Real Life Racquet-Xing
Maspeth Squash
BIG BALL
Handball
Paddleball
Racquetball
Squash 57
6K Invitational
On June 15th, we hosted the Maspeth Steel Big Ball Squash 57 6K Invitational.
Our tournaments to date have had players from all over the globe. For our Big Ball event, we have invited racquetball, paddleball, and handball professionals who have never played Squash 57. Everyone in the group is experienced at participating at a high level in their respective racquet and paddle sports events, many with international experience. Most of the competitors are from the New York City Tri-state area, and all have only one or two degrees of separation between them. They are all very familiar with how these sports exist out in the parks and venues of NYC. Our outreach for this event was hyper-local, still managing interest with players who would need airfare for participation.
Who
Participants in the Big Ball were Alex Kutovsky, Robert Sostre, Isaias Rivera, Paul Yagual, Allen Sanchez, Ruben Pagan, Benny Goldenberg, William Rolon, Nick Riffel, Brian Romero, and Aimee Roehler. Players were pitted arbitrarily, with a bit of fun and match-making. The intent was always to create an attractive event that would introduce new energy and feedback to the steel court. As an added measure of fun, we recruited squash professionals Nathan Lake and Lucy Beecroft to play an exhibition.
This list represents a group filled with unique sporting experiences in their respective sports. For instance, Robert Sostre is well-known in the world of wall sports, boasting an innumerable number of pro championship victories. Sostre has been inducted into no less than five Halls of Fame, two for paddleball, two for handball, and one for outdoor racquetball. Aimee Roehler, as another example, is inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame and has 14 national women’s pro titles and at least 10 outdoor racquetball titles. This list does not include mixed doubles titles. By way of handball, Allen Sanchez and Paul Yagal, between them, have won almost every major handball doubles tournament multiple times, with different partners. (The following weekend, Sanchez won two major handball events with different partners.) Note: Most players in this draw hold at least one major professional championship in a wall and ball sport.
The event, being formed more as an experiment in sporting culture and a Squash 57 crossover endeavor, we also invited established entrepreneurs involved in handball, paddleball, and racquetball. Isaiah Rivera is the owner of Zerega Indoor Sports, considered the preeminent indoor handball establishment in New York. It’s a very vibrant space during the winter months. Isaiah has just opened up a new spot on Long Island. Also, by way of playing and entrepreneurship, Ruben Pagan is the owner of OneWallball sportsgear, who supports outdoor niche events and pro athletes who participate in them throughout the country. Onewallball also provided our steel court-inspired shirts.
How It Went Down
The event, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 14th, had to be rescheduled to the following Sunday due to rain. June showers continued, as our group of handball, paddleball, and racquetball players gathered to compete. Between the rain spurts, we had fun watching our two pros have a little slip-and-slide doubles fun, making the most of a unique situation. All of the players have experience in competing in outdoor tournaments, so while 57 was, for the most part, a new experience, rain delays weren’t. Players ate, laughed, and enjoyed the space and each other. With maybe three delays where we had to squeegy dry the court, we were still able to make it through a fun-to-watch draw.
Eventually, we got down to some truly hard-played Squash 57. The steel court and white ball make for easy-to-watch, fun play. The chart played down to our final two players. Benny Goldenberg and Nick Riffel. Benny Goldenberg is a former indoor racquetball player who transitioned to outdoor racquetball, then paddleball, several years ago. Admittedly, he only plays occasionally, so he has to dig deep into reserves to compete these days. Benny lives maybe 10 minutes away from the steel court. Nick Riffel, on the other hand, traveled from Denver, Colorado, for this event. Nick, who was our ultimate winner, plays racquetball regularly and is no stranger to pro-level events and outdoor tournaments. These two have played in a few of the same outdoor events in the past and put on a fun final.
Ultimately, we did see some flashes of fitness and skill. Whether we could call it good Squash 57 is simply a matter of whether we enjoyed watching athletes put themselves out there with the skills they brought to the steel court. We had fun. We had unexpected visitors who were curious about the event. The food stayed dry, and the drinks flowed. To the man, everyone found the game fun, if not odd at first.
This form of squash presents differently here. The sound and the specific way the ball grabs the steel wall add a unique, visceral feel to the game. Padel players not accustomed to squash get a prize the first time they try it here. The workers at Maspeth Welding have taken to the game more easily and spend more time on the court with the bigger ball. We have been getting more requests about Squash 57 and court time since this event.
This event most certainly didn’t prove Squash 57 would be a good way for squash to grow here in the U.S. It did prove to be an easy way to find a quick path to fun, in a group setting. That is a victory that we’ll grow on. The game has us thinking of more of these types of events moving forward. All in all, Big Ball, as we affectionately call it here, is proving an easy gateway for engagement in this garden.
Thank you to Gearbox Sports for providing quality racquets, and Price of Bath for the amazing White Squash 57 Balls.