As the squash season in Colorado begins, players take to the courts at more than a dozen clubs throughout the region, the epicenter of play being the downtown Denver squash mecca, the Denver Athletic Club (DAC). The squash program, which is run by pro John Lesko at the full service athletic and social club, is the location for the Colorado State Open tournament, this year’s U.S. Doubles Championships, and the ISDA pro doubles tour stop called the Hashim Khan, combining men’s draws and women’s draws with pro players in a mixed event. This year, for the first time in Denver, 16 kids will begin training at the DAC in a new urban squash program called Mile High Squash.
The region’s squash includes many opportunities for tournament play for both doubles and singles players. An active “box ladder” in the Denver metro area pairs singles players of similar levels against one another, casually introducing players from different clubs to players they may not otherwise get to know. Doubles and singles at fabulous venues like Santa Fe’s Kiva Club (New Mexico) or the new facility in Minturn, just outside of Vail, make for excellent getaways for weekend tournaments.
Throughout the area, players take to the courts in Boulder and Colorado Springs, in Vail and Aspen, and on courts throughout the Denver area. But when the season really kicks in, the activity is generally centered at the two doubles courts and the six singles courts at the venerable DAC.
January will see 100 or more amateurs playing age groups and skill levels in the State Open. In February the ISDA comes to the DAC for The Hashim Khan with the world’s top doubles players, and Hashim himself in attendance. The tournament includes play with 16 pro doubles players, 16 pro women, pro-am play, and a full slate of amateur singles and doubles action. This year’s Hashim Khan will be a fund-raising benefit for Mile High Squash where 16 local boys and girls will train three days a week at the DAC under the direction of Greg Courter and a number of assistants and then will finish the session with supervised study hall and dinner at the club. The U.S. Doubles Championships come to Denver in March and top flight play will take place at the four downtown courts; two at the DAC, one at the Denver Club and one at the University Club.
Singles players have draws in the State Open, in age groups at the Kiva Tournament in Santa Fe, multiple draws in the Hashim Khan as well as other tournaments plus a new and rapidly growing box ladder formed by active DAC player Jim Martin. Martin has energized the Denver community with his casual leagues, with each player in a “box” arranging his own matches and reporting scores. Players at small clubs get to break out and play people they otherwise would not, and the scoring of play within a box dictates your level in the next session.
As fall comes to Colorado, and squash players return to the indoor courts, the coming season promises to be a busy one
