Local squashers going for gold

Four local junior squash players are travelling to Barrie to represent Northwestern Ontario at the Ontario Winter Games from March 10-12.
Anniss Seid, 12, Cole Derksen, 17, Kimika Alexander, 11, and Steve Boileau, 16, all have practising long and hard to prepare for the big event.
If there’s one thing all the players have in common it’s that their nerves are kicking in as the big date approaches.
“I don’t want to lose because I don’t want to disappoint a lot of players,” Alexander said.
“It’s intimidating going down there because you’re playing some of the best players in Ontario,” noted Derksen. “You don’t want to psych yourself out.”
But Boileau, who’s been to the Winter Games three times, is excited for another shot at gold.
“You get to play so many games and the calibre is so much better than anywhere here,” he remarked.
Although Boileau only will turn 17 come April 1, he’s already pretty sure what he wants to do once he’s done school.
“I don’t really know what I want to take, maybe engineering,” he said. “But I definitely want to play squash.”
The other three simply are concentrating on improving their game—physically and mentally.
“I have to keep my concentration on the game,” admitted Seid. “This is my first major sport trip. I’m kind of nervous.”
“I just have to focus. That’s all I have to do,” agreed Alexander. “I’m always watching others to see how I can improve.”
If there’s another thing they all can agree on it’s that they have a great coach, Bob Tkachuk, who has influenced them and taught them to be real squash players.
“Bob has been a really good coach,” said Seid. “When I was young, I used to come here with my dad and I met Bob, and he introduced me to the game.
“He does a really good job with the juniors.”
Tkachuk said in order to prepare for the Winter Games, he’s been spending a little extra time with the juniors.
“We’ve been doing a little training and drills, and trying to get some extra time in during the week,” he noted. “Most of them will win half their matches. Anything above that is a bonus.”
Tkachuk stressed it has nothing to do with their talent but simply the competition they’ll face in Barrie.
“There are nine regions competing,” he said. “You just don’t want them to get their expectations up too high.”
For now, they all are working on perfecting different aspects of their game, but mostly they’re just excited to go play some solid squash.
“Basically, it’s a learning experience,” said Derksen. “I’m just so excited.”