Sarah Odell, a recent graduate from Wellesley College and an avid squash player, describes her experience at the recent Howe Cup, the inter-city tournament for women’s teams of all ages.
Rye, NY — When I graduated from college, I was pretty sure that I would 1) never be able to wear slippers out in public again 2) have to get up before noon more than two days a week and 3) would never find myself sharing a block of rooms with my ten teammates in some desolate hotel in Timbuktu. While the hotel I stayed in last week was not in Timbuktu, I did find myself once again in the middle of a block of rooms with teammates and coaches. The weekend I am referring to was the 2010 Howe Cup Championships, held in Rye, New York. Just like the collegiate Howe Cup, this event is considered the premiere women’s squash weekend. Five-woman teams from all over the United States and Canada gathered to battle for the national title in four different flights and two doubles flights.
If you are a female, and still in college as you read this article, I implore you to find out what your local SRA (squash rackets association) is, and join a team. If you loved dancing to Lady Gaga on your team bus, or swimming in the hotel pool in your uniform, then you won’t be disappointed. Not only did Howe Cup weekend consist of elite play at all levels, but it was filled with social events—the culmination of which was a dance party in Greenwich. I hadn’t had this much fun at a squash tournament in years. I was also happy to catch up with former opponents, and hear what they were doing as young professionals stationed in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Boston.
Once you graduate, you might have to restrict your Wicked Good Mocs to the inside of your studio apartment, and you will probably have an alarm waking you up sometime before eight, but do NOT put down your racket. Find your local Howe Cup team, and get ready for the most fun you’ve had since that snowball fight outside of the Wesleyan gym.
