Penn squash faces a different kind of challenge

An old adage says practice makes perfect, but for the men’s and women’s squash teams, practice is also an opportunity to earn a spot on the ladder.

At practice, challenge matches determine a player’s rank, a central aspect in the sport of squash.
The teams must exchange lineups at matches an hour before play begins so that the players are matched up according to their respective ranks.

In the fall, Penn’s coaches set up tournaments or round robins in which all team members participate — the outcome is the season-opening lineup.

Each week following the initial intrasquad tournament, usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays, coach Jack Wyant’s players get the chance to improve their rank by matching up with a teammate one rung higher than themselves.

“Winning a match with a higher ranking player places you one up on the team ladder,” Wyant said.
Wyant’s players actually find the challenge matches to be nerve-racking.

“To some [players], the challenge matches are like a test,” Wyant said.

As coach of both the men’s and women’s squads, Wyant has noticed differences in how the two teams approach these practice matches.

“Some players seem to enjoy them, but overall, the matches are more stressful, especially for the women,” he said. “But I can’t get in their heads, so it could be more of a show.”

Weekly practice challenge matches can be mentally draining on the players.

“We will scale it back come January,” Wyant said. “Once we have more league matches, we prefer to focus on those matches rather than practice ones.”

Ultimately, the coaches have the final say in the lineup, so performance in competition can outweigh these practice challenges.

“There are occasions when a player will not perform as well in practice as they have in competition, and we take this into consideration,” Wyant said.

Both teams look forward to their upcoming league play beginning in January.

In the meantime, Wyant thinks the No. 14 men fall right into an unusually formidable mix of evenly matched competitors.

“Any team from those ranked seven to 20 could win on any given day,” Wyant said.

The women’s upcoming opponents, on the other hand, seem to be much more predictable.

“The women are super- talented,” Wyant said. “They even have a chance to win the league.”

Though the players have to endure the weekly anxieties associated with these challenge matches, Wyant’s players ultimately benefit from taking the matches against their teammates as seriously as actual matches.

Maybe all this practice will pay off when the Quakers finally face opponents that don’t wear red and blue.

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