By Jay D. Prince
I caught myself daydreaming the other day. Not about becoming a world champion—it’s too late for that. Maybe a better way to put it would be to say that I’ve got a vision for a squash mecca.
I’ve thought about squash clubs a lot over the past 20 years. There are big clubs and small clubs (we’re talking about numbers of courts here). There are old clubs and new clubs. But how many clubs exist anywhere in the world where any single event could be held under one roof? I’m not talking about just any tournament. I’m talking about ANY tournament.
Take the U.S. Junior Open, for example. While there are a couple of colleges in the United States that have enough courts such that they only need one additional facility to host a tournament the size of the U.S. Junior Open (the world’s second largest), none of them can support an unlimited number of players.
Before the U.S. Championships and Skill Levels were separated into two events, there wasn’t a single facility in the US that could host a beast of that magnitude.
But what if there was a club with 20 singles courts and four doubles courts (that were convertible with a moving front wall to accommodate either softball or hardball)? And what if two of those 20 singles courts were permanent all-glass spectacles with seating built-in. And let’s assume that there would be seating built-in for the rest of the courts too.
Adorning each court would be a scoreboard that is tied into a centrally located master scoreboard supplying all the information a person could ask for—players, current scores, upcoming match assignments, and pending reservations.
And let’s not forget about taking care of photographers and videographers. Why not build a corridor behind the front wall of every court that would provide easy access for photographers to take pictures from outside the front walls?
The layout of the courts would be eight singles courts on opposite walls, the four doubles courts at one end flanked by two more singles courts, and the two all-glass courts in the center of the space. The floor area would be “elevated” at least halfway up the rise of the courts giving the courts a feeling of being sunken into the seating areas.
Suspended above the two glass courts and main floor would be space for cardio equipment, a game room for kids, a study/business center (for those needing to do some school work while waiting for their court time), and a cafe/bar for socializing. This might also be the place for a weight room and a spinning class.
Below ground, how about men’s and women’s locker rooms and separate quarters for junior players. One might find this to be a good place for massage and physical therapy as well.
This may sound crazy—and undoubtedly very expensive—but what might be able to be accomplished with the sport if such a place were built? While I don’t think it would be a “Field of Dreams” where “if you build they will come,” it would be capable of providing a squash experience unlike any other.
In Seattle, we don’t have a school program other than one or two private schools operating out of the Seattle Athletic Club. And that is great. But with a squash mecca, the possibility of creating a program for at least 10 schools might be doable. One could even decorate the front walls of a number of designated courts with school logos.
Finally, adding polish to a facility like this with action photos and historical memorabilia would be the icing on the cake.
I know, you probably think I’ve lost my marbles. Demer Holleran built the Fairmount Athletic Club in PA with 12 singles courts and two doubles courts. That was a bold move and is already becoming a destination of choice for large tournaments. Money aside, wouldn’t it be cool to grace the sport of squash with an even grander stage?
