Looking Forward

Don't let it be said of the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association (BSRA) that we allow the grass to grow under our feet.

In the last three years we have hosted an eight-man professional invitational tournament (2003), the PSA Bermuda Open (2004) - a 16-man draw, and the 32-man PSA Bermuda Masters event (2005 and 2006).

Next up is the World Open in December 2007. This is a 32-man draw with two qualifying rounds, and it will feature some 60 players. This is the most prestigious event in squash and it is an ambitious goal for an organisation the size of the BSRA. It poses fresh logistical challenges such as importing two all-glass courts, and finding somewhere in Bermuda to erect them. Still, rest assured, the planning for this event has been underway for over a year now. The lessons we have learnt since 2003, and the capable team involved in organising these tournaments, will stand us in good stead.

On another front, in late 2005 the Association recognized that its professional staff, Ross Triffitt and Patrick Foster, Director of Squash and National Development Coach respectively, were being stretched by the demands on their time. It was decided to recruit a National Team Coach. This person will complement Patrick Foster's work at grassroots level, by developing elite players and accompanying them to overseas tournaments. For example, it was estimated that teams representing Bermuda would be off the island for over seven weeks during 2005, and that was likely to increase during 2006. Even with three professional staff, that competition schedule has a sizeable impact on our coaching resources.

In addition to responsibility for elite players, the new recruit will coach ordinary club members, who make up the bulk of the Association's 400-strong membership. Hopefully by the time you read this, the new coach will have joined us and settled in.

Three professional staff, a thriving junior programme, a full tournament schedule and record membership levels, bear witness to the growth in popularity in this dynamic sport in Bermuda. This has been fuelled in part by the public's exposure to the professional tournaments we have staged. The big question with which the BSRA is grappling is, 'How long can we continue to operate in a four-court facility which has not grown in the past thirty years?' Certainly there have been improvements in that time - the construction of the glass-backed court in the early eighties, and the gym in the mid-nineties. But now the members need more.

Ian Sharper, BSRA President, explains: 'We would like to redevelop the club by adding two or three courts, possibly including a doubles court with moveable walls in the new configuration, and to expand the gym. That will necessitate bigger changing rooms and a larger social area. Plus we would like to increase the office space. The challenge is that the increased membership we anticipate would require more parking space, and at present we struggle to see how to accommodate that within our existing site. Also, we're concerned that closing the club for the length of time needed for the redevelopment would seriously inhibit our activities and could set back the Association's growth.'

If the BSRA is unable to redevelop its Middle Road site, the alternative - buying a plot of land at Bermuda's skyrocketing real estate prices and building from scratch - not only appears to be financially prohibitive but also seems unlikely to yield a site as convenient as the current one.

Notwithstanding these challenges a committee is actively considering the long-term development of the BSRA, and is aiming to expand the home of Bermuda's squash. What with the World Open 2007 and our regular activities, we have lots to look forward to.

Related Links