In Squash - The Podcast

The 2019/20 campaign has gotten off to a impressive start for Mike McCue; two consecutive finals appearances and a win under his belt. Mike's looking to build on that this season and take his game to the next level. Disappointed at not having made Team Canada's Pan Am Games Team, he's got a chance to earn a spot on Canada's World Team Championships team at the upcoming team trials. Mike and I talk about his career to date, the struggles he's had getting to that next level, and our mutual squash idol, a certain Jonathan Power.

World #21 and 2019 British National Championship runner up Emily Whitlock does not disappoint on Episode 107. Our conversation ran the gamut of her squash playing career to date, including inside how the player/coach relationship manifests itself with her father Philip Whitlock, a former world top 10 himself. We also take a look at her pro career to date, and the stand she took in 2017 by refusing to participate in the PSA's Saudi Arabia women's event. We do get into the lighter side of things as she explains her love for "Love Island" and what she thinks of Declan James' choice of breakfast fuel.

2 time world junior champion Mostafa Asal, aka the raging bull, brings his enormous talents to the podcast and does not disappoint. We cover the whole 9 yards here, but in particular Mostafa looks back at his break out season last year, and his decision to turn pro over going stateside for the US collegiate experience. He also gives an impassioned take on Rami Ashour, and he explains who every Uber driver in Cairo thinks is Egypt's #1 player.

Damien Mudge won every professional doubles title, set every record, and reigned supreme with several different partners on the pro doubles squash circuit; he announced his retirement a few weeks ago after dealing with a series of injury setbacks. Squash journalist and pro doubles aficionado Rob Dinerman provides a look back at Damien's illustrious career and what made him a truly unstoppable force on the doubles court. Rob also gives some interesting insight on the US college scene and Ramy Ashour whom he's spent some time with over the last few years.

2018/19 was a break out season for Millie Tomlinson, reaching a career high of 20, earning her first English cap and defeating legend Nicol David in Hong Kong of all places. Millie sort of flew under the radar until last season, but she's definitely among the best players in the world now. Nantes is her first event of the 2019/20 season, and she's looking to hit the ground running.

Fresh off a 3 medal haul performance at the Pan Am Games in Lima this summer, Hollie Naughton is set to get her 2019/20 season under way at the China Open next week. Hollie talks about the highs and lows of the Pan Am Games and her 2018/19 season. Obviously she's had an eventful summer with the Pan Am Games, but even more she enjoyed a bit of R&R in Colombia with Nicol David and Amanda Sobhy, and shortly afterwards had her wisdom teeth extracted :).

For the past few years Gary Nisbet and Jesse Engelbrecht have provided the squash community with a wealth of content via SquashSkills and their own respective academies. On this episode we flesh out several very practical things that I think apply to all of our games regardless of your level including the mental game and winning the critical points, injury prevention techniques, and the subtle differences b/t watching the ball and watching your opponent. These among several other technical and strength and condition related topics make this a must listen for all of us.

Canada performed admirably, reaching 6 of 7 possible podiums at last month's 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru, and calling the shots was none other than former world number 4 and 6 time Scottish national champion Martin Heath. Martin gives us his assessment of the Pan Ams, how things went for his Rochester Yellowjackets in 2018/19 and how he's grown over the years as head coach. We also reminisce about years on the circuit, particularly with respect to the impact Peter Nicol had on his playing career.

Jonathon Power was a player like none before or since. World champion, world number 1, British Open champ, 8x Canadian National champion, and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, JP was must watch squash whether it was round 1 v. a qualifier or the World Open final v. Peter Nicol. JP and I talk about the whole nine yards, including his unique development as a junior, the Peter Nicol rivalry, winning the World Open 2008 and the current "advances" in officiating.

A brief backstory of the In Squash Podcast and its host Gerry Gibson as a prelude to Episode 100

The greatest female player of all time graced the In Squash podcast online studio with her presence, and she well exceeded all expectations. Her resume is the stuff of legend: 109 consecutive months at #1 in the world, 8 World Open championships, countless medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, very much in a nutshell. Nicol looks back at how she was able to overcome the physical adversity of playing girls/ladies much older and stronger than her during her junior years, how she was able to avoid any serious injury throughout her illustrious career, her mindset as the playing days were winding down, and her current passion, the sweet science :)

2018 Canadian national champion Danielle Letourneau is coming off her best professional season to date, reaching a career high of 36 in the PSA rankings. In fact, 2018/19 was noteworthy for the entire Canadian women's team, all of whom are inside the world's top 40. Danielle describes her 2018/19 season, the wave she rode after winning her first national title, and how the wins and losses at the highest levels of the game are preparing her for bigger and better things. Most importantly though, we take a look at the Canadian Women's Team and how they have their sights set on bringing the team gold back to the great white north.

The winningest coach in US varsity sport history is undoubtedly someone who knows a thing or two about the team aspect of the game of squash; Paul Assaiante is a US Squash hall of famer and a guru of the game, particularly the team aspect. He heads up the US Pan Am Games Team that is competing in Lima, Peru at the end of the month. Paul gives us a break down of the US men's and women's team and how things look in terms of reaching the podium. Paul also looks back at another successful season at Trinity, and we zoom in on some of the coaching intricacies of varsity squash including the unique challenge he had of having to manage the 9 different "languages" that comprised the Trinity line-up.

Don't look past Jamaica at the 2019 Pan Am Games; Christopher Binnie leads the Jamaican squad which also includes PSA tour vet Lewis Walters and Bruce Burrowes. They're certainly one of the dark horses to hit the podium at the end of the day. Chris has had an impressive squash career to date, including 4 stand out years at Trinity College and 4 PSA titles along with a career high 65 world ranking. Things were progressing very nicely until a serious health scare derailed things a bit near the end of 2018; a mini-stroke which undoubtedly impeded a run a great squash. He's back on track again though, and ready to represent Jamaica at the Pan Am Games in a few weeks time. Sadly, I didn't get around to asking him about doppelganger Rory McIlroy :)

The US ladies team are the reigning Pan Am Games women's team gold medalists, and Olivia Blatchford Clyne and her teammates Amanda and Sabrina Sobhy are favored to bring home the gold again. Olivia and I have a great chat about this year's team, the threat that the Canadian women pose, recent changes to her strength and conditioning under the guidance of Scottish guru Neil Gibson, and of course her husband Alan Clyne who has had a pretty decent season of his own, although he could use some help spicing up that chicken pasta recipe.

Accepted to law school, about to complete a masters degree, and a swan song appearance for Team Canada at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima Peru, Andrew Schnell joins me on episode 92 to chop it up. 2 time Canadian National Champion, 2015 Pan Am Games gold and silver medalist, reached the top 60 in the world in 2016, and winner of several PSA titles including the prestigious Bankers Hall event in his hometown of Calgary, Andrew has had a stellar squash career and we'll be sad to see him go. Not before this final appearance at the Pan Am Games though, and of course not before another classic Shawn Delierre anecdote.

Since 2002, Adil Maqbool has maintained the UAE's #1 ranking, and after some time away from the pro game he's back playing again. One of the game's most talented with the racket, he's had his hands full over the past few years juggling parenthood duties (father of three), a new business (IT related), and his pro squash aspirations. His squash backstory, teaming up with his father, is unconventional if not intriguing and unique. We talk about this and then get into a wide-ranging discussion on the Super Series finals in Dubai, junior development and how Pakistan can put itself back on the map, a topic in which Rod Gilmore and Alan Thatcher quoted his father Maqbool Khawaja in the book Jahangir Khan 555.

Andrew Douglas is no stranger to representing the US on the big stage. He was part of the US junior men's team that finished 3rd at the World Championships a few years back, and led the University of Pennsylvania to its highest ever finish in 2018/19. Andrew is pumped for the Pan Am Games in Lima, and relishes this opportunity to represent the US in what many feel is squash's Olympics along with the Commonwealth Games. Alongside tour veterans Todd Harrity and Chris Hanson, the US look forward to bringing home the gold in the team event. He was part of the US junior men's team that finished 3rd at the World championships a few years back, and led the University of Pennsylvania to its highest ever finish in 2018/19. Andrew is pumped for the Pan Am Games in Lima, and relishes this opportunity to represent the US in what many feel is squash's Olympics along with the Commonwealth Games. Alongside tour veterans Todd Harrity and Chris Hanson, the US look forward to bringing home the gold in the team event.

Framboise Gommendy has covered the professional game at its highest levels for several generations now. Squashsite (run by Fram and Steve Cubbins)is the go to online squash news source for the global squash community, and it's Fram's intimate, passionate, and blow by blow journalistic approach that gives squashsite that special appeal. Fram and I cover a lot of ground, from her early years as an aspiring actress to what she thought of the 2018/19 season; in fact she interviews me to kick things off which was a real treat. Her impassioned and emotional tributes to those that retired this year. players that in her words she watched grow up, are one of the several highlights of this delightful chat.

Following in the footsteps of French greats like Thierry Lincou and Gregory Gaultier, Gregoire Marche has stepped things up in 2018/19 with the best squash of his career. A win at last weeks Montpellier Open over James Willstrop along with the Pittsburgh Open (his biggest win to date) earlier in the year, Gregoire finds himself on the cusp of breaking into the world's top 10. We have a great chat about how he's arrived at this point in his career, and a few anecdotes about his golf and Twitter games.