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By Brian Horwood
President of Illinois Squash
Why are squash players so passionate about a game that is played by such a relatively small group of athletes? All we need to do is to look around the squash scene in Chicago and the mid-west.
It is well documented that playing squash is perhaps the best cardio and full bodywork out that you can have in 45 minutes. As you play, the better you get and have the satisfaction of achieving targets you set for beating your opponents…or rather, your friends. We have players as young as ten years old and there are those in their 70’s, all playing two or more times a week. It is these characteristics, which have given squash players the reputation as being the most loyal and committed of athletic club members.
Squash is now being played in commercial athletic clubs as much as the private clubs which had been the focus of the sport for most of the previous century. The change to the international game in 1990, which required an increase in the size of the court also expanded the availability of courts. The decision to adopt the form of squash played around the world has brought the world’s best players to Chicago.
Windy City Open is held annually in Chicago attracts players from around the world, and now the Sweet Home Chicago Open offers another reason for international squash stars to visit Chicago. Lakeshore athletic club with Imran Nasir as the squash director has been at the forefront of the squash activity, hosting the regional skills qualifier (one of three regional tournaments held in the US) along with the University Club, and also being a major sponsor of the Sweet Home Chicago Open as well as other major amateur events.
Other clubs in Chicago hosting squash include the University Club, Union League Club, Lake forest and lifetime fitness. Major squash tournaments in Chicago for the amateur player include the Windy City Open, the Great Lakes Open and the Blizzard. It is because of these professional and amateur events that that Chicago has become a must stop on the international professional tour.
 New to the Chicago scene is the student urban enrichment program, METROsquash, which mentors about 40 Chicago public school students while introducing them to the game of squash. These students are enjoying learning and accomplishing new skills while being introduced to new academic and cultural opportunities. David Kay and the Board leading this program are to be congratulated for what they have accomplished in just over three short years. In fact the last time the professional glass court visited Chicago, it was placed next to the dinosaur Sue for an event they held at the Field Museum.
School aged squash players in Chicago are finding that opportunities are opening up for them at east-coast preparatory schools, top league (including ivy-league) universities and the nations’ military academies. Closer to home, Northwestern University has established itself as a force to be considered in the national college squash scene. Junior players are much in evidence at the country’s only park district squash club in Lake Forest, which is also the location of many of the local junior tournaments.
While watching squash on Michigan Avenue, find out where you can play this great sport and become acquainted with the players and the professional who play there. You will be amazed how they will help you become a squash player.
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