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TOTALLY SEDUCED BY
INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR SQUASH
Framboise rounds up her week in Sheffield
 If you read my articles on a regular basis, you may remember why I went to
Pakistan in the first place. Because Linda Davie told me to go. Well, for
the BJO, it was a bit the same really. “What are you doing on the 1st of
January” she said. “Nothing, as usual”, I stupidly replied, “well, now you
are”… |
Reception at Hallamshire
The squash begins ...
Pakistan v Egypt in
finals
Another Pakistani winner
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 And that’s how I found myself looking for the way around
Sheffield's “One way system” on the first day of the year. It did start badly, I must say. A
hotel that looked more like a pub than anything else, no phone connection,
no idea of the way to go to the clubs… The arrival didn’t go well at all.
Then Magic Linda, and everything is fine again: change of hotel (Novotel,
remarkable, I recommend it), good shuttle service, good tournament
organisation, a real buzz… Still a bit lost about what’s going on in the
event, and no idea of whom or where to look. |
So, like I did for the Masters
and the European Team Championship, I stuck to
what or who I knew or who was helping me: this week, the French and
Pakistani Teams, who, as they had a lot of players in different
categories, allowed me to see a lot of different nations and levels of
play.
And I took so many pictures, memorised so many names, and stories, and
anecdotes. Ruffled a few feathers (my sense of diplomacy is famous in all
continents), made a few faux-pas, but more than anything else, learnt,
learnt, and learnt again. Who IS who, who WAS who, and who WILL be
somebody… |
 Well, the future of squash has four smiles for me, Japanese, Egyptian,
English, and Pakistani. I’m
sure they are hundreds of others, but those four are really standing out
in my mind.
All from the under 13, their squash is touch, intelligence,
personality and talent incarnate … Remember their names, as they say… |
Lots of parents, I tried to speak about some of them, lots of referees, I
didn’t see any medical or physios around, but I’m sure they must have had
some standing by, as someone is bound to get hurt, so many volunteers,
ES people, WSF people, a very good catering service in the two clubs,
shuttles on time (well, one broke down, and that’s nobody’s fault..), and
kids kids kids kids EVERYWHERE…
In other words, if you missed this event, do not, under any circumstances,
miss it next year. Not sure they’ll have me, though.
Was I seduced by the Juniors. Oh yes… |
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