2008-09 RSRA Board Elections

May 1st, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Board of Directors, General

District Profile on Rochester in Squash Magazine (Apr 2008)

2007-08 has been a fairly productive year for the RSRA Board. Here is what we have been involved in: We started with the 2006-07 Awards ceremony at Midtown in the summer last year with a screening of the Oscar nominated film, Squash. We ran a successful Fall Youth clinic Again in the fall, we introduced the Rochester squash community to the new UR squad at the UR exhibition matches. We trial-tested RailStation successfully during the winter league. We rallied around the home crowd support during the UR homestand matches in February. We re-established the UR River campus box league to support the growing student interest in squash. Finally, we ran yet another exciting ProAm and a hugely successful amateur tournament alongside. But there is still a lot to do to grow the sport in Rochester and here is your chance. If you would like to contribute to the development of squash in Rochester, volunteer to serve on the board as an at large member or run for one of the executive positions. Help keep the Rochester squash spirit alive. Contact us if you want to help.

The RSRA board meets once a month at the Genesee Valley Club to plan and discuss operational activities, events etc. Our next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday May 15th at 6:00 pm where we will elect the final Board members for 2008-09. If you would like to participate please contact us. This is a great opportunity to get involved with RSRA as an at-large board member and contribute. Note: Even if there are no specific positions available, you can still contribute as an at-large member by attending the monthly meetings. Finally, if you have not already, please consider becoming an RSRA/US Squash member - your membership dues help us organize local squash events.
Detailed description of duties for RSRA Board members.

The following are the 2008-09 nominations for the RSRA executive positions.

Nominations for at-large 2008-09 RSRA Board members:

All-American honors for Bristow and Ahmed

April 29th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, General

The latest announcement from the College Squash Association for the 2007-08 season mens All-American squads includes Jim Bristow at #6 and Hameed Ahmed at #13.
Congratulations Yellowjackets!
Read the announcement.

Where are they now…once again!

April 27th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General

The first edition of “Where are they now?” followed 2001 Weymuller awardee and ex-GVC junior Dent Wilkens to the Fairmount Athletic Club as a squash pro. In his latest career move, Dent will join US Squash this August as a Program Manager and “will focus on programs which support teaching professionals and coaches, and U.S. SQUASH’s initiative to seed new middle and high school programs across the country.” Go Dent!
More on the recent US Squash staff changes.

Theres not enough songs about the Rochester ProAm

April 10th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Tournaments, Video

Lost and Found: If you lost a watch by the courts during the tournament last weekend, please contact us to claim it.

Rochester ProAm coverage on SquashTalk

April 8th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Tournaments

Thanks to Kirsten Carlson from Squashtalk for the excellent coverage:

“Squash symbiosis is all the rage in Rochester, NY. The most prevalent examples stem from last weekend’s Rochester Pro-Am, a PSA satellite tournament that was held at the University of Rochester alongside a four-draw amateur event. Egypt’s Ahmed Hamza won his first PSA title, defeating top seed Patrick Chifunda in four. The tournament, now in its seventh year helps the Rochester SRA grow and the PSA gain notoriety in the area. Members of the increasingly talented University of Rochester men’s squash team get the opportunity to play a pro tournament while their growing fan base is able to see their school’s best players compete against some of the world’s best players……”

Read the entire article @ SquashTalk.Com

Rochester ProAm 2008 Amateur Results

April 7th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Tournaments

Congratulations to all the 2008 amateur event winners!!! Special thanks to the amateur tournament director, Hugh Higgins and Morgan Smith who took care of logistics in the background, for running the event so smoothly. For the weekend roundup and pro event results, check out the RocProSquash.com website.

Winners: 5.0 - Yohay Wakabayashi bt. Chris Fennell (3-1) 4.0 - Pat Harris bt. Dan Carson (3-1) 3.5 - David Lockwood bt. Takayuki Koizumi (3-0) 3.0 - Bernie Auer bt. Nick Zarcone (3-0)

Consolation: 5.0 - Ryan Evans bt. Thomson Chew (3-2) 4.0 - James Azurin bt. Dave Sullivan (3-1) 3.5 - Charlie Follett bt. Troy Zarcone (3-1) 3.0 - Adam Brunner bt. Joe Smrcka (3-0)

Photos from the final day ( © by Paul Schwartz):

Photos from the earlier amateur rounds ( © by Paul Schwartz):

Rochester ProAm 2008 - Amateur draws are up

April 1st, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Tournaments

Go to RocProSquash.com to access the draws.

2007-08 RSRA City League Season & Playoff Winners

March 24th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Leagues

Its the end of another fun season…congratulations to all the winners! Please join us at the Rochester Pro finals on Sunday April 6th, 12:00 pm at the University of Rochester courts for a final prize distribution ceremony. (Prizes include team plaques for league and playoff winners and t-shirts for the league winners)

2008 Rochester ProAm Squash - Announcing the Main Draw

March 19th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Tournaments

Former longtime UR coach Peter Lyman and Patrick Chifunda at the 2005 Rochester ProAm

With a little more than two weeks remaining, the main draw for the 2008 Rochester Pro-Am has been announced. As per PSA rules, the qualifier draw will be picked the morning of Wednesday, April 3rd. Patrick Chifunda(ZAM), a Rochester regular ranked #127 is returning this year as the #1 seed. Patrick is a squash professional based in Virginia and has played five out of the last six Rochester Pro events. Westchester based squash pro, Ahmed Hamza(EGY) is another familiar face who will be returning again this year. Others in the “no-strangers-to-Rochester” category are Andrew McDougall(CAN), Michal Reid(CAN), Fernando Lopez(MEX), Armando Olguin(MEX), Arturo Castillo(MEX) and Joe Millman(ENG). Besides the strong Canadian and Mexican contingents, there will be a diverse array of young and upcoming squash talent on display from Sri Lanka, Botswana, Spain, Guatemala, Ireland, England, South Africa, Pakistan and Spain.

The new and improved UR squash team also command a strong presence with a wildcard (Jim Bristow) in the main draw and five of the remaining Yellowjackets (Hameed Ahmed, Will Newnham, Fred Reid, Yohay Wakabayashi, Edwin Goncharuk) in the qualifier as locals.
So here is the schedule - come out, support your favorites and if you don’t have any yet, you will by the time this tournament is over. Experience professional level squash right here in Rochester!
And if you want a piece of the action, don’t forget to sign up for the amateur city tournament by March 31st!
More details on the tournament website - WWW.ROCPROSQUASH.COM

Save the date: Rochester ProAm Squash - April 3rd-6th 2008!

March 13th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Events, General, Tournaments

UPDATE Mar 15th:Final player list announced - check out the final cut. This year, besides our own international squad of varsity players, the Rochester Pro will see players from Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Botswana, Lebanon, England, Sri Lanka, France, Spain, Ireland and Pakistan. Please contact us if you would like to host a player, there a few spots left. (Learn more about hosting a player.)

*drum roll*
Mark your calendars folks, the 2008 Rochester Pro-Am is here again…for the seventh year running! April 3rd-6th 2008!

PRO SQUASH EXTRAVAGANZA!
Come watch world class professional squash in a sanctioned Satellite event on the Professional Squash Association world tour. This year the pro tournament again boasts a 16 man qualifying draw and a 16 man main draw with players from all around the world. Local players in the pro event include the top four from the UR varsity team.

ANNUAL CITY CHAMPIONSHIP!
Get a taste of the action in the annual amateur city championships which mark the culmination of the 2007-08 squash season. Multiple skill levels and loads of prizes. Fall and winter city league prizes will also be awarded during the event. More information and online-sign up here.
Please support Rochester squash - volunteer your time, become a member, host a pro or make a donation to the event.

MORE INFORMATION AT WWW.ROCPROSQUASH.COM!

Rochester Squash Racquets Board Meeting 12 Mar. ‘08

March 12th, 2008 Morgan Smith posted in Board of Directors

Minutes from the March board meeting:
Read more »

Get to know: Martin Heath

March 6th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, General

A recent article in the University of Rochester’s Campus Times gets to know Martin at a personal level.

Heath credits his brother with getting him started in the sport. “My brother became very good at it and became a squash champion before I had even started, and then I got jealous,” he said…..
…Heath was quick to credit the success as an indication of the caliber of his players. “I don’t think that the University understands how good these guys are,” Heath said. “The fact of the matter is that these guys are not Division III athletes - they’re not even Division I athletes. These are some of the best players in the world for their age.”…

Read the entire article.