Squash Radio

Hey there squash fans! This week's guest is Will Hopton, the Executive Director of Squash on Fire in DC, former World #2 Rackets player & Doubles Champion as well as a lover of all racket sports!    The episode starts off with a conversation about Will's background in Rackets. He explains how he got into the sport, his experience with coaching, and his passion for other racket sports.   The topic changes when Conor asks about Will's current passion, Squash on Fire, in DC. Will explains a bit about what exactly Squash on Fire is, the walk-in pay to play concept, how they're trying to make it more of a social club (not just for squash), the European feel to it, and challenges he's faced. He explains a bit about how pricing works and how accessible it is to everyone.    Conor and Will discuss the upcoming event that will be held at Squash on Fire, the Squash on Fire Open, which will take place from February 16th until the 20th. The two talk about who they're most excited to see play.   Will finishes

Welcome to another episode of The Break Down with Conor, Bill and PJ!   In an homage to Kornheiser and Wilbon, TBD is proud to present its very first rundown!  Since  the names PTI and PMT are already taken, and PJ’s salary doesn’t leave us any money to defend ourselves against copywrite infringement suits, we need your help producing a name for this segment! In this episode, the guys run through a wide range of topics, including the recent suspension of Mostafa Asal, the rise of Paul Coll (and Bill’s love affair with his hair), college squash, Ricky Gervais, coaches getting too much credit, and much more.   Listen in for an episode filled with debates, squash stats, and as always, just the right amount of absurdity.   P.S. - we’re serious! Come up with a name for our newest segment of TBD and in exchange you get full bragging rights, a shout out on the next episode and a lock of Paul Coll’s hair!   REACH OUT:  FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, commen

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, com

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 inv

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 l

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.

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 S

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 th

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 Aida

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 t

Welcome to TBD #19!  Gather round boys and girls, its story time as Conor, PJ and Bill welcome Squash Stories founder and moderator Jamie Maddox to the show. Jamie discusses the growth of his Facebook group, his alter ego Eshan, and his love of all things "El Shorbagy". You don't want to miss this episode of TBD. It's so good PJ may even give it a listen!   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.

It’s that awesome time of the year again when the community takes time to highlight women’s squash with a week-long, multi-state and country celebration for Women's Squash Week!    We thought this would be the perfect time to connect you to Kim Clearkin, who has been at the forefront of driving women's squash initiative forward for 15 years now, along with being the Senior Vice President at US Squash and Co-Chair of the Women’s Committee.    We go through a quick background of this week, give you a snapshot of women's squash in the U.S., and talk about the Howe Cup; one of the most beloved events in the Country.    If you want to find ways to join in the fun this week, go to USSquash.org to learn how to sign up, and join in the fun!

Welcome back, squash fans! This week we have Manek Mathur on the podcast. Most well known for being ranked the #1 doubles player on the SDA Tour, four-time College Squash National Team Champion, DJ and music producer and his new career path in the world of real estate.    The episode starts with Manek’s experience playing at Trinity and the relationships he formed with his coach (Paul Assaiante) and fellow teammates. Originally from India, the transition to being an international student at Trinity was welcoming, in large part to the squash family community built over the years. This was huge for Manek and a common theme throughout the episode.    He shares what competition was like among teammates, including tension, but how they moved past it to thrive and create lifelong friendships. There’s a shift in the conversation when Conor asks about a former teammate (Shaun Johnstone) and how they all handled the news of him being diagnosed with Cancer. Manek shares how the community dealt with it and what can

This week’s guest is Danielle Maur, former National Director of Racquet Sports at Life Time Fitness, CEO & Co-founder of Global Squash, and named on the list of the top 50 most influential people in the sport of squash by Squash Magazine.   The episode begins with Danielle discussing her time at Life Time Fitness, from how she helped it grow, to her role in the education of the club, to how she advocated for squash courts to be part of fitness clubs. She continues on to discuss how important community and friendships are in the game of squash, and how building squash communities at fitness clubs could help the sport to grow, especially in regards to gyms. She brings up points on why it isn’t as simple as just putting a squash court in every gym and hoping players come – there’s a fine balance between the community, utilizing space in the best way possible, and how finances come into all of it.   The conversation continues to a comparison of racquet sports, especially in a sports club setting. Of cours

Welcome to TBD Episode 18!  Conor, PJ and Bill welcome special guest Sheldon Anderson.  Sheldon shares his insights on the state of officiating in squash and the continuing steps being taken to further professionalize this critical aspect of the sport.  Based on Sheldon’s long career in the hospitality industry, this episode's R&R segment is devoted to sharing our top hotel experiences.  Have a listen as the guys air their own dirty laundry! 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 intereste

It’s an honor to have past U.S. #1 Alicia McConnell, in the hot seat today! A sports fanatic from a young age, Alicia’s rise to stardom may have appeared seamless from the outside, but it was certainly not an easy journey. In this episode, Alicia describes the mental health struggles that she went through when she was playing professionally, the immense pressure that she felt, and the lack of support she received. We discuss how Alicia got through this, and she shares some valuable advice for anyone who may be experiencing something similar. After her playing career came to an end, Alicia stayed close to the squash world, first as a coach, and then as part of the United States Olympic Committee, and she shares what she loved about both of these roles, and some of the incredible projects that she was an integral part of. We end the episode with a few questions that give further insights into Alicia’s personal life, and her passion for giving back.   Key Points From This Episode:   Alicia describes what it

This week on The Breakdown, Conor, Bill and PJ start the episode off by checking in with each other and touch base on what they’ve been up to over the past couple of weeks, from PJ arriving back in the states, to golf games, to Bill’s love of Gerry Gibson.   This episode mostly focuses on two main topics: the guys’ top three favorite sports movies of all time, and the Olympics. Of course squash comes up in relation to the Olympics, which leads to an interesting discussion about opinions on why squash should/shouldn’t be a part of it, and how it could be possible.     Conor starts off the favorite sports movies conversation (as a note – some movie spoilers throughout the movie ranking section of this episode!) with a mention of Moneyball, which sparks an in depth dialogue about the film. He mentions a couple other favorites, and next up is PJ, and then onto Bill. The whole Rocky series is a common thread among the three, but each one has a different preference (can you guess?!).   The Olympics seems to b

In this episode of Squash Radio (SqR), Conor sits down with Anderson Good, the former Head Men’s and Women’s Squash Coach at George Washington University (GW). Anderson has the distinction of being one of the youngest Head Coach of a Division 1 program in college squash history.  He took over the reins of the GW program from the talented Wendy Lawrence. The GW program made headlines in the Squash world during Covid-19, when the Athletic Department decided to cut Squash along with several other sports.  Anderson shares what it was like to try to navigate the waters before the official news of being cut, some of the teams’ successes, how he had to break the news of the program’s future to his players and his steps in figuring out what came next for him. Anderson moves on to discuss some of his personal endeavors, such as his role in creating the Mid Atlantic Squash Conference (MASC), which is a conference made for young varsity student squash players to get together that aren’t typically affiliated with one

We are making Squash Radio history today with our first fellow podcaster in the hot seat. Bill Ullman is an investment banking and financial services veteran, a lifelong squash player, and host of Squashing the Market, a podcast where he sits down with various experts, leaders and CEOs to discuss the latest developments in the FinTech world. In this conversation, we hear about Bill's incredibly diverse journey, the different spaces he has worked in, and his decision to venture out on his own. Naturally, the chat moves to the squash world, where Bill weighs in on the state of the sport in the country. Having lived abroad, Bill has seen just how international the sport is, and the potential it has if we can overcome capacity constraints and misconceptions about it. We also touch on some of the exciting developments that have taken place and Bill’s hopes for squash going forward. As usual, we end the show with our Quick-Fire questions. Bill is an admirable champion of the game, having won 2 US National 50+

Thank again for tuning in and we hope you Enjoy the show! As you know, the biggest tournament in squash is going to be taking place this month. The timing is unusual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was a lot of ambiguity around whether it would happen at all, but that hasn’t taken away from the excitement we are all feeling. In today’s episode PJ explains why the World Championships are in a different league from other squash tournaments, and gives us a rundown of the various male and female players who he thinks are contenders for the win this year. Unfortunately, for reasons you’ll hear today, PJ won’t be commentating at the event this year, so this is the place to hear his expert opinion on the possible outcomes. None of us are afraid of a bit of controversy, so we also discuss the heated debates that PJ found himself in the middle of, regarding the young Egyptian superstar, Mostafa Asal, and the dominance of Egyptian players in the sport.   Key Points From This Episode:   How the World Champi