Northampton, MA — As the season gets underway, teams and players are reminded that proper eyewear is required for all college squash matches, including warmups and match play.
Standard eyewear (i.e. everyday prescription glasses) may not be worn in place of acceptable eyewear. The CSA has detailed Eyewear Rules, which includes the following language:
Approved eyewear must be worn for the entirety of a match, from the beginning of the warm-up until the match’s conclusion. Standard eyeglasses may not be worn in lieu of approved eyewear, even if the eyeglasses have plastic lenses. In the event of a player not having approved eyewear for their match, the rules for a self-inflicted injury apply. In the event that a player’s eyewear breaks during a match, the injury rule may be required to determine the result. This would only be needed in the case of prescription glasses that can not be immediately replaced. In the event of a player not having approved eyewear and a suitable replacement not being found, the player may forfeit the match.
The CSA believes it is so critical to wear proper eyewear that a match will be forfeited if proper eyewear is not worn.
Even talented squash players can injure their eyes playing squash. In 2002, Amy Boytz wrote a powerful article for Squash Magazine entitled “For Your Eyes Only?” Every squash player needs to read this article. Yale alum and multi-time CSA All-American Will Carlin, a frequent contributor to Squash Magazine, was hit in the eye with a squash ball. He required multiple surgeries and lost two years of his prime squash career.
Harrow Sports, the CSA’s official equipment supplier, has eyewear available to CSA players.
For players with glasses, prescription eyewear, such as Rec Specs, are available. An iMask fits over standard eyewear. Often, contacts and a pair of protective eyewear is an inexpensive solution.
Remember, teams and players must abide by the CSA’s eyewear policy to participate in CSA sanctioned events.
Northampton, MA — As the calendar turns to November, several schools have commenced the college squash season.
Cambridge, MA — There were only two moments last season when eventual national champions Harvard looked vulnerable. One was a 5-4 win over Princeton at home in January, and the other was a 5-4 win over Yale in New Haven, the match that clinched the 2012 Ivy League title for the Crimson. Those tests strengthened Harvard’s resolve, and by the time the Crimson took to their home courts for the Howe Cup final, they were unstoppable, steamrolling Yale 8-1 to capture the 2012 national title. The 2012-2013 edition of the Crimson should be on par with last year’s squad, if not stronger. Newcomers Michelle Gemmell (Toronto, Ontario) and Saumya Karki (Thane, India) will help fill in the gaps left by graduating seniors Nirasha Guruge and Cece Cortes, and fellow first-year Isabelle Dowling (Riverside, CT; Greenwich Academy) will add depth to the line-up. (Gemmell and Dowling both have family ties to Harvard squash: Gemmell’s sister Laura will be a senior on the team, and Dowling’s mother, Diana Edge, and father, Joseph Dowling, both played for the Crimson.) Unless there’s a big surprise, the Crimson will have a shot at defending their title in February. What remains to be seen is how much pressure teams like Yale, Trinity, Princeton, and Penn can put on Harvard.
Princeton, NJ — Princeton saved the best for last in 2012. Down 4-3 to Trinity going into the final two matches in the Potter Cup final, the 
Waterville, ME — Colby finished just outside the top 20 last season, and this season they are aiming for the top 15 in the nation. The Mules are returning the top six players from last season, plus three other players who traveled to the Women’s National Team Championships. Five new players will be added to the team: Mikaela Johnson, Julie Wolpow, Amanda Corwin, Carolyn Mitchell, and Taylor Peterson. Colby head coach Sakhi Khan speaks highly of his team, describing them as “one of the best group of women squash players to know in college squash. We keep the fun in competing.” Three NESCAC teams will be key matches on the Mules’ schedule — Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Tufts — along with Mount Holyoke. “Colby’s squash program will get you to the next level and you’ll have the time of your life getting there,” Khan tells prospective players.