Zug on the Excitement of College Squash

February 6th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee Posted in College Squash, General

In the latest post from his blog, The Direct, noted squash historian James Zug describes the unparalleled excitement of a Princeton v. Trinity squash match:

…the scene was pretty rich, with a huge crowd numbering probably around a thousand. Hundreds of texting undergraduates filled the seats. Nervous parents and siblings stood in the balcony. People flew in for the night, people flew in for the day. Much of the Dartmouth men’s team drove down from Hanover. The Yale men’s team, led by coach Dave Talbott, came up from New Haven – they arrived so early that they even slipped onto the courts and hit some. A raft of ex-Trinity players came up from New York….

Not quite a thousand, but the crowd turnout at the UR Squash homestand last weekend was pretty strong. The excitement was especially palpable at the Navy and F&M matches. Given the rate at which the squad is jumping up spots in the college rankings, would it be hard to imagine the Yellowjackets squaring off against college squash powerhouses like the Trinity Bantams or the Princeton Tigers on the home courts in the near future?

UPDATE: Speaking of college squash, heres an article in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated on the Princeton-Trinity showdown last weekend, Trinity’s winning streak and their coach Paul Assaiante. Squash in Sports Illustrated!!! It’s good to see the sport get some mainstream coverage, isn’t it?