The men's and women's squash teams warmed up for their intercollegiate seasons in the Maine Open at Bowdoin's Lubin Squash Center. Players from around the state and beyond, age 19 to over 65, gathered for the United States Squash Racquet Association tournament.
John Moncure, assistant coach and "nooner" (adult who plays at the Lubin courts during the day when the teams are not using them), gave a short history of the Maine Open.
"Originally [the tournament] was mostly nooners, but when Dan Hammond was coach, he made the teams play and it became the kids' tournament," he said.
He added that Eddie Reid, the Bowdoin Squash coach in the 1980s, started the tournament, which, according to head coach Thomas Fortson, now attracts 80 to 100 players per year.
Almost every member of the team participated in this year's event, playing, refereeing matches, or helping Fortson run the tournament. Most of the players on the Bates men's and women's squash teams played as well, which gave the Polar Bears an early taste of this year's competition.
"We love seeing the Bates girls because we have a healthy, lighthearted rivalry with them, and we'll be facing off with them a few times this season," captain Niki Clement '06 said.
The tournament also provided an opportunity for members of the women's team to see each other in formal match play.
"I am excited for our season because our rookies all appear so strong and are learning quickly," said Susie Martin '07 after playing first year Jackie Deysher in a semifinal round over the weekend.
The women look forward to an exciting and competitive season with the addition of strong first-year talent.
"The fundamental element," said Fortson, "is that we have so many new players on the team and the talent level is clearly higher than it has been for a few years, but it is young talent, so we need to come together to understand what is needed for quick improvement."
Fortson is optimistic about the team's potential, pointing out that "the level of focus and desire we've seen so far is what we want."
On the men's side, highlights of the weekend included wins in their respective brackets for Nick Adams '06, Zach Linhart '07, Ray Carta '08, and Robert Lynn '09.
Coach Fortson praised the entire men's team, pointing out that "the men's team has done a great job of preparing for the season over the fall; they're in much better shape than they have been in other years and that raises our expectations for the season. The one danger that we want to avoid is becoming complacent because of our excellent start."
This weekend, the men's and women's squash teams head down to Harvard to face Tufts and Connecticut College for the first official matches of the season.
"These are matches that will definitely test both teams," said Fortson. "On the women's side it's more difficult than usual because there are four players that are not on the squad yet. It will be an opportunity for everyone on the team to challenge themselves with a good match. For the men's side, it's the nature of back-to-back matches that will make things difficult. We will have just come off the court when we play Conn. College while they will be rested, but we have been doing excellent work and we are very fit, so I think we can pass this test."