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Cal Women's Squash 2010 Update
by Catrina Gotuaco
Headed by coach Lauren Patrizio and assistant coach Juliet Shih, the Cal Women's Squash team embarks on its fourth year as a club, ready for the 2010-2011 season. After finishing the previous season with large signs of growth and enthusiasm for the sport, the young team looks forward to even greater improvement and an increased competitive intensity. The team plans to compete in many local tournaments and round robins, as well as the 2011 Collegiate Squash Association Nationals, which will take place at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Each member of the team possesses determination, spirit, and camaraderie. Outside of three practices per week, many players regularly come to the courts to hone their skills. The great aspect about squash is that the game is not fixated around the concept of winning; rather, players are highly satisfied with engaging in close, challenging matches. As a result, they are able improve both their mental and physical strategies, while simultaneously getting an amazing cardio workout.
The Women's squash team is a very close-knit bunch. On the court, teammates support one another and are open to lend and receive constructive criticism. Squash is a new sport to most, so virtually all advice is valuable and helps not only to improve a player's game, but also to strengthen the bond between two players. Off the court, the team regularly schedules brunches and other bonding activities.
In summary, squash is a great way to meet new people in a fun, athletic, and competitive environment. The team welcomes players of all levels. All you need is yourself, and enthusiasm for the sport. We will provide the rest (until you recognize your love and decide to invest in some squash gear for yourself). To see the Cal Women's Squash team in action, check out our YouTube video here!
If you are interested in joining the Cal Women's Squash team, please contact Catrina Gotuaco or stop by one of our practices at the RSF.
Sun. 11-1pm, Tues. 7:30-9 and Th. 7:30-9.
2008-2009 Season Wrap Up
by Dominic Gaffney
After finishing the 2007-08 season ranked #42, the Cal men's team
wanted to show the college squash world what it was capable of this
year. The team had been working hard all year, with almost perfect
practice attendance from each member of the team. A major factor in the
team's dramatic improvement of the year was the formation of the "inner
varsity" squad. The basic concept of this was to allow those players on
the team that wanted to commit themselves to more of a varsity-style
training regimen to get this opportunity, coming down 3 times a week
from 7 to 8am to be coached by Ashley Kayler! These morning sessions
would focus mostly on core fitness, with some time dedicated to
on-court drills. Although it was thought that only a few players ... read full article (with great action
photos)
Pregame Cheer: "Go Bears!!"
Cal Women's Team Goes to First Ever Nationals
by Ashley Kayler
The Cal women's squash team is runner's up at Nationals in the emerging
teams division.
Update on Cal Women's Squash Team
by Zarina Khan
The Cal Women's Squash team, formed in Spring 2008, is a team to watch
out for. Through Coach Ashley Kayler and my recruiting efforts, the
core team was crafted from seven girls with past athletic experience
who were eager to play the wild game of squash. Jane Shin and Yating
Liu are ex-tennis players who made the smart switch to Squash, the only
true racquet sport! Allie Giovanelli and myself are ex-runners and
Natalie Wood was an ace softball pitcher in Southern California. These
are the women who banded together to take on the challenge of
representing Cal at the College Squash level.
The year thus far has shown continued success for our team. As Allie
(Publicity Chairwoman) points out, our team has recruited a gamut of
new Golden Bears, "some experienced, some not, but all very
enthusiastic and improving rapidly", as Allie describes them. The rate
of improvement that I've seen in the team is almost unreal. Last
semester, we could barely hit the ball when it came at us. Now, I see
the Women's Team playing like they were born with squash racquet in
hand. Our improvement rate and key success factor are undoubtedly due
to the dedication of our Coach Ashley Kayler and the Cal Squash Men's
Team Captain Dominic Gaffney. As Jin Liu (a newcomer to the team) said,
"Coach and Dominic have put a lot of time and energy into the team. I
feel that with their guidance, Cal Women's Squash will continue to
improve tremendously and continue to do so as it has since last
semester."
Our team works because there is, essentially, an absence of hierarchy.
As Captain, I have come to realize that the success of the team overall
matters more than individual ladder rankings. I am impressed by how an
atmosphere of openness and mutual help has been created. "Everyone
wants to see everyone else improve," says Allie. "It's interesting to
watch our practice matches against each other because, rather than just
focusing on winning, we'll be giving each other pointers because we
really want to improve and succeed as a team." I too have observed the
same: my teammates helping each other regardless of skill level and
cheering for each other during practice as if it were a tournament. The
absence of team hierarchy has made it so that players feel comfortable
enough to give each other advice. In this way, we grow as a team - the
entire team moves up the figurative skill ladder. Besides the
aforementioned flat team structure, passion is the chord that unites
our team. The team is saturated with new drills, strategy pointers, and
technique review each week. Practices end with cardio workouts and
running derived from other sports. Despite the physical challenges
faced, our team has a driving desire to win. A team of true optimists,
"not one person complains or gives up," says Jin. "I feel that
mentality stems from everyone's passion for squash and genuine desire
to learn and improve," she adds. Dedication to the team is visible
beyond the courts as well. When I send out an email saying "Guys, can I
get some help with this?", responses are immediate and the team
consistently exceeds my expectations. A similar environment of support
and listening is visible at practice. As Jin cited, "We always regroup
after practice and go over how people feel about a certain issue or
just in general. If I have a problem outside of squash, I would not
hesitate to reach out to my teammates for help."
Recruiting for our team is yet another characteristic that sets us
apart as a team. Flyering at Caltopia (UC Berkeley's Club Sports Fair)
involved inviting anyone to sign up. We don't turn players away based
on an absence of squash experience - we welcome it! It's the reason why
we've succeeded thus far: no barriers to entry. Jin joined the team
just this way: "I actually heard about Cal Squash through Zarina Khan,
our captain. We had a class together and just naturally began talking
about sports. Her enthusiasm for Squash prompted me to check out the
team." Allie adds "We are always looking for new talent and hence will
resume our joint effort with the Men's team to recruit at Caltopia as
we did last fall. Many of the players (like Jin and Allie) had never
played squash prior to joining the team. Team members are encouraged to
play challenge matches and, as Jin adds, "Friendly competition among
the team members greatly helps in terms of personal improvement. We
have many members of similar skill level; since everyone will improve
in respect to one another, our team will naturally improve as a whole."
As Captain, my goal for the team this year is to improve match-mindset
and prepare the team to play more tournaments. Allie noted that, at
home matches, " the atmosphere has generally been...nervous." To
address this, our practices now focus more on strategy. Thanks to
Dominic's guidance, the women's team is learning the strategies to win
more rallies and secure more points. After rallies, I ask the team what
they think could have been an alternate way of securing the shot, what
could have been done differently, and how each rally could have been
sped up or slowed down. Dialogue has helped players reason through
their strategy decisions and helps everyone learn from each other's
mistakes and victories. Our emphasis on "getting our head in the game"
stems from a desire to succeed this year at Nationals. "At Nationals, I
am sure we will
have our work cut out for us -- since we are such a young team -- but I
know we will be up to the challenge," states Allie.
Go Bears and Go Cal Squash!
2008 UC Berkeley Open Tournament Results
One of our best tournaments ever, was highlighted by a very strong turn
out from the womens squash community. 27 women entered the draw, which
was almost half our entrants. Lily Lorentzen took the womens
championship division and with it the crown of "Best Womens Player in
the Bay Area."
A great showing from Club Sport Fremont was also much appreciated. 7
players from Fremont played in the tournament. Raj Bains and Aurangzeb
Khan both got to the final of their division, while Muhammed Haq won
the 5.0 division. Also from Fremont was the Huang family contingent.
Johann won both draws he entered and Pei-Mei won the womens novice
draw.
Cal team captain and senior, Jon Shih playing in his final tournament
at Cal. He won the 4.5 division, which was a great way for Jon to end
his squash club experience at Cal.
W2.0 Pei-Mei Huang
W4.0 Esther Chang
W5.0 Lily Lorenzen
2.0 Alex Peters
2.5 Johann Huang
3.0 Johann Huang
3.5 Sonesh Surana
4.0 Samuel Li
4.5 Jon Shih
5.0 Muhammed Haq
Cal Womens Squash Team Established!!
Behold the new Cal Women's Squash Team. Led by freshman Zarina
Khan, (not in picture) the newly formed women's squash team is taking
its first tentative steps onto the courts. Although all the players are
brand new to the sport, they are enthusiastic and ready to learn the
game. I hope that this team will usher in a new era in Cal Squash
history.
Pictured left to right holding racquets recently donated to
the team by Dunlop are: Rachel Chiu, Natalie Bratwood, Allie
Giovanelli, Jenny Cheng, Yating Liu and Coach Kayler
Cal Squash at the Summit of Half Dome
The Cal team did some high altitude training this year with a
one day trip to the summit of Half Dome.
2007 Ralfe D. Miller Tournament Results
Thanks to our sponsors Black Knight and Dunlop and to everyone
who helped put on another great Cal Squash tournament. There were 61
competitors in this year's tournament.
The standout player of the tournament was Roger Miller who
competed in three divisions and won all three. 5.0, 4.5 and Boys U-19.
An amazing performance. Roger flew in from Portland for this tournament
where he plays under the tutelage of Khalid Mir.
It was also great to see the very youngest players (9 year old
Zephan Huang and 8 year old Shivalli Naran) who competed with big
smiles and big swings.
Ralfe D Miller 2007 Winners
5.5 Winner - Ashley Kayler (runner up - Armando Olguin)
5.0 Winner - Roger Miller (runner up - Dave Morris)
5.0 consolation winner - Jim Veitch
4.5 Winner Roger Miller (runner up - Luke Ogelsby)
4.5 consolation winner - Amos or Allic (TBD)
4.0 Winner Milo Watanabe (runner up - Jon Shih)
4.0 consolation winner - Lefty Kayler
3.5 Winner Dominic Daprile (runner up - Toby Reiner)
3.5 consolation winner - Sonesh Surana
3.0 Winner Ben Seelig (runner up - Ben Andrew)
3.0 consolation winner Nick Paget
2.5 Winner Matt Waid (runner up - Sam Williams)
2.5 consolation winner Chris Franks
Women's - Lucy Fairweather (runner up - Shivarni Patel)
Boys U-15 Varun Sharma (runner up Drew Lavine)
Boys U-19 Roger Miller (runner up Milo Watanabe)
"Join the Squash Team"
The Cal Squash Team is open to undergraduates and first year
graduates only. We welcome students of any ability. If
you're a good athlete and are willing to work hard, then we'll make you
into a top squash player.
Squash is a fast paced sport that requires endurance, speed, balance
and guts.
The Cal Men's Squash Team is coached by Ashley Kayler, Reed
Slater and Todd Wirsching. They are nationally ranked 5.5 level squash
players. The team practices 4 times a week and travels to tournaments
throughout the west coast. The team also travels to the east coast to
play matches against east coast
colleges. Our season culminates at the national intercollegiate
tournament in February.
We are always looking for new players that HAVE ATHLETIC
ABILITY AND A GREAT ATTITUDE. NO SQUASH EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.
We are looking for dedicated and competitive athletes
regardless of
experience.
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