W. Squash visits Great Britain, the game's birthplace

Buckingham Palace. Double-decker buses. Afternoon tea. Cricket. Queen Elizabeth. Squash. Yes, squash. The popularity of squash in England drew the Penn women's squash team abroad for a 10-day trip Jan. 3-13. Squash, which many Americans assume is just an off-beat version of racquetball, actually originated in England and is just as British as Wimbledon or the Windsor Castle. Coach Demer Holleran and 10 members of the women's squash team went to merry olde England to search out the best of British squash. They barnstormed across the country from London to Nottingham playing opponents indiscriminately -- young and old, male and female. "Squash is such a part of everyday life in England," said Holleran, "It started there and is played by everyone from housewives to pensioners (retired people)." Immediately the team noticed the respect squash is given in England, in sharp contrast with the confusion and befuddlement that surround the sport in America. "In England, everyone is aware of squash, while here no one here has heard of it and everyone confuses it with racquetball," junior No. 1 Lissa Hunsicker said. "It was great to travel to a place where squash is so popular," sophomore Abby Hopkins said. The abundance and variety of British squash forced the Quakers to dramatically shift their style of play. The courts in England are wider and much colder than the standard American courts. Thus the surroundings were foreign both literally and figuratively. The wider courts and experienced competition forced the Red and Blue to use their heads as well as their athleticism. "It was an intense week of matches against tough teams, which improved our endurance," senior captain Liz Fuss said. "We played against teams with more experience, which helped develop strategy and build our mental game." "It was a frustrating but inspirational trip," Hunsicker said. "Their players were talented, which helped us improve dramatically." The difficult competition and frequency of matches in England provided necessary experience for the Penn team. The Quakers are about to hit a weekend with three tough but winnable matches on the road against Williams, Connecticut College and Trinity. "Surprisingly, despite the tough matches, we are much better from the experience," Hopkins said, "It gave us more confidence both mentally and physically." "The experience will carry us through the end of the season," Fuss said. "It should turn some potentially tight matches into close wins." All in all it was a valuable experience for the Quakers on and off the court. "It was a solid balance of culture as well as squash," Holleran said. "We learned to appreciate their love of the sport and the different ways of playing which should be valuable and help us win matches that count." · Today's scheduled meet against Johns Hopkins was cancelled because the Blue Jays had a conflict. The match may or may not be made up later in the season.