As you may know, I have been dipping my toe into the regional sporting community by trying out new sports. As someone who has never, not for even one moment, considered myself ‘sporty’ or overly active, my new job is kind of like entering into a new world where I am not quite sure I want to be. Having now tried a few new sports I can safely say I am enjoying this world immensely.
Now, you may wonder “Hey, she said she tried a number of sports, where are the blogs about the other sports?” No fear, those blogs will be here once we have snow again as they relate to activities that require snow.
My most recent adventure was an exploration of squash. I had not a clue about what to expect. It looked like a very challenging game and basically chaos in a glass box. I was quite nervous but willing to take on the challenge!
The first thing we had to do was convert the court from racquetball to squash as the courts at Eastlink can be used for both. I then learned how to grip the racquet properly and about the fact that the ball has to be warmed up before you play. We spent some time reviewing the rules which are simple and then proceeded to practice serving for a while. (I never actually hit a serve that would count in a game until my last try of the night.) Eventually we tried a game and I managed to get a point. Go me!
We played at the EASTLINK CENTRE and, at the date of publishing this article, it cost $11.00 for the drop-in day pass. That rate would include the use of a racquet if my friend hadn’t lent me one.
Finding someone to play with in Grande Prairie should not be too challenging. The Grande Prairie Squash Club has a variety of options available including league, box and ladder. For more details on what they have to offer you can visit their Facebook page here. They have various events and tournaments throughout the season as well. If you are interested in having your kids try squash, the GP Squash Club is a regular participant in our Try-It Day events.
Overall, I would give the experience an, 8 out of 10. It was immensely fun, it made me move and sweat, the rules were simple and easy to understand and it didn’t require extreme physical literacy. Admittedly, I set the bar quite low in my self-expectation for the night and had I been interested in winning a lot more skill would have been required. I am definitely interested in trying again.
I will leave you with this thought. We grow when we expand our boundaries and try things that may make us a little uncomfortable at first. ‘Try New in 2022’ is a theme I am living by this year and I invite you to try something new and see how it goes. It just might be better than you expected.
Until next time, any suggestions on other sporting activities I should ‘Try new in 2022’?
