Steel Landing
I recently asked Sir Robert how we met and found him to be as hazy with the details as I was. Both of us yielded that it was on introduction by Alan Thatcher. I’ve been communicating with Alan for over a decade, having collaborated with early versions of SquashMad, contributing racquetball info from the U.S., and as suspected, scouring email folders provided me with exact details. I was brought into their communications as they produced “Heavy metal comes to squash with a steel court in NYC” for publication. I’ve found Alan to be very good at this sort of thing.
The introduction came during Covid. With all the seclusion, the time of non-travel and vastly limited social interactions, I embraced a slow return to normalcy having grown fond of quiet, localized living. Finding commonality with Sir Robert turned rarity into accessibility for me with the steel court.
I haven’t played squash regularly since encouraged to by a friend, the late John Illig and will admit, I retain a certain lightness when it comes to my involvement squash, inspired by him. It was always a “come anytime”, even if it’s just to hit with your headphones on. Interestingly enough for me, I had access to Platform Tennis during this time and transitioned between the two, with the occasional travel for racquetball. It was my first regular forays outside of my normal paddleball-racquetball thing.
I appreciated the balance between the two, which was a season of learning different concepts for movement and base control in environmentally new settings for me. I enjoy working on flexibility while being competent during my time on the courts. I believe I come from the Lower East Side school of sports engagement, a tribe, so to speak of sportsters who find a flow of transition between disciplines in the school yards, housing project parks and playing fields compulsory, in leu of other options. Paddleball was my biggest pursuit into fidelity, propelling me to more athletically congruent tribes to loop through. I count local sports legends like Ruben Gonzalez and Robert Sostre as delegates to this small set. The spark for One Wall racquetball’s inclusion into the ether of existence that is, Racquetball the sport, began here in NYC, opening up opportunities of engagement for me.
I quietly retired from playing competitive events in March 2022 and having a newfound fondness of localized living, easy access to squash is meaningful. It’s a fantastic form of variety for me. I learn from it and blend it to my other racquet and paddle disciplines as a form of health and wellness. The Steel court plays fast in my opinion, with other credible opinions rating it as playing true. Add to that, it is a space for me to continue to use my camera naturally. It just feels open and right, growing righter. Each time, I have to learn what works at what times of day for the sun, or the clouds. It’s truly different every time and I cherish that. My mood often dictates what aspects I target. Notably to me, both Robert and Jeff have both commented on my mood. Robert more in the way of a “How you doin’?” vibe where as Jeff has a unique way of getting to a point, stating once I was a much more lively person when my wife is around the court. Oddly, this makes me feel more at home. That all these substantial connections have opened up to me on this steel “outdoor” court, well, the irony for me is not lost. I almost never play indoor racquetball. Yet, I’ve played so much outdoor racquetball and have invested so much personal equity into indoor pro racquetball, it makes that irony tangible for me. Mainly because the connections fostered on this steel court have already aligned me with people and interests within the sport of squash in a personally profound way.
