Runa Reta - WISPA Squash Pro on Tour on www.squashtalk.com

While making their rounds at red-carpet events, Hollywood actors are often heard commenting on the irony of the entertainment business: when they are desperately seeking acting roles, working side-jobs to support their dreams and struggling to make ends meet, very little help is forthcoming, whereas it is only after they achieve mass fame and fortune that all the help, attention and freebies from the industry seem to come pouring in. This strange reality reigns true in sport as much as it does in the arts.

In squash, there are in fact two different worlds that seem to co-exist: that of the main draw player, and that of the qualifier. Although both groups of players are striving for the same goals (winning) the experiences of each throughout the course of an event are drastically different. The world that the higher-ranked main draw players inhabit is one of great perks and comfort, while the lowly qualifier’s existence is fraught with constant stress, uncertainty and an uphill battle for a helping hand and a little respect.

The difference in treatment between the main draw players and qualifiers is not simply a biased opinion; numerous sporting guidelines make clear distinctions between the privileges that each group possesses. In the WISPA tour rules for example, it is mandatory for organizers to provide free accommodation for all main draw players of an event (for the duration of their stay). While this is a brilliant and helpful clause for those in the main draw, the same privilege is not extended to the qualifying competitors.

This means that in addition to the travel costs that will be incurred to get to the tournament, accommodation at a hotel will have to be covered by the qualifiers for the length of the qualifying event (generally 2-3 days). If you’re lucky enough to be one of the 4 players who advance in a 16-person draw, you graduate to the free hotel and the world of the main draw elites. If you lose, you’re on your own! (This point was made painfully clear to me in the first professional event I ever played in; the qualifiers were staying in a dumpy B&B in plain sight of the luxurious tournament hotel. Those who qualified packed their things and walked across the street to main draw paradise, while the others ie. me waved goodbye and remained in B&B hell for the rest of the time, all the while being tormented by what could have been right outside our windows!)

This is the curse of the qualifiers.

Sweaty palms, irregular heart rates, and the faint but constant presence of nausea typify the feelings that qualifiers contend with throughout. The further away the event is being played (indicating the greater expenses incurred to get there) the more acute all of these feelings become. And the matches reflect this stress with ugly, intense battles. Even matches that should be comfortable wins are generally tense and cagey affairs. In sum, there is always a great deal of stress and discomfort for those in the qualifying world, as they vie for free beds. Once one qualifies into the main draw, a huge sigh of relief is exhaled and a massive burden lifted. Unfortunately, the opposite holds true for the losing qualifiers, who will receive no help with the accommodation costs, and will either head home as soon as possible or try and crash in the room of a compassionate main draw player.

In addition to hotel costs, the main draw lifestyle is a far more comfortable existence because a) you receive decent ranking points, and b) you receive prize money. Unless you are just starting out or are playing a very large event (where ranking points for qualifying rounds are higher), losing qualifiers often take advantage of a WISPA rule that allows them to decline their points altogether for an event (because the points are too small to be worth taking). This means that, not only have losing qualifiers just paid for their flight over, as well as covered their own food and hotel expenses, but they will now leave without any points to further their ranking either. Oh wait, and to top it off, they don’t receive any prize money! (unless they lost in the last round of a really big event). If you’re not thinking “ouch!” by this point, then I fear that you are seriously lacking in the department of sympathy and compassion!

All of these burdens make the life of a qualifier very challenging when compared to the main draw players who automatically have ranking points, prize money and accommodation locked in before they even arrive at an event. You would think that with all of these hardships, the organizers of events would try and make the life of a qualifier a bit easier wherever possible (ie. airport pick-ups, transportation options, reduced rates on hotels, billeting options, etc.) While there are many who are very considerate and willing to help qualifiers out, others are much less so. Often, qualifiers end up feeling like they are being treated like second-class citizens or as if they are the opening act for the “real” show.

There have been countless events where they have been relegated to dusty back-courts and have been denied the same privileges as the main draw players, such as shuttle service to the courts, meals provided by the organizers, etc. Sometimes they are not even invited to main functions. At one event, I recall an organizer sending losing qualifiers away from a function so that the main draw players could have their pictures taken. When someone told the organizer that he had been rather insensitive in sending them away, he flippantly remarked that “maybe next time they’ll try a bit harder to get into the main draw”.

As unfair as this may all seem, it is unfortunately the way that the world works: those who are at the top of the game receive all the praise and attention, while those who are genuinely struggling to make it are often overlooked and disregarded. Despite this apparent injustice, at the end of the day the rules are set out to motivate players to move up the rankings and escape the uncomfortable qualifying world. And who said it would be easy? Fair enough. However, even as players accept the tough financial realities of the game, there is no reason why qualifiers should have their respect and dignity withheld in the process. Contrary to what some people believe, the players who constantly get stuck in qualification are trying as hard as they can- perhaps even harder than some of those ranked ahead of them- and despite the added adversity, they do it with few complaints because they love the sport and have a determination to make it up the rankings.

So the next time you take part in an event (as an organizer or spectator) please bear these thoughts in mind and recall that a simple act of kindness and respect will go a long way in the hearts and minds of the lowly qualifier.