Big plans to court a wider audience unveiled
JUST like the pyramids of Egypt and Times Square in New York, the fast-paced sport of squash can help showcase Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns Squash International organisers say.
The tournament starts next week at Sportsworld Fitness in Westcourt with top-ranked players from around the world hitting the court.
But organiser Marc Forster said future events may take the game to the masses by holding the tournament on the Cairns Esplanade.
“Our biggest goal is to be outside with an all-glass court one day,” he said. “They do it in New York and places like Egypt. Why not do it here?”
It’s estimated that designing and building the court would cost almost $100,000 but Forster said the event would attract significant publicity for the region.
“The sport is an incredible combination of stamina, fit- ness, power, aerobic and anaerobic capacity with two guys in a boxing-style environment going at it flat out.
“It’s a great spectacle and when you see it live it’s a really fast and furious game.”
This year’s tournament will feature recently retired Innisfail squash player Steven Finitsis and Trinity Bay State High School student Courtney Mather.
Finitsis, who made the men’s final last year, said he was looking forward to dusting off the old racquet.
“I treat it match-by-match. I’ll see how the body holds up but it would be a massive bonus if I went as well as I did last year,” he said.