SQR+ Squash Radio
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Episodes
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Welcome back to another episode of Squash Radio! This week’s guest is former world number 3 player, squash commentator, and cancer survivor: Simon Parke.
The conversation starts off with Parke explaining how he got into squash commentary, and how it related to his squash game. He explains the mental challenges of squash, and reminisces on past games and tournaments.
Conor changes the subject a bit when he asks Parke to expand a bit on his past health struggles, specifically his diagnosis and battle with testicular cancer in 1995. Parke explains how it changed his life, and specifically squash career. The guys discuss their shared experience of appendicitis.
They continue on to discuss role models in Parke’s life and how his father encouraged his squash endeavors. This leads to a conversation about Parke’s own experience with fatherhood.
The episode ends with the classic “quick fire” section!
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSORS: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ***NEW WEBSITE ALERT*** ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs. ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Padel+ is coming to the United Kingdom and the United States. These are premium quality courts but at great prices.
Padel+ also offer a unique Canopy roof structure that provides an outdoor playing experience with the reliability you need to play your match regardless of the weather.Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Friday Jan 14, 2022
In the first episode of the New Year, Conor and Bill sit down with the most talked about player on the PSA Tour, Mostafa Asal, the 20 year old Egyptian phenom who is taking the sport of squash by storm. Mostafa discusses what it is like traveling the world at such a young age, his love of chick-fil-a, and driving in Egypt. While we recorded the episode days before his recently announced suspension, we do delve into his thoughts on being the most compelling and polarizing figure the game has seen in years.
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSORS: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ***NEW WEBSITE ALERT*** ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs. ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Padel+ is coming to the United Kingdom and the United States. These are premium quality courts but at great prices.
Padel+ also offer a unique Canopy roof structure that provides an outdoor playing experience with the reliability you need to play your match regardless of the weather.Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Welcome back, squash fans! This week’s guest is most well known for being the Executive Director of Portland Community Squash in Maine: Barrett Takesian. Barrett is the master of building community, which is definitely a theme throughout this episode!
The episode begins with an introduction of a new video project he’s been working on, in which he’s put his business model for growing squash programs, along with other programs, into a three-part model. He explains how he helped grow Portland Community Squash from the ground up, what worked and what didn’t, and how he can help others do the same.
Conor asks about some of the trials and tribulations Barrett went through when first starting off, and Barrett goes into some detail about different roadblocks and how he overcame them. Once it got off the ground, however, Portland Community Squash has only grown and currently has 156 members involved in the programs.
Barrett then talks about what elements of the program he finds most rewarding, and sheds light on how he’s watched various students and players transform in such positive ways. This leads into the topic of dividedness, along with diversity across our country, and how Portland Community Squash is trying to combat the divide, and encourage the diverse, especially through exercises he describes as “iceberg talks”.
Before the quickfire section begins, Conor asks what Barrett’s vision is for the future, and the two discuss all of the exciting plans ahead, especially for community centers across the country. The conversation ends with the classic quickfire section, with discussions about the new James Bond movie, and potential Ted Talks.
Be sure to tune into an episode filled with conversations about community, diversity, and growth!
LINKS:
Video – ‘A Matter of Community’
US SQUASH https://ussquash.org/community/
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Thursday Oct 28, 2021
Thursday Oct 28, 2021
Conor O’Malley & Bill Buckingham invite on the Head of College Squash to share what’s the latest as the season gets underway.
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
TBD #20 has arrived! On this milestone episode, PJ, Conor and Bill are joined by 2021 US Open Semi-finalist and team USA member Olivia Fiechter. Olivia talks about the many ways to pronounce her last name as well as her stunning run to the US Open semis in her hometown of Philadelphia. In the R&R segment we look back at our most memorable encounters with famous people (not including our interactions with PJ) . The doubters said we would never make it to 20, so give a listen and enjoy this episode of the breakdown!
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Welcome back, squash fans! This week’s guest is Chris Smith, and the episode is structured a little differently than the others. The majority of it was recorded over three years ago, but was never released, so Conor recently recorded a quick follow up to bring it all together.
The episode starts off with a brief conversation about where Chris is now and what has changed in his life over the past few years since the original conversation was recorded back in 2018. Most well known for being the Head Boys and Girls Squash Coach at St. Paul’s School, along with the Associate Dean of Admissions at the school, Chris has recently added the title of Associate Director of Athletics to his title.
After the intro concludes, the episode recorded back in 2018 begins with a conversation about how Chris started at St. Paul’s and his experience working on the admissions side of things while being the head coach, and how the two intertwine. He discusses his experience working with both the boy’s and girl’s teams at the school, and how he’s helped them grow. He talks about the recruitment process, including the ins and outs of prep school championships. Chris has interesting input about what sets St. Paul’s apart from other boarding schools, and how he was working to bring in more international students as well.
This leads into a conversation about Chris’ coaching style, and how attending a boarding school while playing squash can really help to set players apart from others in terms of the college recruitment process. He talks about how he was trying to bring more of a college level coaching style to high school, and his hopes for growing the prep school league.
Conor brings up the topic of technology and Chris discusses how he has utilized it to help evolve the squash courts at St. Paul’s through scoreboards and microphone sound systems.
The conversation shifts when Conor asks about Chris’ three and a half year old daughter, Avery, who at the time had recently received a cancer diagnosis. He talks about what the road ahead was going to look like, how she was doing, and how their lives were changing, but especially how they were keeping their positivity. He mentions the support they had been receiving, and what they were doing to support other families in similar positions. Conor asks a couple quickfire questions, which ends the episode from 2018.
There’s a brief follow up in which Chris discusses where Avery is now, how she’s doing health wise, and how they’ve managed to stay positive through the years.
Be sure to tune in to an episode filled with advice from someone very involved in the boarding school squash and recruitment world, ideas on how technology can change the game of squash, and emotional words and stories from a rock star dad!
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REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Thursday Oct 07, 2021
Thursday Oct 07, 2021
Welcome back to another episode of Squash Radio! This week’s guest is Aidan Harrison. Known for developing the squash program at the Onwentsia Club in Illinois, Aidan built the program from the ground up. 20 years later, he’s still enhancing the program daily. He’s responsible for growing the league’s participation by 800% by creating one of the most competitive programs in the state. Aidan is also one of the members of past guest and current #3, Amanda Sobhy’s coaching team.
The episode starts off with Aidan discussing what brought him to the US from the UK, and what made him want to start coaching juniors. This leads into a conversation about the beginnings of the Onwentsia Club back in 2001, especially focusing on some of the unique and creative events and tournaments Aidan put together. Conor asks the question of how Aidan grew the women’s program at the club, and Aidan speaks more about how his creative group classes and events helped to draw in a diverse crowd. This leads to the question of how Aidan would come up with these events, and he talks about his brainstorming process.
Conor poses the question of how Aidan works with and coaches his elite players, and Aidan gives examples of some of his favorite coaching styles, and gives the listeners lots of advice and pointers. He tells some stories from his coaching career, and how he helps players deal with the stress of competing.
The conversation shifts when Conor asks Aidan about his experience being a Lulu Lemon ambassador. Aidan explains how his passion of deejaying and teaching spin classes got him involved with the brand, and the reasons why he’s so impressed with Lulu Lemon as a whole. This leads to a dialog about Aidan’s passion for spinning and teaching spin classes.
Towards the end of the episode, the two talk about Aidan’s work with the Love to Be foundation, which has helped to bring two of Aidan’s greatest passions together (deejaying and playing squash). Conor thanks Aidan for his support for Metro Squash, and how it’s changed the Chicago squash community. The conversation ends with the classic “quick fire” section.
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Welcome back, squash fans! This week we’re highlighting a guest that’s very near and dear to our hearts here at Squash Radio. He’s a former #4 player, gold medalist, one of the highest leading coaches in the world, lead commentator on Squash TV and (most importantly), cohost of The Breakdown with Conor and Bill: the one and only, Paul Johnson (aka PJ)!
PJ begins the episode by giving a little background about his coaching career, and talks about the adjustments he had to make in his coaching style after moving to the states from the UK. He talks about the importance of being confident in oneself as a coach, how he spotted talent in young players, and the need for a strong work ethic in his players. He also brings up the importance of players actually participating and learning from matches, rather than solely learning from the technical side of being coached. He continues on to answer a couple of questions about how he stays sharp as a coach (along with fellow coach, David Pearson), and offers advice to the listeners on simple things he does. Conor and PJ continue to talk about fellow great coaches and favorite stories.
Midway through the episode, Conor asks PJ for more details about his transition from the UK to the US back in the day, and PJ tells a tale of one of his early experiences, getting whisked away to coach in the Hamptons, only to witness a tennis match with one of today’s most highly ranked and well known female players of all time. PJ tells another story from his early days in the US, and his experience with burn out, along with how he handled disappointment within himself. Conor asks PJ about his experience at the Commonwealth Games, and PJ describes the feeling of winning a gold metal.
The conversation shifts when Conor brings up PJ’s other passion, which is music. Pj discusses what originally made him so passionate about various music types, what he listens to now, and his relationship with music in between. The episode ends with a couple of Conor’s classic quickfire questions.
Tune in for an episode filled with coaching advice, stories from the past, musical choices, and more!
REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email squashradio@gmail.com. As always, thanks for listening! SPONSOR: This episode of Squash Radio (SQR+) sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for your racquet sport needs.
ProSportLED and Squash Radio (SQR+) are both aligned about the importance of sharing the stories of people involved in our Sport. Reach out to us at squashradio@gmail.com if you know of anyone interested in LED lighting.