By Jennifer Gabler
Doubles squash is big! Thanks in large part to Narelle Krizek. Narelle and her husband Rob founded the Women’s Doubles Squash Association (WDSA) to promote the women’s doubles game both on professional and amateur levels, attract and retain women squash players and to raise money for urban squash programs.
Krizek had the vision that there was a core group of women interested in playing professional doubles and she could build interest in the doubles game by running a women’s pro doubles tour similar to the men’s which has been running for eight years, the International Squash Doubles Association (ISDA).
In its inaugural season, 2007-2008, the WDSA held three events, the Greenwich Field Club Open in November 2007, the Hashim Khan Denver Open in February 2008 and the Apawamis Women’s Briggs Cup also in February 2008. Some of the events had multiple draws affording many opportunities for players to participate, in addition to a pro draw there were pro-am, mixed, A and B levels.
Based on the success of its first season, Krizek has aggressive plans to increase the size of the tour in the 2008-2009 season. She plans to increase the number of events from three to six, the charitable giving to urban squash programs and the professional sponsorship significantly. The WDSA raised money for City Squash in 2007/08, and plans to link events to giving for Squash Haven in New Haven, CT, Metro Squash in Chicago and Mile High Squash in Denver this season. Current sponsors include TCW Crescent Mezzanine and Harrow Sports.
Krizek also has a goal to increase the number of pros playing the tour from 30 in 2007/08 to 60 this year. The WDSA pro tour members that Krizek has brought together include many singles champions with US, Canadian and world rankings, women who are combining professional squash with other careers and/or raising children, former college players, high school coaches, club pros and even some playing in the early stages of pregnancy for prize money! And if the pros have already had their children, some of the venues had childcare available which made it possible for many women to play. The tour boasts sister pairs, such as Mary Belknap McKee and Berkeley Belknap Revenaugh and these events get much of their energy from friends and former teammates using them to spend time together as well as play squash.
Narelle Krizek is an accomplished singles player, in addition to being a top-notch organizer. She grew up in Australia where her parents ran a squash club. Her sister, Natarsha McElhinny, also played and is a professional. For the 2008/09 season, Narelle will be paired in the WDSA events with her sister. When Narelle was fourteen and achieved the No. 2 ranking in Australia, she made it her goal to go pro. She was at the Australia Institute of Sport for five years, on the Australian National Team as a junior, won the World Teams Event and got to No. 23 in the world rankings but quit because there was not enough money to make a living. She came over to the US to take her sister’s job as the pro at Merion Cricket Club in Philadelphia. She met her husband Rob at a women’s pro tour event at the Hartford Golf Club where he was the Head of Racquet Sports. Narelle and Rob moved to the Baltimore Country Club for three years, and during this time played in mixed doubles and in some men’s doubles events together.
Narelle has put a lot of thought into how to draw players, realizing that US players generally are very well-educated and would like to combine making some prize money playing professional squash with other careers. She also sees the potential to expand the doubles game beyond the pro circuit and take doubles to the junior and collegiate levels. Krizek plans to host clinics at some of the WDSA events where juniors can learn from the WDSA pros. What better way for juniors to get involved in doubles than to get some coaching from, and then watch, the pros play all in the same day? To achieve both junior and collegiate expansion goals, the WDSA has partnered with Gary Waite, who has recently joined U.S. SQUASH. Krizek also plans to link some of the WDSA events with men’s or other singles events, such as the Mile High Tournament in Denver, so players can play multiple draws and formats.
The kickoff event for the 2007/08 season is the Field Club Open in Greenwich, CT, benefiting Squash Haven to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 2. From November to April, Krizek has scheduled events in St. Paul, Denver, Chicago, Locust Valley and Vancouver. These events, combined with national championships and mixed events, should give any woman doubles squash player plenty of opportunity to play competitively.
Women’s Featured Events
Nov. 7-9
U.S. Women’s Team Squash Championships (Howe Cup)
Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 5-7
U.S. Team Squash Championships (Clubs)
New Haven, CT
Jan. 16-18
Liberty Bell Open
Berwyn, PA
Mar. 13-14
U.S. Masters Squash Championships (Open Age Division)
Hartford, CT
3/13/09 – 3/15/09
U.S. Women’s Squash Championships
Hartford, CT
May 15-17
The Hyder Invitational
New York, NY
