In squash - The Podcast

2022 Windy City Open emcee and Squash Radio pod partner in crime Bill Buckingham (aka William Cunningham) makes his In Squash pod debut and does not disappoint. Bill breaks down his Windy City experience and we take a look at how the event played out as a whole. Bill also gives us his squash backstory along with how he stumbled into the emcee game. Great chat with Bill Buckingham.

With Harvard winning both the men's and women's CSA (College Squash Association) titles yet again within the last few few weeks, the release of Rob Dinerman's latest book, A History of Harvard Squash: The Mike Way Coaching Era, couldn't be more timely. Rob, as always, provides tremendous insight through meticulous detail and research which reveals the intriguing backstory behind Harvard's most recent squash success stories, and the General behind it all Mike Way. For anyone interested in purchasing the book, please do so here:

There's a new kid in town on the Squash Youtube/podcast and analysis front, from the technical side to PSA player analysis to the squash mindset. Ahad's AR Performance Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/ARProformance) is well worth perusing. Ahad hit my radar with his first of two Mostafa Asal movement analysis videos, which he freely admits was a bit harsh in hindsight. The second is absolutely spot on and highly recommended viewing. Ahad and I talk about his unique squash backstory, our PSA 2022/23 forecast, Mostafa Asal's movement and the PSA ban, and much more.

There's not a more timely episode than this one. Eduardo Alvarez is a Toronto squash club owner and health club consultant who is leading the desperate call to action in an effort to grow the game of squash. Eduardo and I flesh out solutions to many of the serious concerns that he has about the state of the game today. Check out his vision for squash article on Squash Mad here: https://squashmad.com/growing-the-game/club-owner-eduardo-alvarez-has-a-vision-for-a-squash-revolution-make-the-game-public-visible-and-affordable/

Happy New Year !! 2021 brought with it some of the most exciting squash we've seen in some time, and given the circumstances there certainly was a thirst for it from both a players and an enthusiasts perspective. Episode 202 is sort of a look back at the year through acknowledging the accolades, the exceptional play and the love for the game that the pro game has given to us this year. In this year in review we are recognizing the following:

Female Prospect of the Year

Male Prospect of the Year

Squash Person of the Year

Female Player of the Year

Male Player of the Year

The long-awaited resumption of US collegiate squash takes place November 20th at Rochester for Mike Way and the Harvard Crimson. Mike talks about just how excited he and men's and women's teams are to be back playing collegiate competition again. We look ahead to this season and what his vision for "success" is based upon. We also talk about the pro success of Sabrina Sobhy and Gina Kennedy, his recent appearance at the World's in support of Ali Farag, and his thoughts on the evolution of officiating as compared to the iconic days working with Jonathan Power. Great chat with Mike Way!!

With impressive victories over Karim Abdul Gawad, Mohamed Aboulghar and a nail biting 5 set loss to Joel Makin in the semi at the Manchester Open, Yousef Ibrahim is most definitely in the ascendancy and without question the player to watch over the next year as he currently sits at 18 in the world. Yousef is preparing to resume studies and squash at Princeton next week, and he's very much looking forward to that. We talk about his recent great run of form, his decision to take the US collegiate route, and much more. Great chat!!

Winner of the 2021 PSA Tour Final last month and most definitely in the ascendancy in the world's top 10, Mostafa Asal has shown that he's primed for a run at the world number 1 spot. Unfortunately, travel visa issues led to his withdraw from the World Championships in Chicago. Yet, Mostafa sees this as an opportunity to prepare going forward and isn't going to dwell on it. Mostafa and I battled through a few minor wifi issues, but in the end this was a tremendous conversation. We discuss the travel visa debacle and all those the really supported him during that misadventure, his incredible performance in the Tour Final, his hero Mohammed El Shorbagy, Tarek Momen's tweet, and how he hopes his spirit on and off the court will bring a more youthful image to the game of squash.

With a recent PSA title under his belt and a victory over James Willstrop in the process, Victor is definitely in the ascendancy with the World Championships kicking off today in Chicago. Victor discusses his recent PSA Squash On Fire victory, the World Championships in Chicago, the unique talents of Ryosei Kobayashi, his thoughts on the current officiating debate and much more.

Having made serious inroads since taking on the pro game full-time, former Harvard standout Gina Kennedy is no doubt a force to be reckoned with at the highest levels on the PSA Tour. With her victory at the Pro Squash Challenge and an impressive runner-up finish at the Squash On Fire event in Washington last week, to the outsider it might seem unfair not to see her name in the World Championship draw. Gina's taking this all in her stride though, and we have a great chat about how pleased she is with where her game is today.