumped to $783. The same seat had appreciated $610 in three days. I wish my stock portfolio was as vibrant. There was no way I was going to cover that spread. What this means is, I have no travel story. Yup, I blew my article. Problem really is, what am I gonna write about? The old squash bag is still here, and I have been meaning to immortalize that piece of equipment for some time (remember Indestructo, the Prince RIP that withstood the test of time? It's still ticking and awaiting new red Technofibre-18, haul-butt strings!). But, Ivy wrote about her racquet so I just can't go there. I kinda promised not to begin a diatribe about OPINION. But hell, here I go. League. I, like a great many of you, play squash league. League, for me is a way to get out and hang with the boys. It's not wholly about playing or winning, it's about 'da boys. I have played for three teams since starting league. Two teams in Seattle and I currently play for my beloved Potomac Squash Club nestled in division 3. Seattle is a great town to play league in. Heck, Seattle is just a fun place to be in. Everyone is laid back and approaches their matches with the right attitude. Yeah, sometimes a temper flails, but on the most part, 'da boys in Seattle are festive. After matches there was always a trip to the pub for a pint or two, or three and a basket of fries. The losers bought, but were always treated to a round. That is Seattle, everyone buys you a round. When I started playing in the DC area, I was asked if I was a certified ref. I was told everyone needed to be, or at least was expected to be. A bit strange, an expectation in a squash league other than show up sober and play like a wildman. Come to think of it, I have noticed that a great many DC'ites have a fine affinity for the rules. I might call it fanatical, if not obsessive. Now, don't get me wrong, my fellow players are a great bunch of people. It just struck me as odd, the whole rules thing. I think that knowing the rules is, well, pretty darn important. I think I have a pretty good working relationship with the rule book (since I question everything, I should be able to quote scripture). I even somewhat reluctantly understand why being a certified ref (which isn't really that hard, it's like a take home exam), is a good idea. But in league? All I want to do is play, grunt with the boys and sink a pint of lucky charms! Anyway, there is a point to that ramble. Last week during league I was matched with someone I had never played before. Before we even hopped on the court there was a problem. A player fired a ball into my teammate's back off the back wall. It's one of those shots from the gallery you can see coming a mile away. It was a shot that never should have happened, but sometimes they do. I thought it was a blatant disregard for safety and remembered a Symington article with something about a new rule that awards a stroke to the player who gets hit, because the striker should know better (even at a C level). Well, this guy ripped back that I was wrong and it was only on a turning call that that was in place. Might have been, but it was just the way it was stated, deadpan, matter of fact and in my face. I blew it off, 'cause it really was not that important. But when we were on the court I was confronted with attitude. I felt it was directed at me and was not sure if it was intentional or, well, just personality. We started to play and it was apparent at the start that the match would be played in tight quarters. I believe I have a very good understanding of lets and strokes. I have played enough to know the difference and when there might be a potentially dangerous shot. I began to call lets, and some of them strokes. Attitude, pure spite, was emitting from this person's demeanor. I have to tell you, I had no fun. I asked for a ref and he acted like it was an insult. This game is supposed to be about having fun. I understand, as we all do, that competition compels us to be a bit more aggressive, but geez, it's friggin' squash league, not the finals of nationals! What emerged was a game not about fun, but about proving the rules of lets and strokes, fueled by the frustration of playing someone who looked and acted like he was at a day job he hated. This was apparent to those watching the long five-game let/stroke ordeal. There was little fun, and too much animosity. I should be the first to admit that attitude is disruptive. When frustration mounts, so does one's perspective, or a clear vision of a perceived right and an actual wrong. Yeah, I can be a real jerk sometimes to a ref when the system breaks down—that's just that damn old hindrance called arrogance. I recognize my demons and I wrestle every game. But, we all need to check the attitude directed at the other player at the door.

Geez, It's Only Squash League!

Check the attitude at the door and have fun