Choate squash teams were given a chance to break from their normal practice schedules last week in order to gain valuable experience playing with collegiate level athletes. The week began Monday with a visit from three players from the perennial NCAA-champion Trinity College squash team, and continued on Tuesday as Choate players traveled to New Haven to practice at Yale University. Trinity Collge and Yale University are currently both in the top five in the NCAA rankings.

Simba Muhwati, Shaun Johnstone, and Lauren Polonich of Trinity College came to Choate in order to advise students from both the boys’ and girls’ varsity and junior varsity teams. At the beginning of the boys’ practice, Muhwati and Johnstone played a demonstration match. Afterwards, boys from both teams took to the court and were able to receive one-on-one advice from the players.

The girls’ practice was run in a fashion similar to the boys, with Polonich and Johstone playing the demonstration match. After each girl had had an opportunity to play individually with the one of the players, Muhwati and Johnstone participated in one last demo.

The Trinity players were brought to Choate thanks to Andy McComas ’09. McComas first met Johnstone at Trinity match last year, and he was able to arrange a time to play with him over the summer. After playing with him a couple times, Mr. Johnstone introduced McComas to some of his teammates, and eventually he was familiar with four or five Trinity players. Given that Trinity was still on winter break in mid-January, McComas inquired if “they would come to Choate and help us out.”

Johnstone, the #2 player on a Trinity men’s team that is ranked first in the nation, was glad to be able to work with students individually. He explained that “it is always nice to be able to get a chance to chat one-on-one, as I feel each player is very different and sometimes certain players are able to take away more from this.”

Choate students impressed their visitors with both their eagerness to play and with their overall level of skill. Muhwati, Trinity’ #10, stated that “I thought they seemed to enjoy playing squash, which is really the most important thing.” He complimented the students in explaining that “I was pleasantly surprised by the overall level of squash that I found at Choate.”

Overall, the players from Trinity felt that Choate students displayed skills that might allow them to compete in college. Polonich, the #3 player on the third ranked women’s team in the U.S., said that if Choate players “continue to work hard on their games and make the necessary changes, they [will] be able to play at the college level.”

The trip to Yale University differed from the session with the Trinity players. Rather than playing short games and receiving lessons on tactics and strategies, the top eight players from the Choate boys’ and girls’ varsity teams played full matches against Yale players. Mr. Will Morris, the boys’ varsity head coach, explained that “the trip to Yale was less about coaching and more about playing games against a variety of talented opponents.”

Similar to the visit from Trinity, the trip to Yale was made thanks to a Choate connection. Mr. Thomas Foster, the girls’ varsity coach and former coach of the boys’ team, has been friends with the Yale men’s varsity coach, Mr. David Talbott, for a number of years. Mr. Foster’s boys’ teams traditionally tried make the trip to Yale every year, and Mr. Foster helped arrange the visit now that he has returned to being a head coach this year. In addition, Mr. Foster is trying to arrange scrimmages with both Wesleyan University and Vassar College.

Both Choate players and coaches believe that playing with those at a higher skill level is very beneficial to an athlete’s development. Mr. Foster explained that even by just “watching the best players you become a better player, even if you don’t get on the court yourself. You see how to do it right.”

Added Michael Koh ’08, co-captain of the Choate boys’ varsity squash team, “Getting your ass destroyed once in a while is really good for you because you get a much better feel for the game…I feel like I’ve been playing better [already].”

Anne Cheng ’07, captain of the girls’ varsity squash team, explained that “playing better players than you is always a good thing.”

Both varsity squash teams are enjoying good seasons. As of last Saturday, the boys’ record stood at 5-4, while the girls had a record of 9-1.