As I enter into my 26th season at the Racquet Club, I could not be more excited about the current state of Athletics at the club.  Over the past few years, the club has transformed from top to bottom and the athletics program is fortunate to be the recipient of the biggest project in my long career.  Thanks to a generous donation, we will add three new squash courts while simultaneously refurbishing the fitness center. The three new courts will add much need court availability for play during the prime time hours and the club will also become a much more suitable host for big events. The U.S. Skill levels, RC Junior Open, and Jimmy Dunn, just to name a few, will be hosted at the club this season and we are very optimistic that we will land larger tournaments by the conclusion of the squash court project.

Recently, the Pro Shop has witnessed more singles squash played now than ever, which is truly fantastic. When I was a young pro at just 20 years old, one of the things I was so taken with was how so many people played all the games on the fourth floor.   It seemed as though everyone showed up with 3 racquets, but now it seems as though the interest is primarily in squash.  The aerobic speed and skill needed for the game appears to especially appeal to our younger membership.  Although the game of squash is a growing according to data presented by US Squash in 2013 “the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (formerly the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association) indicates that participation in squash in the US has increased another 8% to an estimated 1.3 million players in 2012 alone. The same third party research organization had documented that between 2007 and 2011, the United States saw the fastest growing squash participation level of any country worldwide with remarkable growth of 82% in that period to an estimated 1.2 million players nationally” we have the unique game of Court Tennis which is a sport I hold near and dear to my heart.  As your head pro, I invite you to give court tennis a try if you haven’t done so already.  The majestic grandeur combined with the skill and athleticism needed to succeed in the game truly make it special.  Although it may be initially intimidating, you may find yourself surprised and enjoy this historical game.   The Pro Shop is always at your service, here to  help you improve your skills at whichever sport you fancy on the 4th floor.

p.s. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Athletic Calendar which will highlight all of the exciting activities we have in store for the 2015-2016 season.

 

Sincerely,

Robbie Whitehouse

Head Pro

The Racquet Club