Important Announcements
- Enter the Ralfe D. Miller Open Tournament
November 14-16, 2008
- Donate to the Cal Squash Endowment Fund
Teams:
Box League:
 Cal Squash - Runners Up in the Serues Division 2008 |
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Important Announcements
Teams: Box League: |
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Update on Cal Women's Squash Teamby Zarina KhanThe 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 ResultsOne 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!!
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Men's Team Practice Hours:
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Women's Team Practice Hours:
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The team meets on court 1 in the Recreational Sports Facility.
