Squash siblings serving up success

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2015 (4143 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Melina and Connor Turk are making a name for themselves in the squash world.

According to Squash Manitoba, the siblings became the first sister and brother to represent the province at the recent Canadian Men’s & Women’s Team Squash Championships. The championships were held in Montreal last month and it’s rare that the two events are held at the same location in the same year.

Manitoba’s women’s team consisted of Melina, Alix Younger and Anika Alexander, while the men’s team was made up of Connor, David Glass and Trevor Borland. The women’s team picked up a silver medal in the round robin portion of the event.

It’s hardly a surprise that the siblings — who grew up in Southdale (Connor still lives there) and attended J. H. Bruns Collegiate — have developed a passion for the sport, as their father, Gene, is a local legend on the squash circuit. A former professional player, he was the longtime head pro at the Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club until last spring and also coached the Canadian men’s national team for 16 years.

“Our dad introduced us to the sport and trained us as we grew up and as we continued playing we developed a love of the sport in itself,” said Connor, 21, who is currently studying full-time at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.

“Not only did he teach us to play, he fostered our understanding of the sport. We saw how so many people respected him and the contributions he made to the sport,” added Melina, 23, who was recruited to play squash for Dartmouth College in the U.S. before graduating with a degree in environmental studies last June. She currently coaches the sport in New York state and is now trying to break into the Top 50 on the professional circuit.

Melina said one of the best aspects of the sport is the camaraderie, as “It’s a smaller, tight-knit community and the people are pretty awesome.”

“And aside from the physical part of the sport, I love the strategic part. There’s a mindset in squash that some people don’t know about. It’s also a sport for life and great for networking” Connor said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the siblings are lending their support to Squash 2020 — an international campaign to get squash introduced as an official sport at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after it missed out on selection for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“For me, if it made it into the Olympics it would legitimize the sport for people that don’t know about it and the players that are not household names. That would be the pinnacle of the sport if you become Olympic champion,” Melina said.

“This would inspire more people to play it and more people would then make a living at it. At the moment, only the top players can do it full-time,” Connor said.

To learn more about the campaign, go online at squash2020.com

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com

Facebook.com/TheLanceWPG
Twitter: @lanceWPG