By Jay D. Prince
For 17 of the last 18 years, I’ve tried in vain to win a title in the U.S. Nationals/ Age Groups/Masters (yes, the tournament has been called all three). In fact, I’ve fallen short of the semifinals every time. I’ve managed to reach the quarterfinals a few times and, after this year, I’ve been one-and-done three times. Disappointing? Yes. Humiliating? No. After all, I’m still young.
In Atlanta, in 2008, I had breakfast with then U.S. SQUASH President, Jeanne Blasberg, and explained that all of my years of trying to be competitive in the Masters was really just my early training for when I’m eligible for the 60+. My line of reasoning had been that maybe by then some of the guys that have been kicking my butt will start to break down and it will truly become a survival of the fittest instead of the most talented. Of course, watching the players who are currently weilding their collective talents in those “older” divisions now has me questioning whether I might be better looking forward to the 75+ or older instead.
And I now know there is hope after meeting Ralph Cooke at the 2010 U.S. Masters. For him it was his first real tournament…ever! I had the pleasure of refereeing his first round match (yes, after losing mine) which he proudly won. I didn’t have the chance to see him play again, but I did catch up with him briefly after he had completed a successful weekend by winning the consolation draw. Not bad for someone brand new to a national championship event. Especially when you consider that he was in the Men’s 80+.
That’s right. He was playing in his first tournament after picking up the game in his mid-40’s. He’d been a hockey player (yes, he’s Canadian) and a doctor who took up squash at about the same time I was learning to walk.
In his first round he cruised in three games and dropped just 12 points in the process. In the quarterfinals Cooke was up against the top seed, Lee Engler, who dispatched of him 11-6, 11-6, 11-6.
But Cooke was just getting started after feeding into the consolation draw. Apparently he couldn’t get enough squash while in Boston because he promptly took five games to beat Ken Lay and then Bob Croll in another five to win the consies.
So here was Ralph Cooke taking home more hardware than I’ve even come close to in the U.S. Masters. How cool is that? Pretty impressive stuff. But what it really did for me is to put my squash into a different kind of perspective.
Do I still hope to win a U.S. national title some day? Absolutely. But even more, what I hope for is to keep enjoying the game well into my retirement years. I also hope to meet many more people like Dr. Cooke.
As anyone who plays in the U.S. Masters year after year will tell you, one of the great pleasures of the event is reconnecting with people we have gotten to know; particularly when 3,000 miles of geography separates many of us for most of the year. But this year was different for me.
Because of my role in the sport with the magazine, I am familiar with those players at the Masters who are teaching pros and club owners. But I really hadn’t connected with many players who represent other walks of life. I think it hit me while chatting with Dr. Cooke and his lovely wife before and after his match.
At home in Seattle, my squash friends are doctors, lawyers, sales people, biotech company bigwigs, software developers, and carpenters. To a lesser extent, I know TV and radio personalities who play; former Major League Baseball and National Football League players; bankers; a bakery owner; and consultants.
The point is, when we take a step back from the heat of our battles on court, this game is fabulous also because of the characters it attracts. Yes, I hope that I can put my name on a national championship in the Masters one day. But my life is richer for getting to know those of you who are trying to keep me from reaching that goal.
