Lake Forest Squash: A Brief History

In our eleventh season, Lake Forest Squash is the nation’s foremost public squash program. We began in 1998 on a single court at the Lake Forest Recreation Center. Donations by our members helped to fund our first converted court in 1996.  The program’s success grew under the leadership of program director Kim Tunney; we converted our second court in 2003.  Courts three and four were added in 2007. Today Kim and her staff continue to improve instructional delivery and provide programs to enhance the playing experiences of our members.

Currently, over one hundred adults and junior players compete in programs, lessons leagues and tournaments each year. During the 2004-2005 season, ten of our junior players held national age group rankings conferred by the United States Squash Racquets Association. Lake Forest Squash has built a reputation for producing outstanding junior and adult players.

In 2005, the Lake Forest Squash High School Team was mentioned in a feature article in the Chicago Tribune for competing in the National High School Team Championships held at Yale University.  Several of our juniors now compete on college and prep school men’s and women’s teams.   Lake Forest Squash is also the home to the Lake Forest Academy squash team.

Throughout our history, talented professionals have competed on our courts or lead clinics for our members.   These international players and coaches include Thierry Lincou of France; Wael El Hindi from Egypt; Sue Wright, Fiona Geaves, David Campion and Michael Puertas from England; David and Martin Heath from Scotland; Mike Way from Canada; and Paul Frank from Australia.   In the fall of 2005, we were honored to host one of the US Men’s World Team Selection Events won by Preston Quick.   National champion Julian Wellings has also been a guest coach to our players in both 2007 and 2008.

Contact Kim Tunney, Racquet Director at kstunney@yahoo.com to learn more.

New To Squash? A Brief Description of the Game

Squash is a fast and fun filled racquet sport named by Forbes Magazine as #1 in their Top Ten Healthiest Sports Survey:

“30 minutes on a squash court provides an impressive cardio-vascular workout. Extended rallies build muscular strength and endurance in the lower body; while lunges, twists and turns increase flexibility in the back and abdomen.” 

Opponents employ a variety of shots (drives, volleys, lobs, drops, boasts) to force each other ‘off the T’ (the strategic center of a 32’ by 21’ or 20’ wide indoor court) to cause a winning shot or force an error during each rally. The first player to score 11 points wins the game; the first to win three games out of five wins a match. There are no time outs and only 90 seconds are allowed between games.