By Beth Rasin
Pictures by Beth Rasin & Jay D. Prince
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Stepping into the courts at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym in mid-December in the midst of the Junior Olympics is a little like stepping into a world apart. A world focused on, and encased by, squash. Four days of squash—nothing but squash.
Mauricio Sanchez (L) dominated his division and led Mexico to 5 crowns
Four days of squash—one more than there used to be. The Junior Olympics has become a victim of its own success. With draws at an all-time high, tournament director Mike Hymer could run a feed-in format only if he had four days. Still, the scheduling was nightmarish. With feed-in consolation draws, the top players found themselves with one match on each of the first two days and two or three matches per day as they reached the quarters and semis. Some players, like the contingent of Under 19 boys from South Africa, were thrilled to get so much squash. Others grumbled that it made no sense for the later, tougher rounds to be the days on which they had multiple matches. In the end, the consensus among coaches in attendance was that the quality of squash and depth of play was better than ever.
At the end of four days, the players left standing to collect the trophy hardware were from three countries, although the entries included representatives from 10 nations: the US, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Barbados, Guyana, Bermuda, Uganda, England and Pakistan.
Our neighbors to the north and south had to make a lot of room in their luggage going home. Seeded No. 1 in each of the boys’ draws, the Mexican players upheld their seeding for a clean sweep of the trophies. Four of the five girls’ titles were nabbed by the Canadian contingent, with New Yorker Emily Park the lone US player to win a championship.
Joseph Raho, Jr., along with 2 others represented the US in the U15 semis. Arturo Salazar (L) took the title
All the players demonstrated resilience, and mostly an enjoyment of the game that had them hanging out at the courts to watch other matches even when they were done for the day, or out of the tournament for good. Many of the players, when asked to name their favorite squash players, will identify another junior they have seen play. For all of them, the squash, whether it was their own play, or that of their friends or the players they admire, was their focus—all four days of it.
Girls Under 19
This draw was noticeable for who was not playing. Neither Michelle Quibell nor Ali Pearson, stalwarts of the US Junior Girls Team that placed fourth at the World Junior Championships, came to Princeton to play. Pearson did show up to see some friends compete and explained that she was taking a year off from squash to participate fully in some of the team sports that she enjoys. Ruchika Kumar of Canada seized the opportunity of absence and won the title over No. 2 seed Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana. Amy Gross, another US team member, managed a fourth place finish after returning to the squash courts for the first time all season upon completing her school’s tennis season.
Boys Under 17
Nick Chirls (L) a candidate for the US team, tries to out-do powerhouse Mauricio Sanchez in the U17 semis
Nick Chirls, who lost his mother, Catherine, in the September 11th collapse of the Twin Towers, was the lone US player to make it to the semifinals of this draw. Chirls, who is a contender for the Boys National team, had his hands full with Mexico’s Mauricio Sanchez who won their semifinal match, 1, 1, 2. Sanchez went on to a similarly commanding victory (1, 1, 1) over Canada’s Brian Ernst in the final.
Girls Under 17
“I like running for balls. I like the intensity of the game, the de-stressing. I just really like to run all over the place and smack the ball around,” is Lily Lorentzen’s response as to why she likes squash. “And I like to win.” She won enough matches to reach the final of the Girls Under 17 against Canadian Jennifer Blumberg, although she wasn’t able to add the title to the Under 15 championship she had previously won. Blumberg stayed focused in the face of Lorentzen’s relentless retrieving and took the title with a 3, 5, (3), 1 victory.
Boys Under 15
Although Arturo Salazar defeated Brooklyn’s Andrew Zimmerman (7, 2, 3) and Rye’s Joseph Raho, Jr. (1, 1, 6) to take the title, this draw gave the US fans something to cheer about with three home country players making it to the semifinals. Christopher Ehlinger of Radnor, PA, rounded out the American trio, falling to Raho (6, (6), 6, 4) in the semifinals.
Girls Under 15
Alisha Turner (L) took home her 3rd Jr. Olympics crown. Here playing Britt Hebden in the U15s
A trio of US players, all from Philadelphia, also made it to the semifinals of this draw. Britt Hebden’s tenacity was too much for Maxi Prinsen in one semi (4, 4, 6) while eventual champion Alisha Turner of Canada overwhelmed Emery Maine (1, 1, 1) in the other. Hebden took a game from Turner in the final, but the Canadian had too much variety in her game and took the title (3, (5), 1, 7).
Boys Under 13
Brooklyn’s Simon Culver fell to eventual champion Antonio Diaz (1, 0, 5) after making to the semis, while Canada’s Asim Nanji defeated Kristian Jeffery of (4, 3, 4). Diaz had to play his way out of a tiebreaker in the second game of the final to secure a three game victory of the championship, (6, 10-8, 3).
Girls Under 13
Finally, an all American-final. New York’s Emily Park, looking scarily mature in her neatly pressed and color coordinated outfits, displayed a focused maturity in her play. With depth and consistency, not to mention a classic stroke technique, Park won her semifinal match against Lauren Sachvie without losing a point (0, 0, 0). Brooklyn’s Julie Cerullo dispatched Grasiela Lopez after hanging tough in a second game tiebreaker.
It was all Park in the final, though, as she took commanding leads in each game and never let up to win the championship (3, 2, 1).
Lily Lorentzen
Lily started playing when she was nine, inspired by Chris Spahr, then the pro at the Greenwich Field Club. Spahr convinced her dad to take her to the Nationals that first year. By the next year she won the title. Next, Lily says, “I need to work on having a good warm-up.”
She plays soccer and lacrosse and likes to sail. Her favorite sport “Whatever the season is.” And at Greenwich High School, her favorite subject is history. “I have a Marxist teacher who shows us that history is more than one-dimensional.”
Mia Hamm is her favorite athlete, but she models herself on her mom, “who has determination and persistence” and on her dad, “who has a good sense of humor.”
Ryan Peak
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Peak has nothing but enthusiasm for his first trip to the US, even though it got off to an inauspicious start. Upon arrival in New York City, Ryan and his South African teammates ventured into downtown Manhattan. As they strolled along Canal Street, known for its bargains and sidewalk vendors, they were approached by a young man who asked if they were interested in Oakley sunglasses and hats. “Sure,” they replied. The boys ended up being scammed out of some American dollars when their friendly con artist insisted that he had to examine their currency before showing them the merchandise.
Other moments were more compelling for the young Johannesburg native. “It was quite emotional, seeing the mementos left by families” he says, of his trip to Ground Zero.
Peak was delighted with all the squash matches he got to play and found Princeton to be “top notch.” Although he will study sport psychology when he enters university in South Africa, he expects to return with some of his teammates. “We’re making so many plans—a flat in Toronto; a flat here. We’ll be back.”
Bo Harris
First, there were there 13 players from Barbados scheduled to come to the Junior Olympics. Then September 11th happened and six players elected to make the trip. Then there was the airplane crash in Queens and one player was still willing to get on a plane. “As long as they don’t bomb Princeton, I’m going,” said 12-year-old Bo Harris, who is the No. 1 player in the Caribbean in her age group.
Bo started playing squash after watching her mom play. Now, mom has to work hard to keep up with her. “I told myself that I could beat my mom and I have,” boasts Bo. It is a challenge to stay with the game, though. There are only two sets of courts in Barbados and the courts at which Bo played have been shut down.
Bo enjoys ballet, tap dancing, karate and swimming, but she likes squash best. “It helps me to relax and get my mind off things.”
Her favorite squash players? Jon Power—“I read about him in magazines.” And Nicollete Fernandes from Guyana, known for her tremendous flexibility. “I like the way she stretches for the ball.”
Bo’s favorite athlete is Obadele Thompson, a sprinter who is the only Barbadian to have won an Olympic medal. What did her hero tell her when she had the opportunity to meet him? “Go for it.”
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