Sverige, Min Sverige

True to my last post, the Squashist did indeed go to Sweden, a/k/a Sverige, and had 8 great days poking all around Stockholm, which is a beautiful, glorious city. If you have never been there and have the time and wherewithal to make the trip, make it.

Above, a view of the Storkyrkan -- the big church.... 

I decided to not bring my squash kit because I realized I was going to be walking around all day, literally for miles and miles. I did spy two typically gorgeous Svenska girls with squash rackets sticking out of their backpacks, so they play the game in Stockholm for sure. 

Squash does have a way of following me, though. I went to the Army Museum, which tells the amazing tale of how Sweden, a once warlike country that got into numerous wars with its neighbors -- particularly the Danes, who were responsible for the truly bloody "Stockholm bloodbath" -- eventually realized all that fighting wasn't really getting them anywhere, and as a society they have renounced war ever since. It's been 200 hundred years....

The museum exhibition talks about the role of the Swedish military in keeping the peace in trouble spots all over the world, and those missions have sometimes put their military in some very hot spots indeed. 

But they had a section towards the end where they mentioned that peace-keeping can be either very exciting -- being shot at, for example -- or boring as hell, and so they mentioned a few of the ways these overseas Swedish personnel tried to amuse themselves. In this exhibit, I spied the following: 

Hard to see, I know, but this is the picture of the winning cup for a squash tournament among UN emergency personnel. It seems Sweden beat Malaysia for the title (date unknown). 

I hope to be back next year with my family, and this time I'll take my squash stuff.

Jag Resa Slutligen till Sverige - Inte!

Jag har noterat den här bloggen att min mor var född i Sverige och att jag är en elev i svenska. Mycket tyvärr dog min lärare i svenska, men jag fortfarande läser svenska, kallas oftast på en webbplats "8 Sidor" - www.8sidor.se.

I ett desperat försök att besöka Sverige, försökte jag att vara en av ett några personer som valts att vara i en "reality TV show", kallas den Stora Svenska Adventure. Jag förstår att 1300 personer sökt, och jag överlevde till den sista 100.  Men jag tror att det bara fanns 12 människor i slutet. Serien börjar filma i juni. 

Jag tror att det finns mycket att beundra om Sverige. Jag kommer att resa dit de närmaste åren säkert, och även jag hoppas kunna spela lite socialistisk squash.

Gott Nytt år och Fred På Jorden!

That's Swedish for 'Happy new year and peace on earth,' a wish that seems to crop up every year about this time and which gets subsequently dashed among the sharp rocks of reality sometime during the first week of January. Oh well, keep hoping, people....

As the year has ended it is good to look back and wrap up a blog or two from the past year. Recently I highlighted the possible demise of the squash courts at the Printing House, a NYC club. Despite a concerted effort, those clubs are indeed history. A corporate fitness group bought the club and, in their genius, told the squash players to take a hike. I hope they do....

The PSA and the Pro Squash Tour are still at loggerheads. There apparently has been some discussion between the two organizations in an attempt to settle their jurisdictional dispute amicably, and these talks have not been without some success, but in the end fundamental differences persist. It looks likely that this will be decided in court. Meanwhile, the PSA and John Nimick will soon put on the fantastic show known as the Tournament of Champions; I'll be there, still irritated by the PSA's stance but too enticed by this great tournament.

Some things don't change: the incomparable Nicol David, the greatest twinkle in the squash firmament, is still number one, and is likely to remain so as long as she can maintain her focus (Question: Why isn't there a women's ToC?). And Nick Matthew is again number one on the men's side, as he was early last year. He seems to be in the best shape of all the men at the moment and I pick him to win the ToC; sorry James Willstrop!

A bad thing that happened last year: the squash world lost SquashZAG, which was a much-needed and much-appreciated addition for squash's chattering classes. Squashsite is a good site, I log on every day, but could we get another decent squash news site that would add another voice? Please? There are some good blogs out there, and some non-news squash sites that are interesting (here's one: check out South Africa's own SquashBall site), but no other major English-language squash news site. And could a major sports firm put the money needed to push squash up a notch in the sports world's conciousness? And make a lot of money in the process? Hellllloooo, Nike, is anyone home over there????

Personally, I've had a tough year physically, especially early on, with nagging injuries and, in January 2010, an ankle operation. But I'm feeling better lately, partially as a result of finally getting it through my thick skull that I can't play 4 or 5 times a week anymore, I'm not that young anymore, and that 1 or 2 good squash matches a week may be the best approach for me (with 1 or 2 tennis matches thrown in for spice). The end result is: I'm still having a great time out there on the court, still playing pretty damn well, and looking forward to the next time. 

Which in my case will be this Monday morning against my old nemesis Schumacher -- man, he bugs me. I must get Schumacher....