Around the world and into the rankings

About 600 Penn students study abroad every year, but student-athletes are rarely able to take advantage of this opportunity.

Former Quakers squash standout Runa Reta probably does not mind.

That is because Reta, a 2003 graduate, is currently traveling all around the world as a professional squash player.

Ranked No. 125 in the world back in August 2001, Reta has methodically climbed the ranks of the Women's International Squash Players Association. Her stay outside of the top 100 did not last long, as she jumped to No.77 a year later, and then to No. 33 by August, 2004. Since then, she has hovered just outside the top 30 and is currently standing at No. 32.

The Ottawa-born star is now the top player in Canada, and has played in 35 main tour events since she entered the international squash scene. Her travels have brought her from Qatar to Quito, Ecuador -- where she won the Quito Open Squash Championship last fall.

For Reta, traveling to to Negril, Jamaica and Goshen, Ind. in the same month is not something out of the ordinary.

But Reta is hardly going at it alone.

"The squash community is a small, tight-knit group of players that travel the world over for the pure love and challenge of the sport," Reta wrote in an e-mail. "Over the years, we have gotten to know each other reasonably well and appreciate each others' different backgrounds."

There are some setbacks, however.

"Playing squash is certainly closer to being a starving artist than a financial consultant," current Penn women's squash coach Jack Wyant said.

"The reality is that [squash players are] doing it on a shoe-string budget," said Wyant, who did not coach Reta but has gotten to know her since she graduated. "If she goes to South America and doesn't do well, she's not going to make enough money to cover her trip."

This is not to say Reta's current career choice is causing her Penn education to go to waste.

Reta writes a regular column on Squashtalk.com -- one of the sport's most popular Web sites. Her columns have discussed player etiquette, everyday international life and how to deal with the the sport's pressures.

"I obviously had to write many papers in my day, and Penn helped to refine my writing skills," Reta said.

However, there should be no doubt that Reta's career will be more dependent on things she learned on the Ringe Squash Courts than in the classroom.

"She worked really hard at it. ... I'm not totally surprised," said Demer Holleran, who coached Reta during her freshman and sophomore years. "She's always been talented, but I think she can go even further with her international rankings."

If Reta cracks the top 24, she will automatically qualify for the major tournament events.

While she is zeroed-in on this target, Reta says that she will never fail to appreciate the settings in which she finds herself -- whether that be an indoor court in Indiana or a pristine white beach in Egypt.

"It's times like those when you just shake your head and realize how lucky you are to be doing what you're doing," Reta said.

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