Check out this article written in the New York Times about Marina Stefanoni, a young U.S prodigy who is coming through the Junior ranks and set to dominate the international squash scene. Make sure to keep an eye out for her in the coming years!

Sydney, NSW, Australia - April 16, 2018. The East Coast Squash Academy Commonwealth Games Squash Extravaganza saw more than a dozen people attend the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

The Extravaganza had a packed itinerary, running from Friday 6th April to Wednesday 11th April 2018. Participants had unparalleled access to players and witnessed behind-the-scenes doubles training from the Australian and English teams. 

Attendees enjoyed the rare privilege of meeting former World Number 1, Nick Matthew, and current top 20 player, Daryl Selby.
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They also had some of the best seats in the house for various matches, including the quarterfinals, semi-finals, bronze medal playoffs and gold medal matches. 

Throughout the games, Academy director, Aaron Frankcomb, offered valuable insights on tactics, strategies, coaching and training techniques to all participants of the Extravaganza. Dr Marc Dussault also shared amazing insights into mental toughness, which has seen top players emerge triumphant from a position of certain defeat.

​Lynda Kay, a gold package attendee, said, “For me, it was exactly what I wanted. The opportunity to sit with a pro and have clearly explained how the players are constructing a point, game and match. It gave me a whole new insight into the game.”

Participants played in an intra-club squash tournament with Labrador Squash Club. The East Coast Squash Academy won 4 matches to Labrador’s 1. The matches were played in a very friendly but competitive spirit. The crowd was enthralled by Aaron Frankcomb’s match against Jeff Osborne, both former PSA players.
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​Participants were glued to their seats on the movie night, which saw a screening of the Hashim Khan movie, ‘Keep Eye on Ball: The Hashim Khan Story’. Khan, one of the all-time best players, has an incredible story to tell, one which sparked several discussions at the wonderfully catered dinner event that followed the movie. 

​The event concluded with the East Coast Squash Academy golf day, which saw the players visit the lovely Lakelands Golf Club for some enjoyable and entertaining golf.

Jack Goodman, a fellow gold package attendee, said, “East Coast Squash Academy did a great job organising accommodation, transport and food, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.” Lynda Kay also said, “Everything from food and drink to accommodation to the stretch classes was amazing. The attention to detail went far beyond my expectations and the benefits to my squash game are immeasurable. Loved it, recommend it, want to repeat it!”

In the last two days, Australia has shown the world that it is the nation to beat in doubles squash by winning two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

The second gold medal was won by mens doubles pairing, Zac Alexander and Commonwealth Games veteran David Palmer. Alexander and Palmer took three games to see off English pairing Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller, winning 11-9, 3-11, 11-6 in 57 minutes. All of the games results can be found here.

This will be Palmer's third gold medal after winning the men's and mixed doubles events in Glasgow 2014 and Alexander's first gold at his debut appearance at a Commonwealth Games.

For more information about past Commonwealth Games results and history, check out our infographic.

At East Coast Squash Academy we are always getting our clients to think long term in order to increase their longevity on the court.  
 
Squash can be quite hard on the body with injuries commonly occurring around the lower extremity (hip, knee and ankle) and lumbar regions of the back (1). If we had a dollar every time someone asked for help treating a rolled ankle, painful knee or tight lower back then we would have a lot of loose change!
 
As we are not specialists in assessing and treating injuries (we are specialists in coaching the sport of squash), we often refer out to a physiotherapist that specialises in this kind of area. A physiotherapist’s role is to “assess, diagnose, treat and prevent a wide range of health conditions and movement disorders” (2).  
 
During his professional career, director Aaron Frankcomb considered seeing a physiotherapist as an “important aspect” of his overall training regime as it allowed him to “identify and manage structural weaknesses”. Post career Aaron has continued to see a physiotherapist once a month for "prevention, alignment and management".
 
For this reason, we have compiled a list of physiotherapists that we would recommend to any of our clients in order stay healthy and on court longer. 
 
Every physiotherapist listed has directly worked with The Academy and has successfully treated a number of our clientele and/or high performance athletes.

Name: Cameron Dyer
Location: Unit 2/130, Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale
Business Name: High Performance Rehab & Sports Physio
Please Book Via: (02) 9907 1784

Name: Antony Lo
Location: 4/83, Mulga Road, Oatley
Business Name: The Physio Detective
Website: http://physiodetective.com/antony-lo/
Contact Email: [email protected]

Name: Luke Heath
Location: Unit 2/130, Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale
Business Name: High Performance Rehab & Sports Physio
Website: https://www.hprsphysio.com.au/who-we-are/
Contact Email: [email protected]

​Name: Brent Kirkbride
Location: 6 Figtree Drive, Sydney Olympic Park
Business Name: Sydney Sports Medicine
Website: https://www.ssmc.com.au/practitioners/brent_kirkbride.html
Please Book Via: 02 9764 3131

Name: Chris Bailey
Location: Unit 2/130, Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale​
Business Name: High Performance Rehab & Sports Physio
Website: https://www.hprsphysio.com.au/who-we-are/
Contact Email: [email protected]

The 2018 Commonwealth Games have kicked off with the opening ceremony celebrating Australia’s beach and indigenous culture.

​The Commonwealth Games are a highlight for many squash players careers as they get to get share the floor with other elite athletes from various sporting codes. Here memories are made through triumphant success or heart breaking defeat.
 
In 2010, director Aaron Frankcomb earned his position on the Australian team along with current Australian team members David Palmer, Cameron Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly. 
 
Memories from those games were shared with those that attended the Headspace Squash Extravaganza.  One story in particular highlighted how hot it was at the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.  Below we have attached some images to give those that attended the Headspace Squash Extravaganza some perspective!

Sydney, NSW, Australia - April 3, 2018. For squash fanatics, the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the legends of squash duel it out for a podium finish. With East Coast Squash Academy’s exclusive Squash Extravaganza Package you can treat yourself to the thrills, spills and on-court excitement over six luxurious fun-filled days with fellow squash enthusiasts.
Tickets to the squash men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals are included, so you get to experience the best of the best world-class squash.  For the full details of the draw click “HERE”.
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Go down memory lane and into the annals of Squash history to learn about Hashim Khan in the all-time favourite DVD “Keep Eye on Ball”. The DVD is the Official Selection of Williamstown Film Festival, Detroit Windsor International Film Festival and Winner of the Audience Choice Award DocuWest Film Festival.
If that isn’t enough, also included is a jet ski experience and golf day, if that’s what tickles your fancy! Check out the different packages available.

You’ll get to spend time with fellow squash enthusiasts and East Coast Squash Academy director, Aaron Frankcomb and Dr Marc Dussault, to put what you see into perspective and improve your own squash game. The Gold Package includes luxurious Gold Coast accommodation for your ultimate comfort.
Don’t forget to bring your squash gear along to test your skills in the squash competition that’s being organised just for you. The Academy will take on local squash players from the Gold Coast in a best-of-five match friendly tournament.

Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance, here in our home country.
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Our packages are an all-inclusive deal with nothing to organise other than flights.  With everything taken care of, you won’t have to lift a finger, instead, you’ll enjoy one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life. 

Packages start from $199 for a ticket to the Saturday dinner event, with packages for the matches beginning at $799. Limited packages are available, so see the package inclusions and purchase ASAP to avoid missing out. 

The Headspace Charity Squash Extravaganza raised more than $22,000 that attracted four of the world top 20 and six 2018 Commonwealth Games representatives to the Elanora Squash Centre on the Northern Beaches of Sydney on Saturday, the 24th of March, 2018. 

The event was very generously sponsored by East Coast Squash Academy, Jack Goodman, David Fleming and Trevor Butt, three local Sydney squash players, who were able to have a hit with their favourite professional in attendance. This event takes Jake Cohen, the event's organiser, total amount raised for mental health charities to over $48,000.

The Extravaganza saw Paul Coll, Joelle King, Donna Urquhart, Cameron Pilley, Zac Alexander, Aaron Frankcomb and Rex Hedrick participate in front of more than 70 people at the Elanora Squash Centre. 

Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds, along with assistance to promote young peoples’ wellbeing. This covers four core areas: mental and physical health, work and study support as well as alcohol substance abuse rehabilitation services. To contact headspace, please email [email protected] for any information or further details.

Did you know?

One in four young people have experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months – a higher percentage than any other age group.
Alarmingly, suicide is the leading cause of death for young people, accounting for one third of all deaths in this age category.

Research shows that 75 per cent of mental health issues emerge before the age of 25. By treating these issues early, it has been shown that providing a holistic model of support, the risk of them developing into more serious problems is greatly decreased.

Headspace is proud to have provided over 1.5 million services through its centres, online and phone support helping more than a quarter million young people.

Headspace has been overwhelmingly effective, with 60 per cent of its clients showing significant improvement. The other 40 per cent are still on their journeys and are continuing to receive services, which we hope will prove equally beneficial for a long life of peace, serenity and joy.
Events like this combine social interaction with physical exertion and in the case of the professional players, the physical prowess and mental tenacity that we can all aspire to acquire.
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"I'd like to thank all those involved in the event, especially the East Coast Squash Academy’s Dr Marc Dussault and founder Aaron Frankcomb for MC’ing the squash matches and donating their speaker and appearances fees respectively. Also, I want to mention that an event of this size could not have been successful without Tim Wyres and Katherine Moore’s amazing support and allow us to host the event at the Elanora Squash Centre, one of Sydney’s premier sport venues.” Jake Cohen said.

For more information about mental health, you can contact headspace via the following email: [email protected] or visit a headspace centre near you: https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/

Trevor Butt (Avalon Law):

Avalon Law is a dynamic, boutique firm with extensive experience in providing legal services Sydney’s northern suburbs and greater New South Wales.

Trevor Butt, the firm’s Principal, has over 25 years of practice management experience and has built the practice with a strong client-focus and by forming close relationships with his clients.

Avalon Law’s clients include businesses both large and small, families, individuals and investors in the New South Wales property market.
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Contact details: Tel: +612 9918 6922
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.avalonlaw.com.au

Jack Goodman (Studiosity):

Studiosity connects students to the best and brightest minds, so they can get help exactly when it's needed most. This is all done through their own awesome technology, accreditation, and academic integrity standards.

Together with education partners across Asia-Pacific and the UK - Universities, Schools, Private Providers, and Government - Studiosity ensure that in an age of online education, internationalisation, and mobilisation, every student can get the personal study support they need, anytime, anywhere.

Contact details: Tel: +61 2 9906 2700
Email: [email protected]
Website:www.studiosity.com

David Fleming (Renaissance Smaller Companies):

Renaissance Smaller Companies is a boutique fund manager that specialises in Small Companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The business was established in 2003 and since that time the sole focus has been on providing investment returns that meet or exceed our clients’ expectations over the medium to long term.

Contact details: Tel: +61 2 8223 5010
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.renaissanceasset.com.au

To read more about the events success, check out this feature article written by Squashsite's very own Framboise Gommendy.