Student blogger Oscar Starschild is on a quest to try out as many sport and physical activity programs as he can through the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) Sport & Recreation program. This week, he writes about the experience of learning how to play squash through Learn to Play, a program designed to teach beginners the foundations of multiple sports.
Have you ever wanted to learn a new sport but didn’t know where to start or, perhaps, felt discouraged because it seemed too complicated? Good news! There’s a program on campus, called Learn to Play, that’s specifically designed for beginners and provides everything needed to get started.
Last Friday, I participated in the program and had a fun time learning—and playing—squash!
Squash has long been a sport that I wanted to pick up. However, it also seemed really complicated to learn, difficult to reserve a court and get the necessary equipment, so I kept putting it off until, last Friday, the perfect opportunity came along as part of the Learn to Play program, offered through the university’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) Sport and Rec program.
I arrived at the Athletic Centre, where the program for squash is held, not really knowing what to expect. I was sort of anxious about the possibility that I may have to sit on the sidelines, listen to a boring lecture and end up not even getting much of a chance to play. However, as it turned out, I played for virtually the whole time I was there. And much of the learning was done on the go—as we were playing.
The instructor, John, was great. He gave everyone a quick overview of how to hold and use the racquet, serve, and then let us get into it. He’d come back periodically to introduce and go over the rules, share tips and would supervise us from the balcony, while encouraging us and sharing his insights.
Squash instructor John explaining the basics (photo by Oscar Starschild)
It was also nice to meet other players like Matt and Justin, to name just a few, who were all very cool and friendly, and helped make it a truly memorable time.
So, now I can say from experience that, despite the small court, squash is a fun, challenging and physically demanding sport. It’s also fast-paced so you’re pretty much guaranteed to break a sweat. And, most importantly, it’s indoors so it can be played year-round. All in all, I had an awesome time learning to play squash and can’t wait to play it again.
The Learn to Play program is an excellent way to learn new sports and, best of all, it’s free for students. In addition to squash, there are numerous other sports to choose from like basketball, spikeball, stick n’puck, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball. Just look up the schedule on their website and drop-in or, for some sports like squash, registration may be required so just check to see what’s offered and when. Wish everyone a safe and fun time learning to play!