By Kevin Klipstein
Growing up, we had a New Yorker cartoon on our refrigerator that showed a man in bed, telling his wife, who seemed annoyed he was still in bed, “Wake me up when the Dow hits a 1,000.” One thousand!
The Dow had been close in 1966 and again in ‘68, not making it to the milestone until ’72 only to recede, was back again in ‘76, and receded again until ’81, and then finally in 1982 it hit 1,000 and continued to climb. The daily volume of trades the first time the Dow hit 1,000 in 1972 was about 17 million. Last week, there were days when the volume was over 7 billion.
Watching the market swing over a thousand points in a DAY makes all of our stomachs turn. These are scary times no matter where you look. However, at the Hall of Fame Gala last week, several comforting things seemed very clear to me. First, the U.S. squash community appears to be as strong, diverse, engaged and vibrant as it has ever been in the history of the sport. Second, that this sense of community, rooted in sportsmanship, fair play and camaraderie is very important and relevant today. Finally, that U.S. SQUASH is better positioned to extend the community and the benefits of the sport to a broader audience than ever before.
U.S. SQUASH offers all sorts of ways to connect with the squash community. We have leagues of all kinds including the already popular Team Leagues and Box Leagues, and we are adding new league options for players including Set Leagues, Flex Leagues, Challenge Leagues and Challenge Ladders to accommodate the needs of different communities, and the schedules of our busy members. Another feature, available to members and non-members alike, is the ability to enter “friendly” match results into your “squash profile” to track your win/loss ratio. Although these matches don’t count toward official ratings or rankings, they do appear in each player’s profile.
I know from personal experience that playing squash not only reduces stress, but also provides a much-needed refuge. Squash players are all part of a close extended family, one that shares a close bond of friendship. During these challenging times, search our online database for friends you once played with regularly, and have lost touch with recently, or reach out to a former college teammate when you’re traveling to his or her city for work next month. In both cases, the system now allows you to send an email to members who have turned this feature on. All of these programs and features are designed to help you re-engage with the squash community and get as much out of the sport as you want.
Our mission is to enhance people’s health and well being by increasing participation in squash, to enrich the experiences of our members of all ages, and to build awareness of the sport. It appears it could not be more relevant today. Recent events have had an impact on us in the office beyond the core economic challenges we will all undoubtedly face. The effect is an increased sense of urgency we feel to support and develop the sport and pursue our vision and fulfill our mission. So as we all face the volatility before us, we encourage you to reach out to the community, and lean on it for the support you’ll probably need. I think you’ll re-discover an invaluable outlet. One that provides the stress release you need, the lifelong friendships you value, and the fun you have always associated with playing squash. Having done so, after you come off the court, having briefly forgotten your daily concerns and gained some perspective, you’ll have plenty of time to get back to your BlackBerry. You may even discover the Dow has again reached 10,000!
