Chris was born in a small town in the North Island of New Zealand, whereas Mark was born in Chelmsford, in Essex, UK.
We asked them how they first got into squash. Mark’s parents played in the late 1970s when squash was super popular, “it was a great social sport and an opportunity for families to catch up. There were so many juniors involved and a lot of group coaching”, Mark shared. Similarly, Chris’ mother had him in his bassinette above the court when she was playing. Chris moved through a few different sports however gravitated back towards squash when he was around 13 years of age. All up, Chris has been playing for roughly 38 years, and Mark for 43 years.
What does a typical week look like for Chris and Mark? Well they certainly put in a lot of work to be their very best! Mark trains once per week, plays State Grade on Thursdays, AND runs 12km each week – phew! Chris plays Tuesday Pennants, Thursday State Grade, trains on Saturday mornings, as well as getting in a light hit on Mondays at his home Club Hilton.
We asked Chris and Mark what they love most about squash. Chris shared, “when I was young I didn’t realise it so much, but it has become very clear as the years have rolled on that squash keeps me sane. I have always LOVED the physical and mental challenge it represents. Playing well means you have to leave your baggage at the door and focus on the match, and of course try and rise to the physical challenge as well. I was also always grateful I could go do almost any other physical activity because squash was keeping me fit“. Mark echoed Chris’ sentiments, simply adding that he loves the, “competitiveness of the sport, and that it’s such a fantastic cardio workout“.
Finally, we asked what advice they would impart on any junior currently travelling along the development pathway. Mark joked, “don’t hit the tin,” but more seriously encourages our up and coming stars to, “join pennant squash as soon as you can, and enter as many tournament as possible. Just keep involved in the sport!”
Chris expanded on this with, “at first glance squash may look like a ‘run and hit’ kind of game. You certainly can do that but it will limit how successful you are. Getting a strong understanding of what good technique and movement looks/feels like will mean your game will never be limited by either of those facets. From there, work on the mental aspects – discipline and point construction as it’s basically a chess game – you can’t win a match with a single strike of the ball or rally. Whatever your Squash journey ends up looking like, enjoy the game, play it for fun or as seriously as you want. Get what you can from the game and the community, to help you on your journey, then give back what you can when you’re able“.
Such great advice!! ❤️
Thank you so much for your time gentlemen – and best of luck for the rest of the season!