Women’s Squash Week 2020
Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2020 Ten Week Challenge. Women’s Squash Week is normally just one week in September, but because of the pandemic and limited play at many facilities, it was taken on-line with videos and resources. In 2020 we challenged you to be fit mentally and physically to be ready for Return to Squash (R2S). In previous years, we increased the number of participating clubs, the number of events and the number of participants which is the plan for September 20 – 26, 2021.
Women’s Squash Week 2019
THANKS to all the clubs that participated in the 2019 Women’s Squash Week. We increased the number of participating clubs, the number of events and the number of participants over the past 2 years.
Squamish Women Rock 2019 WSW Event!
The women’s-only box league ended up with a whopping 41 players, including some women who didn’t even attend the Women’s Squash Week event but had heard about it! The club sold over 25 punch cards and welcomed several new 6- and 12-month female members as well.
Women’s Squash Week 2018
Nanaimo Squash Club had 12 women come out for the event and 11 of them returned for free clinic held after the event.
Cheam Leisure Centre had 17 women participate in their intro coaching and round robin event and enjoy some socializing afterwards with a glass of wine.
Bentall Centre Athletic Club‘s event had an exhibition match, skill development, and game play! 12 women participated and had lots of fun!
The Victoria Squash Club welcomed 20 women to their Women’s Intro to Squash event on Saturday, September 22. There were four instructors on hand to show them the ropes and organize the round robins and between all the laughter and wine and appies, a good time was had by all!
Bonsor Recreation Complex– 17 wonderful women attended the mini-coaching sessions, played games, enjoyed pizza and had lots of fun!
The Arbutus Club “The women’s squash evening was a huge success… I counted 22 keen, athletic women during the evening, and Ian had all 5 courts buzzing with action. At the end of the night, many of the women seemed interested in creating an informal women’s drop in on Thursday nights which would be fantastic.”
On Saturday Sept 15th, 10 women from both squash and tennis joined an Intro to Squash session. These ladies had an opportunity to pick up a racquet and learn about the basics of the game. It was a great time for everyone who had fun running around the court and meeting some new friends!
We had a good mix of 15 fantastic ladies that took part. New players were involved in the free coaching clinics while the other players took part in a mini tournament. One of the highlights was seeing Debbie Hungerford playing squash again for the first time in 30 years!
2017 Whistler Women’s Squash Weekend
November 10-12, 2017 marked the first annual Queen of the Hill Women’s Squash Weekend at The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler and Meadow Park Sports Centre. While the event was more intimate this year with only 12 participants, the weekend attracted participants from Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.
The weekend began with a welcome reception in the Grill and Vine Restaurant where the ladies enjoyed wine tasting and appetizers while engaging with mental performance coach Christine Suter.
It was an early morning on Saturday. Breakfast at leisure in the Grill and Vine, followed by Yoga with Kim Fournel, Strength Training with Diana De Man, Refereeing Clinic with Christina Yap and the first couple of rounds of the tournament play. The tournament play featured two Flights of players in a round robin format for both divisions followed by the semi-final and finals.
The evening featured Savour, a Cornucopia event at the Westin. Wine tasting, savoury food with a band as well as a dance floor where the ladies could strut all their moves. The ladies even got personal with the band.
Sunday morning was a slightly later start with Stretching and Rolling out the tired muscles followed by the tournament finals. Snow was flying so everything wrapped up at just before 3:00 pm so all the commuters could head back down the hill. Some decided to stay an extra night or two to enjoy a few more days of Cornucopia.
Feedback from the participants about the weekend included:
“A real classy event”
“I really enjoyed the other components of the weekend even more than the squash games themselves”
“Great value for the weekend”
“We felt spoiled the entire time”
“Overall, I feel the event was a success! It was smaller numbers than we anticipated, but we had a few things to work out for our first year and started promoting it a little late. Now, with one year under our belt, we know the event will be even better next year,” says Carol Eberhard, one of the organizers.
Women’s Squash Week 2017
Several clubs across the province participated in Squash BC’s 1st Annual Women’s Squash Week. Squash Pros, Club Managers and Program Coordinators were in strong support this year of an initiative that has been gaining a lot of popularity over the years. Women’s Squash Week (WSW) was started in the U.S. in 2008, the Vancouver Squash League brought it to the clubs in the Lower Mainland in 2013, and this year, Squash BC has expanded WSW across the province with 18 clubs offering 21 different events.
Participating clubs held an array of events in the regions of Vancouver Island, the Kootenays, the Okanagan, Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver to get women playing the game. Whether they were new or current players of Squash, players enjoyed the many ways they could learn or improve their skills as well as get together for some social atmosphere afterwards. There were Skills games, Intro drop-ins and even free access to play squash all week long.
This event has now become an international staple on the calendar growing to 7 countries: Canada, US, Barbadoes, Bermuda, England, Ireland, Hong Kong. This year’s event was even more special as the 2nd weekend tied in Squash Canada’s National event on September 30th Squash Day in Canada that tied into ParticipACTION150 in recognition of Canada 150.
Squash BC would like to thank all the sponsors of this event: James Watt from Karakal, Brook Siver from Manta, Boyd Muir of Tecnifibre, James, John, Bruce & Coco at Black Knight and Steve Lawton from Apollo Emrik. Special thanks goes to Robert Pacey of Squash Republic for the poster design and continuous support of this event over the years.