Why squash is a glass act

By David Carr, McWil Courtwall

I am pleased to see the US Squash commitment to reinvigorating the US Open title. With a long history, the US Open had historically been a key stop on the world tour, most recently by way of a six-year run as part of promoter John Nimick's portfolio, which followed both in spirit and success the early efforts of Squash News gurus Tom and Hazel Jones to introduce softball squash to the U.S.

Chicago is a great town for squash, not to mention food and music - and don't forget the odd museum and cultural attraction! With the US Open this year and a great event planned for Millennium Park in 2010 to benefit the MetroSquash urban squash program, Chicago looks like a solid fixture on the annual squash calendar.

The outdoor staging of the US Open in Chicago presents some unique challenges for McWil and the glass court, but we have to count on having seen the worst Mother Nature has to offer last year, and thus optimism is the word for 2009.

The glass court is the key to giving sponsors the value they deserve for supporting squash events, and we are constantly striving to improve the value of the courts so as to present squash as a 21st century sporting event that is worthy of media and spectator attention, not to mention Olympic inclusion.