Joey Payeur
A change in her training procedures is what Anika Alexander hopes will give her a leg up on the competition in 2015.
The 17-year-old Fort Frances native, who now lives in Winnipeg, continued her journey the past 12 months to add to her résumé as one of Canada’s up-and-coming squash stars.
But when injuries started cropping up, Alexander realized it was time for a different approach when it came to her preparations ahead of taking the court.
“I experienced some groin problems and found out my leg muscles were not as strong as they should have been,” said the tenacious and talkative teen, who was in town to compete in the 28th-annual Sunset Country Squash Club Boxing Day tournament at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“More of my workouts recently have been focused on building the muscles in my legs,” she noted.
“I have to get my strength up in that area and I can see the improvement already,” she added.
“I’m stronger in my stance and that makes me more accurate in my shots.”
After finishing tied for seventh in the under-17 girls’ division at the national junior championships in Victoria last April, Alexander had to deal with the difficult transition every youth player faces on a regular basis: the inevitable move upward into a new age division.
In her case, that would be the under-19 category—a big jump into a much stiffer field of competition.
“It happens every two years,” shrugged the almost unflappable Alexander.
“I know what to expect,” she added. “The players are stronger and faster, but we all have to go through that.
“It’s an eye-opener in some ways, though, in that you see how improved over you the older players are and you see that you want to be at that level, as well,” she reasoned.
Alexander’s first competitive foray into the U19 group saw her come away with an impressive fourth-place finish at the Alberta Jesters Junior Open in Calgary in mid-November.
She then went 2-2 at the Ontario Open, where she lost in the first round to one of the top-seeded players in Canada in her age bracket.
“I feel when I’m losing against players of that calibre, I’m learning more and that helps me come back stronger the next time,” Alexander explained.
“I like to face players like that.
“It doesn’t faze me at all,” she stressed. “There’s no pressure on me. I’m the underdog.”
Alexander then competed at the Canadian Junior Open in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where she made it to the quarter-finals before falling to Chole Chemtob, the top-ranked U19 female player in the U.S., who swept Alexander 11-4, 11-3, and 11-6.
After that, it was off to New Haven, Conn. for the U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships, where she had made it into the round of 16 back in 2013.
This time around, Alexander had a first-round bye before beating Julia Thompson (Newtown Square, Pa.) by scores of 11-8, 11-4, and 11-5 to reach the round of 32.
That’s where she ran into Chemtob once again, but the script was somewhat different.
After Chemtob won the opening game 11-6, Alexander showed grit in battling to a 13-11 victory in the second one to square the match.
Chemtob gathered herself and took the next two games 11-4 and 11-6 to seal the match. But it left Alexander with an immeasurable boost of confidence that she was able to hold her own against one of the best young American players there is.
“My coach has been really impressed with my technique, and my shots are becoming more effective and accurate,” noted Alexander, who will graduate this spring from Vincent Massey Collegiate’s sports academy at the conclusion of her Grade 12 year.
“It’s all up here,” she added, tapping on her forehead to accentuate the importance of having a strong mental game on the court.
“I have to remember to make shots and not go flying,” Alexander said.
“Sometimes, I get too excited and try and see between myself and my opponent who can hit the ball the hardest.”
After last year considering prospects of attending college south of the border to continue her squad endeavours, Alexander has decided to stay closer to home this fall and major in business at the University of Manitoba.
“The biggest thing is the money as the Ivy League schools that were talking to me weren’t offering any scholarship help to go there,” she explained.
“The U of M is around $5,000 per year, as opposed to an Ivy League school which would be $20,000 a year,” she noted.
“I don’t like feeling like I’m letting people down by staying in Manitoba, but I think it’s just better for me,” Alexander said.
Squash is important but school is always first.”
Alexander also pointed to the fact squash is the only racket sport not in the Summer Olympics at the moment, leaving less incentive to actively pursue the sport on a more full-time basis.
“It should be in . . . it’s one of the healthiest sports for you,” she stressed.
“I hope to see it in there in the future.
“Even if I can’t be on a national team myself, I would love to see others play it at that level,” Alexander said.
