SquashTalk> Columns> The Spin > "The Game" Trinity vs Harvard [last update was 2-feb-05 ]

College Squash "Big Game":

The Pinnacle of Spectator Squash in the USA

College Squash Is Where the Action Is © 2005 SquashTalk.com
by Ron Beck (Ron Beck is the editor of SquashTalk and spent five years on the WPSA pro tour)

Tomorrow in Cambridge MA, the two top college men's teams in the USA face off: Harvard vs Trinity. 1200 spectators or more are expected. Last week in Dayton, the top pro players in the world played off in front of approximately 125 fans. The week before that in Chicago, the top players also competed in a large metropolitan downtown. About 250 fans attended. In March, the biggest pro squash event in the USA happens in New York City. About 650 can be expected to attend the finals. Pay attention PSA, WISPA and WSF: in the USA, College squash is vibrant and exciting action, and attracts new fans.

MEDIA ATTENTION
College squash garners media attention, too. Boston's largest newspaper, The Boston Globe, devoted a main column on page one of section C to the Harvard - Trinity match, in yesterday's edition. The Harvard Crimson (the college daily newspaper) last spring termed Trinity Squash "The Evil Empire". That grabbed some attention on Boston, where "The Evil Empire" is usually reserved for the hated New York Yankees.

In Hartford, Trinity Squash is big news. Hartford is a major city with no major sports team. Hartford embraces the UCONN Basketball team, that plays 30 miles from Hartford, but they also embrace Trinity Squash. A regular sports writer for the Hartford Courant, the main newspaper in Connecticut, covers most of Trinity Squash's men's and women's matches. Sports Illustrated covered Trinity last fall, when they set the college sports record for consecutive intercollegiate wins.

DAVID AND GOLIATH
Trinity is a small college in the middle of Hartford Connecticut. Harvard is the most famous University in the world in a large, cosmopolitan City. Harvard Squash had been a dominant force in College Squash for about 40 years, only displaced from time to time by Princeton or Yale. The story of how Trinity came to assemble a squash team of international character, that displayed excellence of play, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and featured good students is one that continues to fascinate the squash community, the Connecticut press, and polarizes college fans (there are those who object to the recruiting of international students representing South Africa, England, Zimbabwe, India, Colombia and other places by Trinity.)

A WINNING STREAK AT STAKE
Harvard recruited Satinder Bajwa, of Jansher Khan management and Superseries Finals fame, to figure out how to beat Trinity again. After 40 years at the top, the fall from number one was a hard pill for generations of Harvard squashers and boosters to swallow.

Bajwa, in his own unique and quiet style, went about the project. He told the Boston Globe this week, "We've managed to raise our level, and Trinity is the reason for that. I enjoy competing against them. In the past few years we've been chasing Trinity, now I feel like we've caught up."

For his part, Assaiante is clearly nervous about the contest. The Harvard top three, featuring Sid Suchde who's on the Indian National team, Ilan Oren, who's on the Israeli National team, and Will Broadbent, in the USA top ten, is formidable. Paul Assaiante, as usual plays it close to the vest. "I just hope it's a good match after all this publicity." he said.

A BUZZ
Meanwhile there's a buzz in Boston. Everyone in the squash community seems to know about the big match. If they're not planning or able to come, they're talking about it. And you can be sure the Harvard partisans will be on hand.

A MESSAGE
College squash is ... excellent, world class squash, drama, tension, emotion, excitement, team energy ... and it gets a big audience that comes away having gotten its money's worth. Squash community - take notice!

A typical crowd at the Harvard University Barnaby Squash Center