Summer Squash: Or, Why I (Still) Go to Camp by A.J. Kohlhepp
July 14, 2015
With
the exception of the Pan Am games, currently being contested in
Toronto, and the World Juniors, hosted at the end of July in the
Netherlands, there’s not much happening on the squash circuit. We
have entered the so-called off-season, which tends to correlate well
with climatological trends and educational calendars in the northern
hemisphere.
That doesn’t mean there is no squash to be played or, more importantly,
squash knowledge to be garnered during these hottest months. Stop
by any of bigger facilities, especially those connected with schools or
colleges, during the summer months in the U.S. and you are likely to
the find the summer squash industry in full swing.
For former professionals such as Peter Nicol, who runs an intensive two-week version of Nicol Champions Academy
at Hotchkiss School in northwestern Connecticut, the summer provides
ready access to school facilities and, just as importantly, school-aged
squash players. The rural location of many programs can also
offer a nice respite from the daily swelter of city life. Nicol now
lives and coaches in New York City, echoing a migratory trend among
retired British professionals.
That possibility of escape from the ordinary also impels current
professionals to serve as itinerant coaches at U.S. summer
programs. Peter Barker and Chris Simpson, for example, have just
put in a week together at Squash & Beyond,
a long-running program hosted by Williams College coach Zafi
Levy. Levy flies the pros in from abroad, feeds and houses them,
and provides them access to court space and gym facilities, as well as
a variety of recreational activities, in exchange for their work with
the campus and the occasional exhibition match, as well as a modest
salary.
“It doesn’t turn out to be particularly lucrative,” reports Simpson,
“but it’s a nice change of pace in the summer. More like a
working holiday.” (The work rate can certainly spike during the
week as was visible during an intense exhibition game last week, in
which Simpson eked out a 16-14 victory over his compatriot to the awe
and admiration of the youthful crowd.)
Levy also employs professional coaches such as the legendary Dave
Pearson, who bring decades of on-court experience at the highest levels
of squash to bear.
Of course, you can’t expect these iconic squash personages to deal with
the daily minutiae of breakfast sessions and bed checks, not to mention
homesickness issues, dietary restrictions and the many other maladies
that contemporary campers suffer from. To keep a closer eye on the
campers and to assist head coaches in facilitating the many different
activities featured at these summer sessions – you can only spend so
many hours on court, after all – program directors often bring in high
school or college-age players. Living in Williamstown, which is home to
a thriving junior program, Levy employs a variety of locals and Ephs,
as the Williams players are known. In addition, he usually
retains at least one “amateur” adult coach to support the efforts of
his residential staff and act as a kind of conduit between the working
professionals and the paying public.
That’s where I come in.
This year I was lucky enough to overlap a week with Ramsay Vehslage, a
long-time teacher / coach at Pingry School (NJ). Coach Vehslage
has many years of experience at the middle and high school level – “I
coach all the teams at Pingry,” he notes – which makes him
indispensable in the summer coaching environs given to the wide age and
ability ranges found among players. Ramsay is also experienced
with the summer residential component, having worked at Squash &
Beyond for multiple weeks across multiple summers.
In exchange for my own efforts at supervising the campers, as well as
overseeing the less-experienced counselors charged with doing the same,
I get to spend the better part of a week working alongside young
professionals and savvy veterans alike. My own coaching expertise gets
a boost, as I see these masters try to transmit their own hard-earned
lessons to aspiring young players. The fact that there is a modest
stipend attached further sweetens the deal, much as a couple of scoops
from Lickety-Split provide the right finish to a sweltering day of
squash in Williamstown.
And every once in a while there comes an unexpected bonus. Last
week, for instance, I got to spend a couple of hours on the water in
nearby Pittsfield. From my pontoon-piloting host, Zafi Levy, I
learned a great deal about the rental market in Williamstown.
From my companions, Chris Simpson and Peter Barker, I learned about the
intricacies of PSA tournament registration – Simpson almost suffered a
points penalty due for electronically entering concurrent events in
Mumbai and San Francisco – and the small but essential role of
endorsements for squash pros – Barker has had a long-time contract with
Wilson, while Simpson is currently entering a new racket relationship
after his previous sponsor renegotiated the terms.
I will be headed back to Williamstown for another week in late July,
this time bringing my son and a classmate with me. That familial
component will, of course, introduce a whole new dynamic to my summer
camp experience and, perhaps, a whole different set of squash lessons. Coaches Chris Simpson, Peter Barker and Ramsay Vehslage enjoying some down time in metropolitan Williamstown.
A.J. Kohlhepp teaches and coaches at
Berkshire School (MA). He was on the winning side for the Black
Knight / DSR team fiction contest that resulted in The Racketeers,edited by Ted Gross.
