Rappaport hopes to lead M. Squash to victory

When Penn men's squash junior co-captain Craig Rappaport breaks out his classical music tapes, you know he is preparing for an upcoming match. He will have a double dose this weekend. The team plays two crucial matches this weekend, visiting Yale tomorrow and Brown Sunday. Penn beat the Elis 8-1 and Bears 5-4 in a preseason Ivy scrimmage. "I think Yale will come out strong just because we beat them so badly," Rappaport said, "but I feel we are definitely stronger than both teams." This confident attitude is typical of how Rappaport faces any challenge in squash. He knows it might be tough, but he feels he can overcome any situation. Rappaport will be playing No. 3 this weekend, which is impressive considering he basically only learned to play squash in his freshman year at Penn. He was an all-world junior racquetball player as a teenager, but realized he would have to play squash in college since most schools do not offer racquetball at the collegiate level. "I wanted to go to one of the top schools in the country, and I got recruited to play at Princeton and Brown," he said. "Surprisingly, I didn't get into either, so my choice was made for me." Rappaport had to go through some adjustments while switching from racquetball to squash. The two sports, while similar in the hand-eye coordination requirements, differ in rules and equipment, and Rappaport was forced to learn a new game with a different racquet, ball and court. Perhaps the greatest difference is in the sport's personnel. While racquetball is known as a blue-collar sport, squash is typically learned at country clubs and prep schools. Rappaport, who attended a public school in Lancaster, is the only one on his team not from a private high school. "The differences hit me when I went to a squash banquet and everyone was required to wear a white jacket. At my racquetball club in Lancaster, you didn't even have to wear a shirt," Rappaport said. Rappaport said he has no regrets about playing squash at Penn and is quick to praise the program. "Ned [Edwards] is the best coach in collegiate squash," he said. "He asks more from us than we ever thought possible, but he knows what it takes to be a winner." Rappaport is modest about his success. Yet he is No. 3 on the Quakers despite having limited exposure to the sport. "I haven't been playing the sport for very long," he said. "But I use my speed and fitness, and I don't ever quit." Rappaport said his eventual goals at Penn are to play No. 1 for the team and to be an All-American. But his immediate goal is just to beat Princeton. As for plans after college, Rappaport wants to go to graduate school and get a job. But going pro in racquetball is a possibility because, as he said, "You're only 22 once in your life." Although playing on the squash team can be very draining and takes up a lot of his free time, Rappaport sees the positives in playing squash. "Squash, like most athletics, is a microcosm of life," he said. "If you can win on the squash court, you can win in life."