Jane Emerick
Special to The Chief
Talent from all over southern BC came to participate in the Sea to Sky Open this weekend, hosted by the Squamish Valley Squash Club.
Jim McKean, president of the club and tournament organizer, said 43 entrants were involved in the four-day event."Half of those were from out of town and half of those were local," he said. "We had entrants from Lytton to Abbotsford as well as Vancouver Island."
The double knockout event had players seeded from levels A to D based on their personal knowledge of play and a Squash B.C. ranking system.
Robbin Burns of North Vancouver played Rob Eberhard of Whistler in the men's A final. Burns defeated Eberhard 3-1 in an exciting match Sunday afternoon.
Chris Runnells of Squamish was the winner of men's B, Chris Makela of Whistler won the men's C and Chris Oxner of Squamish won the men's D.
Caroline Shortreed of Squamish was on top of the women's side, winning the A division and Marlene West of Abbotsford, was the winner of women's C. (There was no women's B division.)
Apart from the intense play, McKean said the social aspects of the tournament are an important and enjoyable part of the event."We've had a riot this weekend," he said. "We are a social group."
The club hosted a chili and beer event Friday night, breakfast every day, and band and dinner Saturday night. Beer was sponsored by the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Co. and the breakfasts were supplied by the Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club. $4,000 in prizes from local sponsorships and club members were also apart of the tournament.
Coun. Raj Kahlon participated in the tournament and said the squash community provided more than just exercise for Squamish."This group is about friendship and positive spirit," he said.
Kahlon tied fellow councillor Jeff McKenzie in the tournament; however McKenzie came out on top as the result of a coin toss. The squash club was established in Squamish in 1978 by some inspired locals who decided they wanted to play more squash. According to McKean, the club had to make the decision about whether they wanted squash, racketball or handball. He said he believes the British ancestry of the original members was the reason squash prevailed.
McKean said the 55 member-strong club is always looking for new members of all ages and levels and the club offers introductory lesson.
"It's a great game, very addicting and mentally challenging." he said.
The Squamish Valley Squash Club's next event will be a club tournament at the end of March. For any more information about the club call the Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club at 604-898-9521.
