New Mexico Squash Racquets Association 
New Mexico Squash Racquets Association RENEWAL TIME FOR MANY MEMBERS
The month of June is time for many members to renew their memberships in the NMSRA. If your newsletter has a note and application attached please fill it out as soon as possible and send it to Rick Rennie to maintain your membership. As a special incentive, you will receive a commemorative NMSRA State Championship Polo Shirt when you renew. (As long as supplies last.) This is a $15.00 value by itself. When this is combined with the $35.00 cost of membership, which is already a $5.00 discount from National dues and includes your subscription to Squash Magazine, it is a great value. Send it in now.
NMSRA JOINS THE EMAIL AGE
In the future all newsletters will be sent via email. If we do not have your current email address on file contact Walter Burke through via email address hrssqsh@aol.com. The cost and time associated with printing and mailing the newsletter is prohibitive. We currently have a web page through the USSRA maintained by Dick Silbar (http://www.us-squash.org/squash/cstates/nmsra). All current newsletters are posted as well as some photographs.
NMSRA VIDEO LIBRARY
As a benefit to members the NMSRA has invested in some squash training tapes. "Power Squash" is a 3 video set that teaches "The Basics" "Defense" and "Attacking". It is produced by and features Mike Way the coach of Jonathan Power and Graham Ryding. Mike discusses and demonstrates many techniques. Power and Ryding then demonstrate with drills. These world-ranked players have different styles, and you can see when watching the drills how a skill can be carried out in two different manners.
An added highlight is out takes from the 1998 World Championships with Power playing Ryding, Ahmad Barada, and Peter Nichol on his way to the World Championship. Each out take is cleverly selected to demonstrate each of the techniques being discussed. These videos were expensive. The Club paid $145.00 for the set. They are yours to borrow at no cost for a week at a time. Contact Walter Burke via email, hrssqsh@aol.com, or at 450-5675 to be put on the list.
KIVA CLUB COMPLETES COURT
Thanks to the Kiva Club, New Mexico has its first and only official regulation softball "International" 21-foot court. Rather than converting one of the older hardball courts they elected to build a new court in the parking area adjacent to the billiard table, that the sliding door used to look out on. After building the structure and putting in lighting and air conditioning Anderson Courts from Buffalo NY installed a "suspended" hardwood floor and hardwood walls. The back wall is glass and there are couches and chairs for relaxed viewing.
However, it is only the viewing that is relaxed. Those of us used to playing on "converted" 20-foot courts will notice a huge difference that the extra 6 inches from the T to the side wall makes. Lobs and cross courts are more effective, which means you have to get back to the T. The diagonal distance from front corner to back corner is longer. All of this means more running. Congratulations Kiva Club.
REFEREE CERTIFICATION
If you have ever felt confused by the rules of Squash you are not alone. The game is complicated by the fact that two players use one space. To ensure fair play and safety The World Squash Federation has over the years developed an extensive set of rules. The USSRA and the NMSRA abide by and uses these rules to determine the fair outcome of matches.
It is now possible to become a certified "Club Level" referee by taking an open book test offered by the USSRA. Go to: http://www.us-squash.org/squash/x000610oRules/x1200oClubRefCertification.html. This site can be found on the USSRA home page under the heading "Rules and Referee". You can download the rules, read them over, download the test and complete the test "open book" style. Mail in the results and if you pass you become certified.
It sounds easy but it requires some thought and research to properly answer some of the questions.Becoming a certified referee will help you play the game better and may eliminate some on court disputes and hard feelings.
TOURNAMENTS
For a variety of reasons some of the tournaments that have been on the schedule in the past have not been scheduled this year. The biggest reason perhaps is lack of participation. Each of the last three tournaments that I have attended has had minimal entries. Tournaments take a lot of time and energy from volunteers, as well as expense. Midtown has been through an ownership change and no longer has anyone running the program. There is the potential for a very able person to take it over in the Fall, but until then some of the programs that have been set up in the past have fallen away. The Kiva Club's Classic in December is the healthiest of the New Mexico tournaments. El Gancho's "Not The Vegetable" is scheduled for early Fall or Winter. But we now longer have the Pro's coming for the "Grand Prix" at Midtown, or Midtown's Spring "Green Dot" and "First State Games". Any suggestions about this dilemma are welcome.
VISITING PRO GUY COWEN.
Guy Cowen is a former World Top 30 player from Ireland. He also is a 3 time US age group 30+ and 35+ National Champion, member of the Irish Masters Team and Irish 40+ National Champion. He is a top level certified coach and he likes to visit New Mexico to get out of Houston where he currently resides. He comes here every 6 to 8 weeks and gives lessons at Midtown on Fridays and at El Gancho on Saturdays.
He is next scheduled to come to NM on July 7th and 8th. It's a great opportunity to get a lesson from a top quality player. Contact Doug Campbell 878-9456for lessons at Midtown and Walter Burke 450-5675 or hrssqsh@aol.com for lessons at El Gancho.
NMSRA CONTACTS
Walter Burke, 505-450-5675, hrssqsh@aol.com.
Sean Gallagher, 505-466-3743.
Rick Rennie 505-344-2605,
Doug Campbell 505-878-9456.
NMSRA, PO Box 914 Santa Fe, NM 87504.
HAVE A
GREAT SUMMER!