WISPA Highlights Squash In Switzerland and Italy

Completed in 80 AD, the Colosseum in Rome is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. Though damaged by earthquakes over the centuries, it was capable of seating 50,000 people at one time. Nicol David and Laura Lengthorn-Massaro spent one afternoon visiting.
Completed in 80 AD, the Colosseum in Rome is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. Though damaged by earthquakes over the centuries, it was capable of seating 50,000 people at one time. Nicol David and Laura Lengthorn-Massaro spent one afternoon visiting.

By Howard Harding

Described as ‘the Roger Federer of women’s squash’ by Swiss National Coach John Williams, Nicol David captivated youngsters in Zurich of the opening day of a two-day promotional visit to the tennis player’s home country led by the World No. 1 from Malaysia.

The visit opened the latest WISPA Promotional Tour, in which the women’s player body takes two of its top players to help raise the profile of the sport. In this case, David was later to join the rest of the Squash group in nearby Lausanne, where they would make a presentation to the IOC in the sport’s bid to join the program for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Celebrating her fifth WISPA Promotional Tour, David was joined in Zurich by Ireland’s World No. 9 Madeline Perry, along with WISPA CEO Andrew Shelley, at the Vitis SportCenter for a series of exhibition matches and clinics with the Swiss National Junior Women’s squad.

Vitis SportCenter, one of three ‘Vitis’ Sporting Centres in Switzerland (built in 1983 by former tennis legends Vitas Gerulaitis and Ion Tiriac) has 11 squash courts (including a three-sided glass show-court), plus 10 indoor tennis courts and seven badminton courts.

Former Australian international John Williams, the club’s principal coach and host of the day’s event, was full of praise of the WISPA girls’ contribution: “The fact that the sport’s top women professionals like Nicol and Madeline will give up their time free to host initiatives like this is exemplary. They were totally inspiring to our young girls, and I am sure we will see evidence of today’s visit for years to come.”

South African No. 2 Siyoli Lusaseni linked up with the Zurich party after competing in the Alexandria Sports Club Open in Egypt as she would be joining David later in Lausanne.

The most successful junior squash club in Switzerland hosted the second day: Squash Club Pilatus is a vibrant four-court club in the historic city of Luzern—overlooked by Mount Pilatus—which boasts a squad of more than 80 juniors. Inspired by coach Pascal Bruhin, the club recently won the national junior team title, and nurtured nine of the 13 players in the country’s current national junior squad. Excitingly, plans are underway for an additional four courts to be constructed.

Rome6_signing
The two WISPA stars autographed oversize balls and cards for enthusiastic kids after an exhibition in Rome.

After popular sessions in which all of the club youngsters had the chance to be on court with the three WISPA stars, it was standing room only when Swiss women’s No. 2 Sara Guebey challenged Lusaseni; the country’s men’s junior No. 2 Lukas Burkhart took on Madeline Perry; and the new Swiss men’s junior champion Patrick Miescher faced David.

“I was very happy with the whole event,” said Bruhin afterwards. “I knew all the matches would be close and I’m sure my players learned so much from their experiences. It’s fantastic to see such sporting excellence from these top world sportswomen. It has been a huge success. I know our juniors absolutely loved it!”

In Luzern, Switzerland, juniors at Squash Club Pilatus enjoyed meeting the WISPA pros.
In Luzern, Switzerland, juniors at Squash Club Pilatus enjoyed meeting the WISPA pros.

Later, a two-day visit to Rome rounded off the highly successful 2009 WISPA Promo Tour. Here, David was partnered by England’s World No. 8 Laura Lengthorn-Massaro at the Roman Sports Center in a visit hosted by ASD Agonistica Squash RSC.

Founded in 1983 by the late squash-loving Scot, Edward McKey Cheever, the Roman Sport Center is a major sport and fitness club in the heart of Rome’s business centre. With a comprehensive range of facilities, including four glass-backed Squash courts—all of which attract some 2,000 members each day—the center is managed by the founder’s energetic widow Rosetta Cheever.

The WISPA stars chatted to and played a series of challenge matches with club members, including not only youngsters but avid Squash Magazine reader Peter Bloom, a retired US Foreign Service Officer aged 71.

Bloom, a life-long tennis player and a convert to Squash only in his forties, is delighted to have discovered the game: “Squash has been a huge part of my enjoyment of living here in Rome.” An avid follower of the game through his overseas membership of US Squash, Bloom added: “These inner city squash programs [in the United States] that I read about are terrific for the sport.”

Massimo Bianchi, President of ASD Agonistica Squash RSC and a former Vice President of the sport’s national federation Federazione Italiana Giuoco Squash (FIGS), was delighted with the success of the visit his regional association hosted.

“It has been excellent for our members to see the professionalism of these great players. Not just competing in an event, but the ‘whole’ player—how they train, how they conduct themselves on and off court, and how they live life,” explained Bianchi, a coach for more than 20 years.

“But my dream is to host a big tournament here in Rome—one that will truly put this city on the map as one of the great Squash tournament cities of the world,” added Bianchi.

A chilly visit to Mount Pilatus by David, Madelline Perry and Siyoli Lusaseni, capped their visit.
A chilly visit to Mount Pilatus by David, Madelline Perry and Siyoli Lusaseni, capped their visit.

Mrs Cheever was also overjoyed at the impact the visit made on her club and the profile of squash: “We have a lot of typical Italian men here who spend a lot of time working out—but hardly notice the squash facilities. Now we have had many of them come to ask how they can get into the sport—‘what do we need to do?’ they are asking!

Lengthorn-Massaro was pleased to have made her WISPA Promo Tour debut in Rome: “It’s been revealing seeing Nicol in a new light. She’s so good as a Squash ambassador, interacting with all sorts of people so professionally.

“This has been a great experience for me—it’s a fantastic club and we’ve been really well looked after. It’s been a good mixture of work and sight-seeing,” added the 25-year-old from Preston after a brief morning visit to Vatican City and Rome’s historic Colosseum before a lunchtime session.

Summing up the two legs of the Tour, Andrew Shelley commented: “The last couple of weeks have really shown all facets of squash. From the major international side with the Seoul Women’s Open played in the Korean capital city centre on a glass court surrounded by TV cameras, photographers and spectators, to us presenting our case to the IOC and two promotional visits. All are about the future; local development in Swiss and Italian cities; national exposure in Korea; and, of course, trying to gain access to the most important event in the world of sport.

“The WISPA Promotional Tour this year has continued the tradition of supporting communities, developing friendships and in a small way trying to make a difference,” Shelley continued. “The wholehearted support of our top players—who happily and freely give their time—brings smiles to faces, space in local media and is just so heart-warming and bolstering to our future too.”