Northampton, MA — Recently, Western Mass Squash had the opportunity to interview Shona Kerr, Wesleyan’s squash coach.

Kerr moved to the United States in 2001 and became the head coach at Wellesley College, an all women’s liberal arts college. During her time at Wellesley, she coached the squad to 44 victories.  Shortly after Kerr announced her departure for Wesleyan University for the 2005 – 2006 season, Wellesley ended its varsity squash program.  Last season, Wellesley regained its varsity status.

At Wesleyan University, Kerr, who also holds the rank of adjunct assistant professor of physical education, coaches both the men’s and women’s  squash teams. Her program has thirty men and women. The teams’ home facility, the Rosenbaum Squash Center, was completed in 2005.  The facility has eight air-conditioned international courts, each with a wireless scoreboard.  In addition, there is a full sound system available at the courts.

Kerr has coached the US Junior National squads, Squashbuster Summer programs, and various other camps. She is currently the women’s president of the College Squash Association.

In addition to squash, Kerr is an avid racketlon player.  Racketlon is a game that combines squash, tennis, badminton, and table tennis. She is currently ranked 27th in the world and has been ranked as high as number 11.

In our interview, we discussed her background, coaching, her team, practice, equipment, the College Squash Association, and recruiting.

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BACKGROUND:

WMS: How did you learn to play squash?

Kerr: Both my parents played having picked up the game in their 20’s. It was their social life so my brother and I would spend hours at the squash club – it made sense to play! The club I first remember required that you buy tokens to put in a meter for the lights to come on. If someone had left-over court light time I would sneak on with my parents’ racket and a ball to try and hit. It was a Wooden Dunlop Maxply Fort racket that was way too heavy for a 5 or 6 year old. From there we moved house, changed clubs, and I asked for some lessons and it went from there.

WMS: Did you compete as a junior?

Kerr: I played extensively as a junior and was lucky to be in the South East of England, which had an excellent junior development structure. My club, Dunnings Mill in Sussex, competed in U12, U14, and U16 leagues so our junior team would train together once a week and play once a week. From here you were selected for the county team then on to the “area” team and ultimately the national team. I was coached by the “pro” at my club and was then lucky enough to work with Pakistani squash player, Hiddy Jahan – I have a lot to thank him for.

I played a lot of tournaments as well as team play resulting in making the England National Squad and representing at both U16 and U19 levels. I also played for the Sussex women’s team and junior teams as I developed my game.

WMS: After playing extensively as a junior, how was your high school and college career?

Kerr: Although I went to a high school that had a squash team it was not the focus of my playing. The same was true while I studied at Cardiff University; the squash team-play was very much a social element. There is a large British Universities sports event where I represented the Welsh Universities team for four consecutive years. Yale’s Gareth Webber was also on this team. We were the only Welsh team to beat England, Ireland, and Scotland and we did this at least two years in a row if my memory serves me correctly. Gareth went to a neighbor University in Cardiff known as UWIC – I would play on their league team that went on to represent Wales in the European Championship and ultimately their college team after I graduated to win the British Squash Championship.

WMS: We have seen you play some WISPA events.  Do you focus on professional squash or coaching?

Kerr: I have played numerous professional tournaments but never staked my living on it.

COACHING:

WMS: Let’s focus on coaching then.  Being that the English coaching system is slightly different, how did you start coaching?

Kerr: I gained my coaching qualifications as soon as I was old enough. The youngest you could be was 17 so I started with my level 1 then. By 19 I had my England Squash Level 3 certification. I coached at Cardiff University part time and also coached some youth squash courses at UWIC before moving to the States.

WMS: Did you have a coaching mentor?

Kerr: Hiddy Jahan was my coach and mentor as a junior. I still fall back on his wise words.

Since then I have drawn on many different colleagues for advice and opinion, not necessarily just in the squash world. My absolute “go to in a crisis” coaching colleague happens to coach soccer but is always able to analyze what I am not seeing and tell it to me straight. In terms of squash tactics, skill and strategy I glean from as many players and coaches as possible. It was great to work with David Palmer, Shahir Raskik, and Julian Illingworth this summer and gain their perspective.

I spent a number of years working camps with Demer Holleran. It is always invaluable to get a female perspective and insight to the game (there are not enough of us out there). I would be wrong not to mention Tim Bacon in this mix although we definitely “debate” all aspects of squash and often have different ways to approach the sport.

WESLEYAN:

WMS: At Wesleyan, how do you foster the team environment?

Kerr: To me this is possibly the most important part of college coaching. I work with my captains to set some very clear expectations of what it means to be a varsity squash student/athlete. A team environment can only work if every member is working to the same goals so goal setting as a group is very important to me.

We have several formal and informal social events to get to know each other outside of the courts and during most practices there will be some kind of team building activity in the practice plan. The teams help teach squash clinics to the community at Wesleyan and fundraise together for the program. Where a group might need an intervention or individuals are falling behind I like to deal with these directly and figure out how to help.   Every group of players will need something different each year to help bring the group together.

I am a big proponent of accountability to others and being cohesive as a team. Squash is played by individuals, so you could argue the importance of this. To me it is more important because of the individual nature of the sport.

At the college level I believe it is essential that team members train, push, and motivate each other – this is key. Understanding how to coach each other in a match situation is crucial and requires team work with 5 or even 10 matches being played at one time.

WMS: What schools are your top rivals on the court?

Kerr: NESCAC schools, Connecticut College, Colby College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst. We narrowly lost 5-4 to Stanford last season, would be good to get them back.

WMS: What are the challenges to recruiting players to Wesleyan and which schools are your recruiting rivals?

Kerr: In my situation at Wesleyan it would have to be the high academic requirements of the school. It is an institution that does not wish to dilute this by giving large exceptions to athletes. I often encounter players that would dearly love to attend Wesleyan but don’t quite have the grades to make it.

Williams, Amherst, and Wesleyan make up the “Little 3″ and can be rivals. Brown has a similar school philosophy and “feel” so many students will look at both options. Other Ivy schools are often in the mix as the entry requirements are not much different.

WMS: On your team, do you have any players who learn the game in college?

Kerr: Yes, more so on the women’s side where maybe a third of the current team took up the sport in college. On the men’s side it is harder to do. In my first year at Wesleyan 2 players converted from tennis and have competed at the number 9 position.

WMS: Has your team gone on any training trips?

Kerr: YES! We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last January and will be returning in January 2009. Last year Jonathan Power trained alongside us, making it an inspirational setting of sun, sand, training and fun, which was even more motivating.

PRACTICES:

WMS: Do you focus on fundamentals with your elite talent or do you simply inspire them and run conditioning drills?

Kerr: With the elite athlete I am looking at their complete game – technical, physical, strategy and the mental aspect. I would look to maintain and improve the elite player’s strengths and strengthen their weaknesses. These could be in any area. As an example, I have a top player whose anticipation is world class, his mental composure is also world class, his physical conditioning is good but he had no drop shot to speak of. We worked on this area for a year and it is finally in place as a highly effective tool. It’s kind of the law of diminishing returns in that as you improve it can be one little thing that can take a very long time to establish but make a huge difference with the advanced player.

WMS: Describe your typical practice sessions.

Kerr: I believe in introducing all aspects of the game in the context they will be played so a lot of my practices are game based. These can be condition-games or open drills. If in these situations a technical problem arises we can take a step back, fix this and see the benefit of doing so. With the very limited time constraints of college squash, the student understands, and has in real time, practiced a strategic situation they will need.

We start with a team warm up and will have a concept for the day. I write out and print the practice plan that includes timings for each exercise, the activity/drill/game we are doing along with the focus of that drill/game. This is then posted on every court so as a squash team we are all on the same page, freeing the coaches to coach.

Day to day and week to week we use different configurations of men and women training separately, together, or with an overlap in the middle of the session. It depends where we are in the season and what we are doing. A session on volleying will look very different to an afternoon of challenge matches. The beginning of the season will look very different to preparing to compete at the national championships.

If you were to walk in on a week-day practice you would see a hive of focused court activity, an intensity of work and some laughter at some of the stupid stuff that inevitably happens.

WMS: What do you consider the biggest error new players make?

Kerr: Not having a good coach! There are very common errors, which are even more commonly not corrected or helped early.  Changing technique, movement, and strategy – all are hard to change if bad habits are formed. If we want to talk about the most common intuitive bad habits of the starting player they are:

1. Closed “tennis-style” grip – without an open face it is impossible to play of the back wall or retrieve a good drop. It “feels” successful in open court play but WILL break down.
2. Getting way too close to the ball and taking too many steps.
3. Approaching the ball facing the front wall vs. facing the side wall

WMS: How much of coaching is helping players overcome mental barriers?

Kerr: Squash is a mental sport in terms of strategy, composure, and real time decision making so that this is a large part of coaching.

WMS: How much time do you advise your players to take off from squash per year? Does this help them mentally recharge?

Kerr: I would like to see my players play squash a little more year round so I’m not at that point. But I insist after the season that players don’t come close to the courts for at least a couple of weeks.

WMS: How much conditioning would you advise a college or recreational player to do in preparation for matches?

Kerr: Physical conditioning should be planned. Sport academic research has shown that athletes can physically and mentally peak three times a year so recreational players and college players should pick the three peaks for their season and train accordingly. The hardest physical training should happen in the “off” periods and then taper down towards peaking where the focus should be on court.

WMS: What do you think of squash coaching certification courses?

Kerr: I think it sets a standard. If nationally a coach is certified then employers and individuals know that they have passed a certain set standard.

Different countries have more or less developed systems in this area. The US is basically in its infancy in terms of squash coaching certification but I believe in its evolution and purpose. The Canadian system is highly advanced and the English system well established.

My observation in moving to the US is that good and indeed top players are often employed in coach positions with no coaching guidance or experience – this is hard for both them and the people they work alongside and with.

As someone who has seen both sides I firmly believe that a “Professional Coach” is different to a “Professional Player.” A player has “their” perspective of the game; a coach should have many perspectives to best fit the different players they are working with and should have a battery of  skills to convey these. What works for me personally is not necessarily successful for someone else and I should have other options for that person to excel with the talents they have.

Managing a team situation is another whole level of being a coach that should not be underestimated by the novice. Coaching courses should be an invaluable aid in assisting the transition from player to coach. The US could really use this and have it tailored to high school/college squash/club squash particular to the US.

EQUIPMENT:

WMS: What racquet do you use?

Kerr: I use Wilson and have had an arrangement with them since the age of 13. I am personally playing with a Wilson n-code 120.

WMS: Do you wear eyeguards during your own formal or informal matches?

Kerr: Yes I do. For those that don’t, I would recommend the iMask Chamber of horrors page. As a junior no one wore eye protection. Now I feel that eyesight is just too important to not. Eyeguards have saved me even teaching.

WMS: Why don’t pros set an example by wearing eyeguards?

Kerr: Vanity. I was not used to wearing eye protection on arriving from the UK and resisted. It does feel very strange initially. The photos wouldn’t look so good in the magazine and maybe as a professional it is at your own risk to not wear eyeguards. I would like to see an example set and with some cool eyeguards everyone wants.

COLLEGE SQUASH ASSOCIATION:

WMS: If you could change one thing about college squash, what would it be?

Kerr: When a program decides to have one coach for both a men’s and women’s team I would like to see more gender equity among coaches-almost all joint programs have a male coach. I would like for the women’s game to receive the development it needs to match the men in terms of numbers and gender equity coaching support.

WMS: It is rare for a college squash team to make significant moves in the rankings from one season to the next. Do you believe this is a reflection of a team’s abilities, schedule, or the ranking system?

Kerr: The main factors, taking out coaching and room for team improvement, that attribute to a team’s success are academic ranking as a school and willingness from admissions to give breaks to athletes.

If you look at the college squash rankings from the top down they basically reflect academic prowess unless the school makes squash a priority and will make academic concessions for a squash player. Trinity is an academic anomaly having made it a school priority to have a top squash team through supporting a significant number of international students.

There are levels, in general the Ivy league is tier 1, the NESCAC schools are tier 2 and most others are tier 3. The all women’s schools are in their own category as research has shown that only 5% of female athletes will consider an all girls environment. There are grey areas within this such as, does the program have a full time coach and varsity set up, etc….

WMS: Do you think consecutive team champions help or hurt the progress of college squash?

Kerr: Trinity has done more for squash nationally than any other program or set up in my opinion. This does not detract from the frustration of not being able to compete with them but I think it has been only good for the game of squash in the US. How else would we have gotten coverage in Sports Illustrated or on ESPN? It just makes it more special if a team can top that and makes us all try!

WMS: Would you like College Squash to be a fully recognized by the NCAA? How would NCAA recognition change College Squash?

Kerr: Right now this option is only on the table for women’s squash. To attain the “opportunity” to discuss this we need to grow from 29 programs to 40 programs. There are many fears as to how the NCAA would affect how we run college squash currently, particularly concerning the national championships. If we attained the required number of teams a committee would be formed comprising of 50% coaches and 50% NCAA staff to decide how NCAA squash would run. This could well mean championships as we have them now to decide a top 8 to go on and compete in an NCAA championship or if the top 8 is the NCAA competition and we compete for the various divisions in the same way we always have. I think it would give the women’s side more funding and validation for others to start programs.

RECRUITING:

WMS: Do you recruit international players?

Kerr: Yes – but it is a different process. There is less financial aid available for international students who must earn it academically. Wesleyan has a phenomenal program offering 2 full academic scholarships to each East Asian Country. These students are known as “Freeman Scholars” after the family that endowed the scheme. It would be great to have squash players at Wesleyan under this scheme. If an international student is able to fund their education it is considerably easier but I entertain all enquiries and if I know I can’t help I pass them on to Trinity!

WMS: For aspiring college players, what advice would you give them?

Kerr: Work really hard on your grades, know that you want to play squash in college and talk to coaches early (spring break junior year). A good college coach can tell if you are not that interested in their school or playing squash for four years so don’t try to just “use” it to get in.

There are currently no scholarships in this sport and I think parents and players overrate the advantage playing squash can have in terms of acceptance. It surely does assist a talented few but good grades will have more of an impact in conjunction with their sport.

Find a college coach you can relate to and use them to find out about the application process – this is a resource that non-prospective athletes do not have. Many coaches can give you feedback as to how your application will be read – some more than others. Use this information; again – other students are not privy to this.

WMS: How do you find time to evaluate junior players?

Kerr: We are mostly all in the same boat on this one. Our season has the same dates as the high school squash season and junior tournament season so it is often a matter of numbers. I would look at what position a player is on their school team, how good that team is (A division, B division, etc) and any results against players I have seen. If the player predominantly plays tournaments I will look at their ranking and again at results against any juniors I have seen. We have camps at Wesleyan so if they are able to attend camp I am able to get an excellent idea where a player stands.

Some players will send DVDs. I wish they would do this more as I can see a lot in a very short space of time no matter the quality of the footage.

FREE ASSOCIATION:

WMS: On a lighter note, let’s conclude with some sentence completion.

Kerr: Sure.

WMS: People would be surprised to learn that …

Kerr: …I am a music major and play saxophone and bassoon.

WMS: Other than my college’s courts, my favorite courts are…

Kerr: …anywhere hot with plaster walls.

WMS: During the off season, you…

Kerr: …Recruit, Travel, play “Racketlon” (table-tennis, badminton, squash and tennis), run, plan for next year, work out and find time to say hi to my boyfriend.

WMS: If you were not involved in squash you would be…

Kerr: …teaching music in a school.

WMS: When you are introduced to people who are not familiar with squash, they…

Kerr: …can’t believe I have a full time job in the sport.

WMS: Your hobbies are …

Kerr: …Music, taking classes, (just completed my MA at Wesleyan), racketlon, tennis, reading, playing with my iPhone.

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Tags

• Coaching, College Squash, Interview, Little Three, Racketlon, Recruiting, Shona Kerr, Tim Bacon, Trinity, Wellesley, Wesleyan