In Squash - The Podcast

Squash Stories is the squash platform that has it all really; it's unique, it's polarizing, it's encyclopedic, it's relevant, and it's Jamie Maddox who is front and center behind it all. We talk about the evolution of Squash Stories over the years, and this bleeds into a serious debate over the current member of the year short list. Jamie and I also exchange views on the Mostafa Asal saga, how we see the top of the men's game right now, and we pay a mini tribute to a mutual squash hero, Qamar Zaman. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org for everything new and exciting going on there.

With 6 PSA titles to her name already and a successful junior campaign which saw her win the British Junior Open and British U19 Nationals in her last junior year, Torrie Malik is making serious inroads towards the top of the women's game. We talk about her junior days, her early PSA success and Team Malik. More importantly though, this episode is dedicated to her younger brother Sumner who passed away 5 years to the day, and Torrie talks about how special he was and the impact he's having on her squash.

Chris Walker's pro squash career speaks for itself; two time World Championship semi - finalist, 2 time World Team Championship winner, multiple commonwealth games medals, and the resume goes on...Chris is now based in New York City as the Director of Squash at the River Club, and took on duties as Head Coach for the Indian National Team close to two years ago, shortly after his last appearance here. Chris and I flesh out how the Indian National Team position came to be and how it has gone thus far. We also discuss a number of other topics including the recent Mostafa Asal ban and how to tweak your game and your training as a 50 plus player.

Mohamed Elkeiy burst onto the PSA coaching scene following the British Open as the man tasked with helping Mostafa Asal going forward. Highly respected by his peers and those in the know in the squash world, Mohamed has relished the opportunity despite all the scrutiny that is bound to come with it. Mohamed discusses how he is approaching all of this and what Mostafa needs to work on in an effort to overcome the on court issues that have plagued him for the past several seasons.

REAKT is a performance training app with some incredible features for players, pros and coaches alike. Tiago Goriely heads up the squash side of the app, and he breaks it all down with respect to how it can be of use to everyone, and it seems to me there is some great value here. Download the app by searching REAKT in your app store. Also, at the end of the pod I have a few thoughts on comments that have been made on social media in the aftermath of the season relating to "cheating" and "cheaters" in the game of squash. What does it mean exactly to "cheat"? For what it's worth, I provide my two cents worth. Many thanks to our sponsors, www.opensquash.org

At 27 years of age, 7 World Championships, 4 British Opens and at least 22 PSA titles to her name, Nour El Sherbini's accomplishments in the game are mind blowing. And amazingly, this chapter of her career, the one which has her winning the most prestigious events in the sport consistently, is far from over. Nour and I talk about her highly successful 2022/23 campaign, the women's game, the passion of Gregory Gaultier, Nicol David, and much more.

Fram Gommendy knows her squash and has more insight on the players than perhaps anyone else out there; her takes on several topics on this episode reflect that. This is a season recap that you don't want to miss and we also go into so much more. Many thanks to our sponsor Open Squash www.opensquash.org

Jamie Abbott of Cross Court Analytics first appeared on Episode 167 shortly after their launch, and since then they've been crunching the squash digits big time! The chat today with Jamie bears that out along with plenty of food for thought. On this ep we discuss several areas that they're analyzing: officiating decisions by numbers, the lack of stats utilized in pro game commentary, the numbers behind Karim Abdel Gawad's incredible comeback this season, some of the pro players that they are working with, and much more. Check out Cross Court Analytics at https://crosscourtanalytics.com/ and check out our sponsor Open Squash at https://opensquash.org/

There are some prolific, big name coaches on the PSA tour right now, but you would be hard pressed to find one who has had more success than Omar Abdel Aziz. The list of players that he's worked with and their accomplishments over the last several years is impressive and they include, amongst others, the likes of Hania El Hammamy, Tarek Momen, Karim Abdel Gawad, Nouran Gohar and Youssef Ibrahim. Omar talks about his early days on the PSA tour, the influence of Karim Darwish, Amr Shabana and Ahmad Barada, Hania and Nouran, how the season has played out with his current group of players and much more.

Youssef Ibrahim was in the ascendancy a year ago; playing scintillating squash which saw him reach world #11 before having to step away from the game due to serious knee issue. He's back, and if his form at the recent World Championships is any indication, he's not far off that world #11 form. Youssef talks about the injury, his rehab and comeback, the great match v. Mohamed El Shorbagy in Chicago along with where the backhand topspin winner that went viral came from, and much more. Check out our sponsor, Open Squash, at www.opensquash.org

Class is in session once again with Rob Dinerman. Rob provides a tremendous tribute to Paul Assaiante, a breakdown of the most recent US College Squash season, a recap of the US Pro Doubles season, his take on the PSA from the American perspective and of course his latest book A History of the Briggs Cup. For those of you interested in any of Rob's books check out www.robdinerman.com or contact https://www.mpcprinting.com/

Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini are your 2023 World Open Champions, and RJ Mitchell and I break down their victories and how everything played out in Chicago. Check out our sponsor, Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Double champs at the European Team Championships last week, England National Team Head Coach David Campion joins the pod to break it all down; from the ladies impressive win, to the men's inspirational win, Mohammed El Shorbagy's unbelievable comeback against Victor Crouin in the final and MES' impact on the team as a whole, and the culture the David is attempting to cultivate within the team. Really great chat!

Reigning World Open and British Open champ Ali Farag proved that he is back, playing sublime squash on his way to winning his first ever British Open last month. Now, he's a few days away from embarking on a World Open Championship three-peat. Ali talks about over coming injury, working his way back to his best form, his British Open win, the upcoming World Open, Open Squash and much more. Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Who better to break down the upcoming World Open than SquashTv's First though, Johnny talks about England's big win at the European Teams in Helsinki along with Switzerland's historic 3rd place finish with their win over Wales. Johnny then deep dives on both the men's and women's events at the World's, and caps it off by predicting the winners. Many thanks to our sponsors #Weareopensquash www.opensquash.org

Squash Canada Hall of Fame 2023 inductee Jamie Crombie makes a glorious return to the pod to look back at his illustrious squash story. Jamie takes us back to his junior days, the countless caps he's had representing Canada at the World Team champs from 1985 through to 1995 and the Pan Am Games, his relationship with fellow Calgarian and Squash Canada Hall of Famer Dale Styner, as well as a tribute to his late great coach at Western University, Jack Fairs.

Leading Trinity to 17 national titles which included 13 on the trot during "the streak", Paul Assaiante is without question one of the greatest coaches in US Collegiate sports history. Shortly following the end of this season which saw his Trinity Bantams surprise many by reaching the Potter Cup final, Paul announced that he would be stepping down as head coach after 30 glorious years at the helm. This chat covers it all, and it truly captures what makes Coach Assaiante an absolute national treasure for US Squash. Please check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org for more details on the great summer coaching camp offers.

Squash Mad's RJ Mitchell returns to the Pod on the eve of the British Open to break it all down, and to talk about his Squash Mad interview with the great Jahangir Khan. Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Uncertain as to whether he'd ever play PSA squash again, Karem Abdel Gawad let it be known via his Optasia Championship victory that he's well on his way back to the form that saw him win the World Championship and reach world #1 in 2017. Karem talks about his Optasia success, and the brutal heel injury and the complicated journey back to playing squash again. Great chat with the baby-faced assassin. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org and you can reach me at ggibson@hct.ac.ae if you'd like to reach out.

Tomato Ho's 2022/23 campaign has been eye opening to say the least. Currently ranked #32, she's had big wins over the likes SJ Perry, Tesni Evans, Jasmine Hutton and in doing so has reached the semis in Cleveland and Calgary, and the last 16 at the TOC. On top of that, Tomato (Tze Lok) recently changed her name for PSA purposes, and she tells the incredible story behind the change. We also take a deep dive into her breakout season, Hong Kong squash, and we also talk about her squash idol, James Willstrop. Please check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org and for comments on the podcast or to reach out, contact Gerry at ggibson@hct.ac.ae