Fast-forward to 10+ years later, and we had moved into a village just north of NYC and joined a tennis club that was two blocks away. My son had been born with a freakish ability to hit a ball, which I realized when he was two-years-old and he hit a tennis ball that I had pitched him through the basement window with a toy racquet. The Egyptian squash pro there had a toddler’s group that mainly consisted of playing tag on the court since most of the kids couldn’t hit a ball. Except my son. He could rally with the pro, and he loved doing it.
Thus began a journey for us that took us to many countries including a year spent in Egypt (where many of the top players come from) so that he could train with the world’s best coach. In the years before and after, we became a virtual boarding house for Egyptian squash players who were coming to NY. I used to joke that Homeland Security had a dossier on us. And my son’s interest led him to become the #1 ranked junior in the country, and subsequently, a member of the varsity team at Yale.
If you are looking for an incredible workout, try squash. Within a half an hour you will be drenched in sweat and doubting you will ever walk again. My husband describes it as being like a half hour of squat tag. In a study of the best workouts published by Forbes, squash came in at #1. And you know what else? It’s lots of fun.
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This week the US Open of Squash began in Philadelphia, and if you are interested, there is tons of information about Squash here!
