A magnificent US Open concluded for 20+ Squash Tigers, headlined by JJ's 3rd, Reghan's 4th and Alex's 5th place in their respective draws. A fantastic way to bring the calendar year to a close!
The Open is one of the most prestigious events in world junior squash. To illustrate the depth of the event, the ten draws boasted 954 juniors from 42 nations who played at five venues in Philly over four days. For our players to even enter the event, they had to be ranked in the top 100 in the country and only those in the top 48 were guaranteed places, with draws capped at 128 and a large international contingent interested in the opportunity to compete for the titles.
For the 25 players who were eligible to compete and made the trek to Philadelphia, good job! The Open is one of those events where the experience gleaned, whether through winning or losing, is immense. Exposure against international players is invaluable, and the perspective gleaned from being part of such a notable event is immense. Well done all!
For now it's back to daily training with Winter Camps and a “top up” to our fitness and skills over the holiday period! December is a difficult time, with much competition, academic constraints and not the darkness settling in. Our camps give an opportunity to get a head start on the New Year with a slightly lower academic load, for at least a few days, and we have our coaches running five hours of training a day, in addition to our ever present availability for lessons. Truly never a better time to be a Squash Tiger and look forward to seeing you all at training!
