Brian McGaw, an active BC Jester from Victoria, was travelling to the Okanagan region and reached out to Nancy Thompson to see if he could arrange a Traveling Jesters event. Nancy jumped on the opportunity, and working with Squash BC and Jean Vereki of the Lakeshore Racquet Club, an event was developed in short order. It was a success; met everyone’s expectations; and was much appreciated by those who participated from Lakeshore.
Although participation numbers were small, the squash information shared on court by Brian through drills and on court conditioning will be shared with many members of the club was very useful. And the information that was shared by Jean and Derek about the club and the squash activity in nearby communities will be very useful to Squash BC. Lakeshore is particularly interested in future TJP events and Junior programming from Squash BC.
Derek and I thoroughly enjoyed Brian’s visit to our club. He was friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. His insights into the game will help us to improve the standards within our club. Once again thank you Brian and we look forward to your next visit.
– Jean Vereki
Here is a summary about Brian’s experience!
I arrived at the club at 9:00 AM on Tuesday Sept 3 and was met by Jean and Derek, her partner, who gave me a tour of the club and talked to him about membership and how the club, which is also a community center, fits in with the community.
We then got down to some squash. We were joined by 2 other members, and we drilled and played some games. They were very eager to learn some new on court conditioning, so we tried 4 or 5 new drills and did some variations on the length game. They worked super hard. Seemed to really enjoy the new variations of some of the drills. Finished playing and then sat and socialized afterward.
Went to the club again on Tuesday night at 6:00 PM and was met by Derek and another member and we again practiced some of the new drills and played some conditioning games.
They are very eager to meet and learn new techniques. Good core of members. They expressed interest in some more interactions with different Jesters or even some coaching in the future.
I will be back again next year at the same time and have already told them that I would be more than happy to visit again. Obviously if Jester visits happen in the Oct to May timeframe there would be more people playing.
The Travelling Jesters Program
In September 2023, Squash BC expanded their partnership with the BC Jesters. The Travelling Jesters Program takes advantage of the talent and willingness of the BC Jester members to be ambassadors for squash and share their love of the game with others.
- Who are the BC Jesters? The BC Jesters is a provincial chapter of The Jesters Club, an international organization whose membership is dedicated to the development and promotion of squash and a few other lesser known racquet sports, building skills and sportsmanship with clubs, schools, and universities.
- What is the Travelling Jesters Program? The Travelling Jesters Program provides an opportunity for Jesters to visit a squash facility in BC to play fun, social squash with their members for a few hours. The event can include: a singles game, a round robin with members and Jesters, or even an exhibition match followed by fun play. Events and activities are subject to the Jester’s and member’s skill levels.
- Why Host the Travelling Jesters? It’s a cost-free opportunity for your members to participate in organized squash play with players that play squash at a high level and can share their knowledge of the game in a fun and friendly way.
Interested in hosting a Travelling Jesters event? Email the Squash BC office at office@squashbc.com.