By Andre Boissier
Born April 14, 1956, Steven Cox was a coach at the Sports Club LA and 360 Health Club in Reseda, CA. His unique coaching style and charisma shined through every day on court and in the pages of Squash Magazine in which he wrote several instructional columns for us. Steven had been battling colorectal cancer for the past 4-5 years but continued working until having to be hospitalized in late September. He baffled and amused his doctors, not only with his humor and attitude toward this hideous disease, but also with how long he was able to fight it.
Steven passed away on October 31, 2008. We wish his family all the best as they carry the memories of such a wonderful human being with them into the future.
Warrior!
How you danced around the court
digging deep as you dipped in the corners
stirring the winds with your power rails
and hushing the poets with your drops
that kissed the lip above the tin.
You dazzled!
Did I mention dimension?
Your lobs raised the ceilings and slowed down time
while your cross-courts taught us to reach a little farther,
commit a little sooner.
Your sense of time and space created flow
and together we swam with the current.
Greatness grinned nearby.
Sometimes,
it is not about forcing the point
rather surrendering to what the point offers.
It’s not about exposing the opponent’s weakness,
rather finding our own vulnerability.
Sometimes,
life gets up on you 2-0
and no mater what you do, what genius you deploy
it wasn’t meant to be.
That is a good time to remember your tribe in the gallery
cheering you on and reminding you: play the point,
the moment is all that matters.
The racquet meeting the ball…
like you met your mate
like you greeted your firstborn
an explosion of perfect timing
a celebration of what is
a connection that echoes
long after the last breath.
The Sweet Spot,
our common compass
that leaves a trail of sugar
between this life and the next.
