Photos by Gill Talbot
“I am absolutely delighted because I never had it in my first three years. I lost it to Yasser every year. I finished fourth my first year, third my second year and second my third year. So it was a progression. I am really thrilled.”
Siddharth Suchde: 2007 CSA Individual National Champion and 2006 Male Player of the Year
“I don’t know how it would feel had I not been second twice. I know the feeling of being so close and not getting it, so being so close and then getting it makes it even sweeter.”
Kyla Grigg: 2007 ISA National Champion and Female Player of the Year
Little Diddy, About Sid and Kyla
By Kirsten Carlson
Two Harvard seniors began with a mission,
To win team titles at the end of the season,
Both played well and their teams came close,
But in the end, it was two “almosts.”
The men wound up in third place,
While the women did one better in the race,
So when the teams had called it a day,
The two focused in on their last matches to play.
Sid and Kyla had been there before,
But never won in the final match score,
Last year second to Yasser the Great,
Wasn’t the easiest thing for Sid to take.
Kyla had made it to the finals twice,
But Quibell and Lorentzen took the prize,
This season Kyla played the perfect game,
Not one loss to her name.
So when it came time to give it one last try,
Sid and Kyla were ready to fly,
Both scored two wins three to none,
Then in the semis each dropped one.
To the finals they both returned,
The question was, “How much had they learned?”
Would they both defeat their ghosts?
Or would they again end in almosts?
Kyla was first to take to the court,
Her opponent a rising star in the sport,
Rookie of the Year, Penn’s Kristen Lange,
Supported at home by her entire gang.
Kyla took the first,
But then faced a struggle,
Two games later,
And she had solved the puzzle.
Her parents watched live from Calgary,
Thanks to web technology,
They celebrated and she did too,
But still wanted to see what Sid would do.
Inspired by his teammate’s win,
Sid went and fought to get the same for him,
Princeton’s Sanchez stood in his way,
Who this year won each time they played.
But Sid went in composed with no fear,
Let go of the pressure he’d faced all year,
Four games later, he too had won,
Finally getting the tough job done.
The Harvard leaders left Ringe Courts,
Knowing this year they were the best in their sport,
With graduation now so close,
Both said they’ll miss their team the most.
With Kyla headed to NYC,
Will the title be reclaimed by Stanford’s Lily?
Will Neha, Kristen or Miranda come through?
Or will it be someone out of the blue?
With the age of Julian, Yasser and Sid now complete,
Who will be the next to accomplish the feat?
Ashfaq, Wong and Detter will be back,
And Sanchez will surely be on the attack.
Strong recruits also await their chance,
To prove themselves in squash’s big dance,
But now is Sid and Kyla’s turn,
To really enjoy what they earned.
