KENTVILLE, N.S. — Ella Brown and Orlando Ramirez say training for the upcoming Canada Games is not only about making sure they can last the week, but also remembering to laugh through it all.
The two Kings County Squash Club junior members are among the eight players making up the province’s squash team heading to the 2019 Canada Games in Red Deer, Alta., from Feb. 15 to Mar. 3.
Brown, 16, and Ramirez, 18, will join fellow Kings County clubmates Douglas Kosciukiewicz, of Canaan, and Samuel Gallant, of Kingston, at the event. The local athletes have spent the last few weeks training with all eight players under Kings County coach Janet MacLeod, who is also serving as the province’s Canada Games coach.
Brown, who lives in Port Williams, says the team is “getting really excited and working hard” as they make final preparations and keep training ahead of the competition.
“It’s been lots of training and staying in shape, and control games — I feel the intensity has gone up since we’ve known we were picked to go to the Canada Games,” she says.
Playing solo as part of a team
The Canada Games will pit the players against each other and others in preliminary games called encounters to determine who will advance to play against other provinces in later matches.
And as they train together for the encounters and later games, Brown and Ramirez agree it’s been a fresh perspective on their sport, which is normally focused on solo play.
“Sometimes you can get really in your head and get nervous in a solo sport, so when you know someone else is there, wants you to win and is encouraging you, that’s awesome,” says Brown.
“That’s what I love about the Canada Games — they’ve somehow made squash into a team sport, even though you play individually.”
The news they’d been chosen wasn’t a complete shock to either Brown or Ramirez because they represent only a few players competing at their level, and are placed first and second in their respective pools.
But that’s not to say the players aren’t going to serve the competition at the Games.
MacLeod says the team is ranked right in the middle of the pack behind the “big four” — British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec — meaning there is potential for them to bring home some hardware from the competition.
“We’re about in the middle of the pack right now, so we just want to maintain our seating and maybe improve on it, so the chances are good. Douglas is one of the top players in the country, and that will obviously help us out as a team, too,” she says.
A high-speed sport
Ramirez, who lives in Wolfville, says despite the games being the biggest event he’s ever played, he’s confident he’ll recognize faces from past competitions after having competed at junior nationals twice.
He says this means he’s not feeling nervous about the scope of the games, but says the nerves always kick in once he hits the court.
“I’m pretty sure when I get into the game it’ll be a little bit different, as it always is. But you’ve just got to get over that and go,” he says.
Brown says she’s working on taking the ball early and making more volleys throughout her matches to also keep her pace up.
She says the sport is always more high-intensity than it seems, and feels like a constant sprint for athletes as they play.
And with their respective game styles largely hammered down, it’s this intensity and speed they are all looking to continue honing.
“It’s a lot of physical work and a lot of mental work because it’s an individual sport, and sometimes that can be tough. It’s so fast, and the decisions you have to make are so quick, and it’s amazing how much goes into it. It’s so technical, too — the slightest twist of your racket means the difference between putting it in the nick or not,” she says.
“A lot of the prepping is just technique and a lot of movement and cardio to make sure we’ll be able to last the week.”
Part of something special
While Brown says she sees competing at the Canada Games “as an opportunity to show how hard I’ve been working at playing squash,” Ramirez says he’s most looking forward to meeting the other players and forging new friendships.
“I think it’s going to be super hype — meeting other people who are as involved as we are in the sport and hearing their different stories. I hope to make a bunch of friends,” he says.
As she continues honing her skills, Brown says she will keep relying on her positivity to keep her own spirits, and those of her teammates, high ahead of, and during, the competition.
She says she feels she’s a good leader of the team for more reasons than her first-place ranking — the “eclectic” sense of humour that she prides herself on.
“I’m good at staying positive for others especially, and am really proud of how funny I am. I think I have a knack for making people laugh by being super random,” she says.
Ramirez says he can always be counted on to make each club player have something to do, and that while people are focusing on their own individual skills, they remain focused on not taking anything too seriously, and remembering to have a laugh.
“Everyone should be doing something, and being productive or having a laugh — that’s how the dynamic should be. If we’re just hanging out on our phones that’s a really disappointing time,” he says.
Support means everything
They agree that it’s MacLeod’s support that has the team ready to tackle the competition.
“She’s been through thick and thin with us, and she’s like our squash mother. The support from her is just amazing,” says Brown.
MacLeod says she’s “so very proud” of her athletes as they head into the Games because they are “good validation for some of the things we’ve been doing.”
She also says players will take away even more than the potential of winning from the Canada Games, and that the pep rally in Halifax they recently attended alongside the rest of Team Nova Scotia offered a small preview of what their experience will be like.
“You really felt like you were part of something special, and I was really glad for these guys who were part of it,” she says.
“You have all these athletes from all over the place coming together to share in a sporting experience. Some of them go on to continue and excel, and for others it’s an opportunity to go and meet all kinds of other players. Being part of that bigger team is really fun,” she says.
Brown says this really is what it’s all about for all involved.
“I’d say for sure, there’s a little bit of nervousness. But, for me, it’s mostly about excitement because I know that we’re going to go and we’re all going to do our best — and it doesn’t matter if we win or lose as long as we have fun,” she says.
“We’re going for the experience and to represent our province and do our best.”
