February 12, 2024 is a date many in our community will remember as a significant step backward in the availability of different sports options for area residents.
The decision to permanently close the only squash/racquetball court effectively removes any possibility of playing squash for many of those who were using the court at the Olds Community Learning Campus; players who journeyed in from multiple directions including Carstairs, Innisfail, Sundre and Trochu amongst them.
The time involved in driving to a squash facility in either Calgary or Red Deer, in addition to the cost of fuel, higher (potentially) court fees, and the likelihood of having to grab a meal while there, adds significant and, for many, prohibitive cost to accessing a squash court.
While travelling to either city will be an option for a few of our dedicated, local squash players, the realities of life (work, children, volunteer and/or coaching commitments and added cost) make it impossible for most, and certainly not with the regularity one would need to improve.
The wonderful opportunity we had as a community for a social, physically challenging, anaerobic exercise is gone. Parents and youth alike, as well as the many young adults in our area, could be on the court within fifteen to twenty minutes of arranging a game with someone. No longer.
Our area middle school students and high school students, many of whom have been learning to play squash in recent months, no longer have this safe, healthy and competitive sport to pursue with the regularity required to improve.
For those students who are not wired up for team sports, today they have lost one of the few competitive, non-team sports they could pursue without incurring significant cost.
Though our efforts to save our court appear to have fallen on deaf ears, I am thankful for the time I have been able to enjoy the CLC squash court, as I am for the wide community of squash players I was just getting to know; but more importantly I am thankful for the increased conversation regarding squash as a sport, and in our community. Who knows where it may lead in the years ahead?
In closing, thank you to all who wrote letters of support in favour of postponing the closure of the court: to the individuals and businesses, thank you. And to my fellow squashers, thank you for all you have done for this incredible sport. Squash on!
Peter Ritchie,
Olds
