07/06/2007
WISPA SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR
'Historic Opportunity For South American Squash'
WISPA Tour Provides
'Historic Opportunity For
South American Squash'
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Selection from
South American Tour
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Reports
Argentina
Uruguay
Chile
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Argentina
A four-day visit to
Buenos Aires by three of the biggest names in world squash was
described as an 'historic opportunity for South American squash' by
South American Squash Federation President Claudio Fontanazzi.
The visit was part of a
12-day tour of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay organised by the
Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) - led by
Malaysia's world champion and world number one Nicol David,
Australia's world number three Rachael Grinham, and Sarah
Fitz-Gerald, the record five-times world champion, also from
Australia.
The annual tour, the ninth
since 1999, is the latest initiative in WISPA’s continuing drive to
promote women's squash around the world.
The climax of the trip was
a dramatic exhibition match witnessed by a packed crowd at the city's
Olimpia Cancilleria club, in which former world number one Rachael
Grinham recovered from match-ball down to beat Tour rival Nicol David.
As well as exhibition
matches and challenges against many of the host country's top players, the
WISPA stars also staged a number of interactive clinics with the
Argentinean women's national squad on the eve of the players'
participation in the South American Championships in Colombia.
"Our players have not only
had the chance to see some of the world's best players in action, but also
learn from them in other ways too, by talking to them as well as being on
court with them," explained Fontanazzi.
"The WISPA Tour has
provided an invaluable promotional opportunity for the sport here - I am
sure we will be feeling the benefits for many years to come. This has
been a historic opportunity for squash in South America," concluded the
sport's regional president.
The Olimpia Cancilleria
crowd also saw Rachael Grinham take on the country's top junior Gonzalo
Miranda, the reigning Pan-American Junior champion, and Nicol David
challenge Argentinean No1 Matias Valenzuela, the world No 243 from
Mar del Plata.
"She is so accurate," said
Valenzuela of his opponent. "Naturally, as a man, I am stronger than
Nicol, but she is so fast around the court."
Midway through the
late-night match, the two players were asked to move from the main
showcourt onto an adjacent court. "The other side of the front wall is
the bedroom of a private house, and our neighbour complains that he cannot
sleep when squash is being played on that court - so we agree not to use
that court after 10.00pm!" explained a club spokesman.
Opened in 1982 and
situated in central Buenos Aires, the Olimpia Cancilleria boasts five
squash courts as well as a racquetball court. Like most squash venues in
the country, the club is a public facility, which does not require
membership.
"It is wonderful for our
players to see top internationals here in Buenos Aires," said Guillermo
Kesztembaun, the Argentina national coach since 1993. "The only
experience they have of international squash is at the South American
Championships and the Pan-American championships.
"The legacy of this visit
will be the vision of how good these WISPA players are, and what a great
sport squash is."
Kesztembaun expects his
national team to finish in the top four in the regional championships in
Colombia. "If not, I will kill myself," joked the passionate squash
enthusiast who has squash logos tattooed on his calf and shoulder!
Nicol David played
promising junior Antonella Falcione, a 16-year-old from Mar del
Plata who is both the Argentinean Junior champion and Pan-American junior
champion: "Antonella has the potential to do well in the sport," said
David, the former record two-times world junior champion. "She will need
to get funding but she is very keen and I am sure she will train hard to
achieve her goal."
In addition to the Olimpia
Cancilleria club, the WISPA trio also played at the Circulo de Armas
club and The Squash Club, the oldest club in Buenos Aires, founded
in 1929.
"This was a gift for our
eyes," exclaimed Circulo de Armas club President Jorge Otamendi
after David and Grinham showed off their squash prowess.
Founded in 1929, The
Squash Club was modelled on British gentlemen's clubs of the period, and
much of the club's original documentation is in English. However, the
club was forced to 're-brand' itself as simply 'Squash Club' during the
Falklands conflict 25 years ago, when all English references were
forbidden!
Sarah Fitz-Gerald endeared
herself to the packed and wildly enthusiastic club members who took time
off to witness the trio's lunch-time appearance at the club - taking on,
and beating, both the club's former champion Alejandro "Pulga"
Dominguez and current champion Duncan Jub, a Scottish-born
Argentinean who is also a polo player.
'Sarah, Sarah, Sarah …..'
shouted the crowd as they revelled in their icons being suitably punished!
"That was fantastic," said
an exhausted Dominguez after his battle with Fitz-Gerald. "Jonathon Power
was also here - he is my friend. When he finished, he gave me his
racquet, and I always keep it in my bag - but never use it," said the
popular club player, recalling the Canadian's visit in 1999 to celebrate
the club's 70th anniversary.
Club captain Diego
Gallardo admitted that women are traditionally only invited to the
club once a year, at Christmas. "We may have to make that tradition two
times a year after today!"
At a press conference at
the Olimpia club, the Argentina Squash Association President
Ricardo Roude expressed his gratitude to the WISPA Party: "We feel we
owe you something for coming here - it will stimulate our younger players
to improve their squash and help them follow the example of your great
players.
"We are a third world
country with third world budgets. But we have heart and hope one day we
will show the results of this visit," added Roude.
TV cameras filmed the
players answering a variety of questions about the WISPA Tour, their
training regimes, how they became involved with squash, their Olympic
hopes for the sport, etc. Features, including photographs of the WISPA
stars in action, are expected to be seen in the nation's press in the
coming days.
Andrew Shelley
was delighted with the welcome that the Buenos Aires visit received: "We
have received a terrific reception and have laid the foundation for strong
relationships," said the WISPA Chief Executive.
"There are wonderfully
enthusiastic people here who are passionate about the women's game. A
fledgling local women's circuit, embracing beginners and club players
alike, is already in place - and we must look at ways to encourage its
growth."
Sarah Fitz-Gerald, one of
the most successful women's squash players of all-time, was also
encouraged by the future of the sport in Argentina: "They play their
squash here like they play their football - with passion, enthusiasm and
flair!"
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Pictures |
Nicol David with
16-year-old Antonella Falcione |
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Sarah Fitz-Gerald
(right) coaching a small group at the Olimpia Cancilleria club in
Buenos Aires |
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Sarah Fitz-Gerald
with The Squash Club opponent Alejandro "Pulga" Dominguez |
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Nicol David (left)
and Rachael Grinham take time off to test out their horse-riding
skills at the La Plegaria ranch near Buenos Aires |
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WISPA stars Nicol David
(left) and Rachael Grinham pictured at the Circulo de Armas
club with club President Jorge Otamendi (centre) and committee
member Martin Guerrico (right) and Olimpia Cancilleria club coach
Fabian Ceciliano (left) |
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Sarah Fitz-Gerald,
Nicol David and Rachael Grinham pictured at The Squash Club
with (L to R) club captain Diego Gallardo; committee member Jose
Del Campo; Secretary Horatio Resta; and committee member
Martin Guerrico |
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Rachael Grinham,
Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Nicol David (front, L to R) pictured with
(rear, L to R) Diego Etchechoury, South American Squash Federation;
Claudio Fontanazzi, President of the South American Squash
Federation; and Ricardo Roude, President of the Argentina Squash
Association |
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Nicol David and
Rachael Grinham line up with top Argentinean players (L to R) Belen
Etchechoury, Luz Etchechoury, Cecilio Abarca,
Fernanda Rocha and Antonella Falcione |
Uruguay
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Warm Welcome Greets WISPA Stars In Uruguay
The smallest country in South America
provided the warmest of welcomes for Nicol David, Rachael
Grinham and Sarah Fitz-Gerald when the WISPA stars
visited Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, on the third leg
of their promotional tour of South America.
David, the world number one and
reigning world champion from Malaysia, has been joined by
Australians Rachael Grinham and Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the world No3 and
record five-times world champion, respectively, on the ninth annual
promotional expedition organised by the Women's International
Squash Players' Association.
The tour to Argentina,
Uruguay and Chile is the latest initiative in WISPA’s
continuing drive to promote women's squash around the world.
Uruguay has a
population of just three million, half of whom live in the capital
Montevideo.
Within an hour of arriving in
Montevideo, the WISPA party were welcomed at Club Carrasco, a
club in the upmarket Carrasco district of the city, whose courts
were built in 1972. Club President Paul Bragard is a leading
squash figure in the country, after winning the national crown eight
times since 1974 and, in 1985, becoming the first Uruguayan to win
the South American title.
A packed crowd was captivated by an
exhibition match between Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Rachael Grinham,
before Nicol David faced a challenge from the President's son
Jean Paul Bragard, the champion of Uruguay since 2000.
"It was incredible to play Nicol,"
said the exhausted 25-year-old after the best-of-three battle. "She
is not only a wonderful player, but also a wonderful person. She
made me play my best squash, using all my tricks!
"She's like a spider - getting to all
corners of the court so fast! I had to play as hard as I could.
This was one of my best squash experiences ever. I will remember it
for the rest of my life!" said the younger Bragard.
After a sight-seeing tour of
Montevideo, the WISPA girls visited the British Schools of
Montevideo Old Boys and Old Girls Club. Uruguay's first squash
courts were built in 1945 at the then Old Boys Club in downtown
Montevideo. The clubs recently merged and, in October last year,
opened a new two-court complex on the grounds of the
long-established school which boasts more than 1,000 pupils.
"For our club, this is the perfect
moment," said club captain Gabriel Arancibia. "We couldn't
think of a better way of introducing squash to our new combined
membership - not just old boys and old girls, of course, but pupils
at the school too.
"We hope that the crowds that the
WISPA trio attracted will show just what a great sport squash is for
women," added Arancibia.
A four-year stint in England as a
history teacher introduced Paula Greco to squash - and she
returned to her home town as Uruguay's only female player!
"Squash is not a very popular sport
in Uruguay, and certainly not among women. To have the opportunity
to see the best female squash players in the world play in
Montevideo has been absolutely fantastic," explained the undisputed
Uruguayan number one.
"Hopefully this tour will encourage
more Uruguayan girls and women to get into the courts and have a go
at such an amazing game. It won't be easy to break with the
tradition of seeing squash as a sport only for men, but I believe
the WISPA tour has been the first step towards this direction."
The two-day visit to Uruguay
attracted widespread national media coverage in newspapers including
El Pais, El Observador and La Republica; the
magazine 17 Deportes; the radio station Concierto FM;
and the TV channel Canal 10.
"It's hard for squash in this country
as the mentality is much more geared to team sports, like rugby and
football, than individual sports," concluded Paul Bragard, who has
taken on the role as President of the fledgling Uruguayan Squash
Association.
"But the WISPA visit has definitely
given squash a major boost here - with unprecedented media coverage
for the sport. I'm sure that the squash community here will be
talking about this event for a long time."
Sarah Fitz-Gerald summed up the WISPA
girls' enjoyment of the Montevideo visit: "The hospitality we
received was out of this world," said one of the sport's greatest
players of all-time. "For such a small squash community, they
really treated us royally - we will remember this with great
fondness!"
From Uruguay, the WISPA party move
onto the fourth and final leg of the Tour in the Chile capital
Santiago.
The WISPA Promotional Tour concept
was launched in 1999 with a visit to the Czech Republic.
Successive years featured trips to Jamaica, El Salvador,
Peru, Kenya, Thailand, Brunei,
Sarawak, Russia, China, Nepal, Jordan, Turkey
and, last year, to Estonia and Norway.
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Chile |
WISPA Tour Provides Media Breakthrough In Chile
Widespread media interest, including
national TV exposure for squash for the first time, was one of the
key benefits that Nicol David, Rachael Grinham and Sarah
Fitz-Gerald brought to Chile when the trio of WISPA world
number ones visited capital Santiago on the fourth and final
leg of their promotional tour of South America.
David, the world number one and
reigning world champion from Malaysia, was joined by Australians
Rachael Grinham and Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the current world No3 and
record five-times world champion, respectively, on the ninth annual
promotional expedition organised by the Women's International
Squash Players' Association.
The tour to Argentina,
Uruguay and Chile is the latest initiative in WISPA’s
continuing drive to promote women's squash around the world.
A comprehensive programme, including
clinics with youngsters, exhibition matches and press conferences,
had been arranged by hosts the Chilean Squash Federation.
A hoard of enthusiasts – mostly
children – greeted the WISPA party on arrival at the Go-Fitness &
Spa club, an impressive multi-sport facility over seven floors
which houses three glass-backed squash courts and four racquetball
courts.
Whilst youngsters provided the
distinctive flavour of the Santiago visit, other more experienced
players were also eager to take advantage of the WISPA stars’
presence – including former tennis player Loreto Barriga, a
ten-times Chile women’s national squash champion who also boasts
South American titles in both squash and racquetball; reigning
women’s national champion Ana Marie Pinto; current world No4
racquetball player Angela Grisar; and Chilean hero Jaime
Pinto, a long-time national champion who now coaches both squash
and tennis at the club founded by his famous father, Davis Cup
tennis player Jaime Pinto (snr).
Such was the interest generated by
the WISPA visit that a large group of youngsters from Concepcion
– Chile’s second largest city, some 600km south of Santiago –
joined the action at Go-Fitness. Aged between 7 and 17, the group
braved the six-hour journey to soak up the experience of meeting and
learning from the world squash stars.
“We have built the largest junior
group in Chile, so we couldn’t resist this incredible experience to
come to Santiago and take part in this visit,” said team leader
Andrea Salgado, the Profesora Educacion Fisica at the Estadio
Espanol in Chiguayante. “The kids have been talking of nothing
else for the past few weeks – this is a unique opportunity to meet
and learn from world-class players.”
Estadio Espanol is a multi-sport club
boasting more than 1,000 members, offering football, basketball,
pelota vasca, tennis and squash. “The club really believes in
squash – they feel that investing in squash is vital, and have
helped fund this trip to Santiago,” explained Salgado.
Now 34, Loreto Barriga is winding
down her incredible sporting career while working full-time in sport
for the Santiago municipality. But matches against all three of the
WISPA stars have rekindled her interest in the sport: “This has
inspired me to take up squash again more seriously - I’m going to
make a comeback!”
Angela Grisar was unable to resist a
squash challenge from Nicol David – then debated the relative merits
of the two sports with the two-times world squash champion from
Malaysia afterwards. “Squash is a more friendly sport for women
than racquetball,” said the top Pan-American racquetball player.
“I play squash because it helps my
strategy – you rely too much on power in my sport. And your sport
is more endurance-orientated – I would say squash is like the 800
metres, whereas racquetball is more like the 100 metres race!”
explained Grisar.
The enthusiasm of the Chilean juniors
was something to behold: Courts were never left empty for more than
a few seconds before a clutch of youngsters burst through the door
eager to hit a few more balls – often led by eight-year-old Oren
Brunman.
“I’ve seen this kind of enthusiasm
before,” said Sarah Fitz-Gerald. “But never in the short gap
between games during a match! Their keenness for squash is quite
remarkable.”
The future of Chilean squash seems to
be in good hands – particularly if three notable juniors continue to
advance. Jonathan Stark, 14, and Carlos Vergara, also
14, are the second and third top juniors in the country – but
15-year-old Rafael Allendes, son of Federation Vice President
Rafael Allendes (snr), is ranked one at U17 and U19.
Rachael Grinham was particularly
impressed with the left-hander: “He would do well in Egypt, for
sure,” said the former world number one from Australia, who is based
in Cairo.
Allendes has already competed in
junior tournaments around South America and won his first overseas
title at the Virginia Junior U17 Open in the USA in January. At the
end of this year he plans to take part in the Scottish and British
Junior Opens for the first time.
“It’s fantastic to play with people
like Sarah, Rachael and Nicol,” said the teenager. “I love squash
and would like to play full-time.”
A press conference at Go-Fitness
attracted significant interest, with journalists probing the WISPA
stars about their lives on the World Tour, and their opinions of the
local players they’d seen.
“We’ve all travelled all over the
world and seen players – men and women - from numerous different
countries,” explained Sarah Fitz-Gerald. “But there aren’t many
from South America, so hopefully our visit to this region will
inspire more players – especially the girls - to get better and join
the international circuit.
Nicol David added: “We’ve been very
impressed with the standard of the players we’ve seen here. And
it’s been a real eye-opener to see the numbers of people that have
come along to watch us, especially the kids.”
The result of the conference and
general interest in the visit created an avalanche of media
coverage, including newspapers El Mercurio, La Hora,
La Nacion, Publimetro and La Tercera; El
Grafico magazine; W radio; numerous Chilean sports websites; and
TV channels 13, 19 and 22.
“This is a real breakthrough for us –
squash has never been featured on national TV before,” said
Federation President Patricio Lira.
The climax of the Go-Fitness visit
was an exhibition match between Nicol David and Jaime Pinto – a
clash which attracted a standing-room only crowd.
“It’s hard competing against women –
it’s like playing against your ex-girlfriend!” explained Pinto.
“It’s a great pity that I only play matches as tough as this about
once every two months – so I don’t have the chance to get into a
rhythm.
“But it’s so exciting to see so many
people here for the squash. It will help us reach our goal – which
is to have crowds like this all the time.”
Later, the WISPA party visited the
Estadio Israelita Maccabi club in Santiago, featuring two brand
new glass-backed courts with extensive galleries – where, again,
numerous children joined the capacity crowd to watch the squash
action before getting autographs of the WISPA stars.
One of the highlights of the visit
was a match between Nicol David and former Chilean international and
PSA player Marcelo Kaplun. Now working in the Chilean sports
industry, Kaplun was no match for the nimble David – despite his
194cm frame towering over the petite 163cm Malaysian!
The action-packed two-day final leg
in Chile brought the 2007 WISPA Promotional Tour to South America to
a fitting climax, with all parties agreeing that the legacy would be
significant.
“It’s been a real honour to have you
here. We have been looking forward to this for many months - we are
so glad you came to see us,” said Federation Director Luis Parra.
“It’s been a hugely motivational experience for us – and squash in
Chile will certainly benefit greatly from the visit.
“The motivation for kids will rocket
– and even Loreto, who hasn’t played seriously for two years, has
told me ‘I’m coming back’! The impact of your visit is just out of
this world.”
Jorge Csaszar,
Squash President of the Israelita club, added: “It is this kind of
promotion that will help squash grow in Chile.”
Sarah Fitz-Gerald was most motivated
by the enthusiasm of the youngsters over the two days: “I really
connected with those kids. And even though some didn’t speak much
English, and my Spanish is virtually non-existent, squash just broke
all the language barriers!”
Nicol David added: “This tour
overall was an experience of a life time. I would never imagine
being in four different cities in South America and getting such a
warm welcome from the people. We made a lot of good friends, ate
plenty of their amazing food, enjoyed the sights of the city and
played lots of squash with many squash enthusiasts.
“Even though we had such a short time
in each of these places, we got a sense of how they can develop to
become bigger squash nations in the future. I feel fortunate to
have been part of it all – and perhaps played a part in making
squash better known in South America. Muchos Gracias!!!”
Rachael Grinham was also enthused by
the juniors: “I was really impressed by the numbers of juniors in
Chile. With the enthusiasm and obvious potential of these
youngsters, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few Chilean players on
the professional circuit in the next 5-10 years.
“Overall it was a great experience
for me, my first (but hopefully not last) trip to South America.
Hopefully our presence can help raise the interest and profile of
squash in these countries and in turn bring the WISPA Tour to South
America in the near future.”
WISPA Chief
Executive Andrew Shelley had the final word: "These have
been new experiences for the WISPA group and while Argentina,
Uruguay, and now Chile, have all been very different in character,
there has been one constant ….. everywhere, the sheer enthusiasm for
squash, the vitality of the people, and the eagerness of the people
to make the sport grow, has been so rewarding.
"Countries that could not possibly
mount an event featuring top players have now had the chance for
their squash communities to sample the highest level in the world
and, most importantly, to focus a media spotlight on squash.
"Fortunately, WISPA is blessed with
stars who will give up their time both free and freely, as well as
donations to cover the international costs, and hosts stepping up to
the plate when we are with them. It is a great mix that will help
develop real long-term partnerships for WISPA with the nations,"
concluded Shelley.
The WISPA Promotional Tour concept
was launched in 1999 with a visit to the Czech Republic.
Successive years featured trips to Jamaica, El Salvador,
Peru, Kenya, Thailand, Brunei,
Sarawak, Russia, China, Nepal, Jordan, Turkey
and, last year, to Estonia and Norway.
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