SPORTS

Not Just A Vegetable Anymore

Out here, you don't just eat squash.
At the Jewish Center, you play it.

ROBERT ELLENSTEIN

Special to The Jewish News

.■■

he Maple-Drake
Jewish Communi-
ty Center is put-
ting a new twist
on an old sport.
After years of
domination by the
Detroit Athletic
Club, the JCC
now sits atop the local squash
scene. The typically East
Coast sport has found a se-
cond home in the Midwest.
Michigan has approximately
400 squash players, over 300
of whom are registered with
the United States Squash
Racquets Association.
JCC member Dr. Jeffrey
Deitch has been the state
champion for the past two
years and is currently ranked
number 17 in the nation. He
has won nine different tour-
naments around the country
and placed in the finals of
another four. The former
Detroit Athletic Club towel
boy has been instrumental in
the JCC's dominance of the
sport.
"There's been a changing of
the guard during the last two
years!" Dr. Deitch said. "For
years it was the Detroit
Athletic Club — they
dominated the sport. In this
state, right now, the JCC is
dominating."
Despite this intense com-
petition, most people are not
familiar with the sport.
Squash is not an offspring of
racquetball, as is commonly
believed. Rather, the sport is
similar to tennis. It is played
on an indoor, four-walled
court. Players have to hit the
ball over the tin (tennis'
equivalent of a net) which is
about 19 inches off the
ground.
The strategy is also com-
parable to tennis. After a
serve, both players attempt to
maintain a rally which ends
when the ball bounces twice
or hits too low on the wall.
Squash also uses two dif-
ferent balls — a "hardball" in
the winter and a "softball" in
the summer. Once the rubber
ball gets heated up during
play, the rallies become

Jeff Deitch sets up for a backhand at the JCC.

quicker, giving the game a
livelier pace.
"Once the ball gets going, it
goes as fast as a racquetball,"
Dr. Deitch said. "The way the
courts are designed there's
more mathematics involved
in hitting the ball and figur-
ing out all the angles.
"The ball is traveling so
fast, it's hard to get out of the
way of your opponent."
And according to the rules,
you have to. Players must give
opponents a clear shot.
"Squash is a gentleman's
game," Dr. Deitch said. "You

give your opponent the
benefit of the doubt at all
costs.
"It becomes so competitive
you can sometimes get car-
ried away. Ninety-nine per-
cent of the guys are gentle-
men and they play it that
way!'
Traditionally, squash has
been a sport -savored by the
elite. It is still dominated by
professionals.
"Most people at tour-
naments are lawyers, accoun-
tants, professors . ." Dr.
Deitch said. "Years ago you

had to join a club to play
squash, whereas racquetball
is accessible to a lot of people!'
Squash also is a major sport
at Ivy League schools, where
students are groomed for the
game. Dr. Deitch said he feels
the sport is growing as it is
slowly filtering to the general
public.
"People are hearing about
the success of the JCC and
are excited about it because
(to them) it's such a new
game," he said. "We pick up
a lot of former racquetball
players, including such top

players as Marty Hogan and
Mike Yellen!'
Another reason the sport is
gaining popularity is because
age is not a factor. You can
compete at any age at your
own pace.
"There are more guys 60
years old that still play this
for fun than in any other
sport," Dr. Deitch said.
As players begin to take the
sport more seriously, some
will travel to tournaments to
compete against other
amateurs. In February,
players will compete in a na-
tional tournament in Denver.
The winners will figure pro-
minently in national
rankings.
"Some players will really
take the sport seriously and
travel to tournaments!' Dr.
Deitch said. "There are about
40-50 tournaments for
amateurs to travel. Michigan
players have been doing very
well."
One of Dr. Deitch's team-
mates, Wayne State Universi-
ty Professor Eugene Perle, is
also doing very well. He is na-
tionally ranked as a singles
player and is currently the
U.S. National Doubles Cham-
pion for participants over age
50.
"It's a terrific game for a
lifetime activity," Professor
Perle said. "As long as you
can move around you can play
ro it for your entire life. Unlike
jE tennis, you .can do it on your
lunch hour!'
c.D And if you're thinking
-8- of becoming active in the
sport, Dr. Deitch strongly
if recommends professional in-
struction.
"It's easy to learn the game
but it's very difficult to give
up bad habits," Dr. Deitch
said. "Also get a good pair of
shoes and find an affordable
racquet that will allow you to
develop your game.
"There's a lot more that you
can get out of a good lesson
than you can from a good rac-
quet!"
Professor Perle, who also
serves as the Michigan direc-
tor of the United States
Squash Racquets Association,
echoes Dr. Deitch's prediction
of growing exposure for
squash.

❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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