Jen’s among the girls who can when it comes to squash
MACCLESFIELD is home to one of the 11 women or girls fronting a national campaign to encourage more female participation in squash.
Jen Powell, 29, is a keen ambassador for a sport that she plays, as captain of Prestbury Ladies’ Second Team, at Cheshire League level - despite having taken it up only two years ago.
And yet, like some of the women she will seek to inspire over the coming months under the new ‘Squash Girls Can’ initiative, she was never sporty at school - and, until recently, would never have considered exercise to be anything approaching a pleasure!
“When my Dad joined the club at Prestbury, and first attempted to get me to play, I really didn’t like it,” explained Jen, a children’s nurse who has lived in the town for 18 years.
“Then, a couple of years ago, a local player Simon Fisher was looking for opponents with whom he could break the world record for most consecutive squash singles matches.
“Prestbury was hosting the attempt, and I put my name down to join in. Once there, I met a number of women who either already played at the club or wanted to give squash a try - and those six or seven of us who were beginners ended up forming the basis of a new Ladies’ Second Team.”
The transition from first picking up a racket to playing team squash was, naturally, far from an overnight process.
“We needed a year to get up to speed,” continued Jen, “although as our training sessions went on, they didn’t feel like exercise, or regimented in any way - but more like fun!
“I also found my aspirations changing. Having been typically body-conscious when growing up, I began to look up to players who not only had good fitness levels, but also were strong mentally and - unlike in some other sports - incredibly well-mannered!
“The new starters among us went from being club-mates to friends, so when the time came last year to form a league side the team spirit was already there.
“Our first competitive season, which ended recently, has been a steep learning curve - which you would expect, as a team full of completely new players is almost unheard of.
“We started off seeing how many points per game each of us could get - and then claiming the odd game, before actually winning a match.
“And because matches are marked by players, we needed help at the start from our opponents with refereeing and scoring.
“But we got better - and established friendships with other clubs. When we met them for reverse fixtures later in the season, they said how much our play had improved and that gave us a huge confidence boost.
“Now the team can’t wait for our second season to begin this autumn!”
‘Squash Girls Can’ is the second iteration of a project run by the sport’s national governing body, England Squash, that, by profiling people like Jen, celebrates women and girls up and down the country playing and coaching - as well as changing perceptions about squash and showcasing the benefits it can bring - with a view to getting more involved in female-only sessions that are organised at clubs.
And the individual ambassadors have a more direct role to play, beyond having their stories brought to life, as they spread the word locally about how ‘squash girls can’ spend quality-time together while getting fit and having fun.
“I’ve had a really good response so far,” adds Jen.
“Several women at my work have now started playing - and we are getting new recruits along to the sessions at Prestbury on Wednesday evenings.
For any other women and girls in and around our town who may be interested in trying squash, Jen does not hesitate before extolling the sport’s virtues.
“You don’t have to look a certain way, and you don’t have to be a certain person, anyone can play it.
“Because of its high intensity, it doesn’t take up too much time, so is easy to fit around work, childcare and life in general. As an indoor sport, it can be played all year round - and is relatively cheap, too.
“You have to try it. I guarantee that if you do, you’ll get hooked - just like me!”
Further details about ‘Squash Girls Can’ are available on the England squash website at
https://www. englandsquash.com/ get-involved/play/ ways-to-play/squashgirls-can