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

Runa Reta -with a fan in Rio (Photo ©Runa Reta)

The Pan-Am games presented a kaleidescope of sounds and sights. Some memories from the event:

Walking out to the cheers of 75,000 at the Opening Ceremonies.
Being escorted out into the night to a “press conference” after the individual medal ceremony- a site which amounted to a one-room building located at the back of the venue, with about 40 chairs, and a small table at the front with three microphones. A whopping three reporters (including one interpreter) rounded out this press “gallery”, the highlight being when one of the two eager reporters asked Natalie Grainger, “so when did you know that you had secured the gold medal?” (which is amusing in light of the fact that she could probably count on one hand the number of points she dropped in the entire tournament!)

Runa Reta - gets help from the physio (Photo © Runa Reta )

Handing out pins to the never-ending stream of volunteers around the venue and athletes village. The one word (if nothing else) that every volunteer knew in English was “pin” (or as they pronounced it, “PEEN!”) As the event rolled on, these various helpers grew bolder/more desperate to adorn their accreditation passes with pins from the various countries. There were some who looked like they were about to cry tears of joy when we offered them these simple mementos, while others we found would come back on numerous occasions (perhaps trying to outfit their whole extended families with pins!) When I ran out of Canadian ones, I started to give away those I had traded with other countries! (shh, don’t tell)

Julian Illingworth v. Miguel Angel Rodriguez- one of the most exciting, high-quality matches I have watched in recent history. After Illingworth had stunned everyone by dispatching of number one-seed Shahier Razik (3-0) in the morning, his dream play continued in the evening match against the wickedly talented Rodriguez. After 90 minutes of grueling play which had left both players doubled over in between points, Julian started to cramp badly at 6-all in the fifth. He glanced over at his trainer – who had been trying to keep him loose up to this point- with a helpless smile, seeming to indicate that he had to accept this cruel fate. But no. Pushing through the pain and coming up with two unimaginable dead rollers clinched the victory for the American to put him into the individual finals. (a fairy-tale story ending was not to be however, as he seemed to have exhausted all his energies, with little to give in the finals against Galvez).

Watching the Brazilian men pine over Alana Miller. As one man put it, “you are number 2 squash player, but number 1 bootiful”
Being completely pampered with 24-hour dining halls, free laundry (done for you), internet, room cleaning, massages and physio in the athletes’ village. Most teams had medics who traveled with the team, but as squash players we are so used to doing things ourselves, we barely used our medic at the start. However, after noticing how incredibly bored he was on our first few outings to the courts, it didn’t take long to start using him at every given opportunity (just to keep him occupied and happy!)
The 24 hours we calculated to have spent going back and forth on the shuttle bus to our venue (which was a 1.5 hour ride each way). Turns out, the trip should have only taken us 30 minutes, but the organizers wanted to avoid taking us through the “rougher” areas of the city. When I approached Colombian Javier Castilla, asking cautiously, “nothing would happen to us if we went the quicker route, would it?” he replied, “well, nothing would happen to ME, but I don’t know about you!”
Having ceremonies every night at 9pm in front of Team Canada’s residences in the athletes village to give praise to those who had won medals for our country that day. In addition to the cheers and applause from our peers, it was particularly considerate of the delegation to provide each medal winner with a signed flag as well as a massive bar of Brazilian chocolate to celebrate the occasion! (after picking up our bars of chocolate for the individual event, this was definitely the added incentive we needed to come through with the win for the team event!)
Needless to say, winning medals (and hearing a Disney-like version of the Canadian anthem being played loudly in a gym full of foreigners)
Watching the passionate, energetic Brazilian crowds. I saw one man wearing a t-shirt that had the close-up head shot of one of the Brazilian players boldly imprinted on the front. ….after she lost the decider match against Colombia (which would have put Brazil onto the podium), the man precipitously peeled off the shirt, shook his head, and left the stands.
Sending out (unconscious) maternal vibes. After breaking one of my racquets on court, I launched it out to the crowd after my match. Later on in the stands, I spotted a young girl with the racquet and the two of us made eye contact. Without any further ado, she started climbing the steps like a girl on a mission, making a beeline straight to my lap, where she plopped herself right down, just in time for the endless stream of photos that friendly spectators were asking to take with the Canadian women. After she left, another one came and sat on my lap, making me wonder whether I had a “Santa” sign posted above my head! Very cute.
Seeing Eric Galvez win gold in the individual event and the Colombians win in the team event. The sheer energy and excitement of the Mexicans and Colombians after their determined performances (and completely well-deserved) wins was really heart-warming. The talent (and flair) coming out of these South American countries is a warning sign to those who take their sporting successes for granted (ie. Canada), and a hearty reminder that squash is continuing to thrive with the emergence of exciting, creative players in all corners of the globe!

Thanks to the Brazilian organizing committee, and the help of virtually thousands of volunteers, the Pan-American Games were a success, and we were happily maintained in cozy little bubbles of convenience throughout. For the great memories, and for all the hard work… Obrigada Brazil!