Over the years, Squash has developed a lot in Trinidad and Tobago. However, according to the coach of I Squash TT, Roger Salandy, who has been playing and coaching since 1985, there is still a lot of room for growth.
At a Squash Tournament co-sponsored by Caribbean Insight Magazine and I Squash TT, from 24th – 26th May, 2018 at the Cascadia Hotel in St. Ann’s Trinidad and Tobago, the coach expressed his desire to see Squash become just as important as other sports in the country. The ‘I’ stands for Inspire, and that’s exactly what Salandy hopes to do for his trainees.
“Kids need to be exposed to a wider range of possibilities. We try our best here to develop programmes particularly for juniors in Trinidad and Tobago. However, a lot better can be done by having more young people involved and participating in tournaments, such as this one.”
Salandy currently coaches twenty-five students, which he states in below the international average for a club. He wishes to see the number grow to fifty future athletes.
This may seem like a dream, but it’s not impossible.
In keeping with the club’s ambition, there needs to be more public courts in the country so as to remove the barrier to entry into the sport. At the moment, the Cascadia Hotel’s court is the only public one where people are encouraged to walk straight in and get engaged with the exciting, fast-paced game.
So let’s encourage the relevant authorities to invest in a targeted approach to increasing the involvement of students in the Squash, professionally and for recreation purposes.
Congratulations to the winners of the tournament:
- Advanced competition – Christopher Anthony (1st place)
- Intermediate Open competition – Kisean Constantine (1st place)
- Most Improved Male – Kisean Constantine
- Most Improved Female – Josie Thong
