Powering up your game Play your passion. Support your game with the David Palmer, new HEAD Championship ball and the new HEAD 2-Times World Champion* Metallix™ 160. Made of a specially designed 3-Times British Open Winner** matrix of carbon fibers and a new crystalline metal alloy the Metallix™ 160 is the most aggres- sive HEAD Tour Squash racquet ever. The choice of Pros like David Palmer. head.com *2002 und 2006; **2001, 2003 und 2004 Anthony Ricketts at the Tournament of Champions Stewart Boswell 2007 Winner Australian Open with John Holland SquashPics.com 2007 Australian Men’s Team – Runner Ups in the 21st ICL World Men’s Team Squash Championships SquashPics.com SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 1 CONTENTS Squash Australia Board 3 Junior Women’s World 23 Squash Australia Staff 4 Championships Squash Australia Staff 5 Australian Junior Championships 24 Presidents Report 6 2007 in Pictures 25 - 27 Chief Executive Officer Report 7 Hall of Fame Dinner 28 National Technical Report 8 National Junior Series Report 31 Message from the Australian Sports 9 National Teams Championships 32 Commission Australian Deaf Squash Association 32 Media Liaison Officer Report 10 Report National Coaching Manager Report 11 Arafura Games Report 33 National Refereeing Manager Report 12 PSCAA Report 33 World Squash Federation Conference 13 - 14 NSW Squash Report 34 and AGM Squash NT Report 35 Exceptional Effort 14 – 15 Squash SA Report 36 AIS Squash Program Report 16 – 17 QSquash Report 37 Australian Open Champions 18 Squash Tasmania Report 38 Australian Closed Champions 19 Squash ACT Report 39 Australian Open Doubles 20 WA Squash Report 40 Championships VSF Report 40 – 41 World Men’s Team Championships 21 – 22 VIS Report 42 History 43 – 50 Photographs kindly supplied by Stephen Line of SquashPics.com (as detailed and page 26) Squash Australia Organisational Chart 51 Squash Australia’s 2006 Award Winners (L – R): Byron Davis, Ryan Cuskelly, Meryl Loss, Peta Hughes, Carin Clonda (on behalf of David Palmer), John Small and Greg Hutchings 2 SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 SQUASH AUSTRALIA BOARD PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT – Mr John Holland FEMALE Ms Sarah Fitz-Gerald PORTFOLIOS ACGA Delegate PORTFOLIOS IOC Delegate Junior Squash Sponsorship National Tournaments National Rankings/Player High Performance Database VICE PRESIDENT – MALE DIRECTOR Mr Richard Best Mr Stephen Derbyshire PORTFOLIOS PORTFOLIOS Coaching Financial Officiating Information Technology Masters Insurance DIRECTOR PATRON Mrs Carol Kawaljenko Mr Chris Dittmar PORTFOLIOS Women’s Squash Rural and Indigenous Squash Oceania Delegate Squash Australia Board at the Squash Australia Awards Dinner 2007 SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 3 SQUASH AUSTRALIA STAFF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FINANCE AND Mr Gary O’Donnell ADMINISTRATON OFFICER Ms Jenna Van Heerden (from July 07) FINANACE AND ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT OFFICER Ms Kate Calcino Ms Bridget Harris (until July 07) MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER NATIONAL TECHNICAL Mr Andrew Dent MANAGER Mr Greg Hutchings (until July 07) NATIONAL COACHING NATIONAL REFEREEING MANAGER MANAGER Mr Jeffery Wollstein Mr John Small Squash Australia Staff at the Squash Australia Awards Dinner 2007 4 SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 5 Presidents Report wealth of experience to our programs and will make a difference as we rebuild our talent pools. The Australian Open was trialled in a country area in South Australia, and the town of Clare in the Squash Australia has seen some significant wine region of the Clare Valley was an excellent changes take place over the past year both in choice. The local Council supported this initiative staffing and process. and provided their new sports facility which had new courts and a hall for the glass court. It was a After four years of excellent service, Norman Fry resounding success and will again be held in the was tempted to join yachting in Brisbane, and we Clare Valley in 2008. could not match their offer. Norman had revolutionised our systems and instigated a Our Junior Women’s team competed in Hong th number of regulations which have enabled our Kong and went into the competition seeded 9 , th sport to prosper and which have been copied by a and finished in 11 position. There is obviously a number of other sporting bodies. deal of work to be done in this area to bring Australia back up to be a threat to other nations. With Norman’s departure we welcomed Gary O’Donnell who came to us with a wealth of There has been a review of the high performance sporting administration experience through his pathway, and some significant initiatives have association with Volleyball. His familiarity with been adopted to ensure that we address the sporting administration has enabled him to quickly decline in our national performances, and re-assert assimilate into the position and provide us with ourselves as a force in World Squash. valuable input and guidance. The VIS squash unit has been recognised as a In June, our Finance and Administration Office, National Training Centre, and the SAAS unit is Bridget Harris, gave notice to pursue a career in rapidly approaching accreditation status. the finance industry, and we welcomed Jenna Van Heerden to the role, who has proven a more than On a very positive note, I was privileged to watch capable replacement. our Men’s team perform in India, and in a thrilling and absorbing final, they went down to England 3- Our Technical Manager, Greg Hutchings also 1. Our team of David Palmer, Stewart Boswell, resigned during the year, as he was tempted to Cameron Pilley and Scott Arnold went into the th nd another more lucrative role with MS. Greg’s work event seeded 4 and finished in 2 place – a great on our competition circuit, and in particular his role effort. with the 2006 Commonwealth Games, has been instrumental in the success our sport has enjoyed At our last AGM, both Margaret Zachariah and Ken from a management perspective. Watson were awarded Life Membership, and Rodney Martin was inducted into our Hall of Fame. Early in the year, David Palmer was rewarded for his services to Squash as a competitor with an The establishment of the Squash Australia OAM, a fitting reward for an athlete who always Foundation Trust was also approved. gives of his best for Australia, and is an excellent ambassador for our sport. After many years with the Victorian Squash Federation, Paul Vear has announced his Rachael and Natalie Grisham continue to perform retirement. Paul will be missed, not only in very well on the world stage and they created Victoria, but throughout the squash community, history in the Women’s World Open and I take this opportunity to personally thank him Championships, being the first sisters to every for his hard work and support. play-off in the final, which was won by Rachael. I would like to thank all Squash Australia Unfortunately, late in the year, Anthony Ricketts personnel for their dedication throughout the past was forced to announce his retirement due to year. All do a great job for our sport and ensure ongoing problems with his knees. Anthony has that we meet our obligations and progress squash distinguished himself as an Australian in Australia. representative and he will be missed on the professional circuit, not only for his squash My thanks to all members and squash enthusiasts prowess, but also his endearing personality. for your support and I trust that I will be able to continue to serve the sport we all love. Michelle Martin joined the AIS as a part-time coach during the year and Sarah Fitzgerald was John Holland contracted by the VIS – both these athletes bring a President 6 SQUASH AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 rules for Doubles Squash which were approved Chief Executive late in the year at the WSF AGM. To Squash Australia’s stakeholders and partners Officer Report including the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association, the Victorian Institute of Sport and each of our member state associations your engagement with Squash The assessment of a sporting organisation's Australia is key to this organisation’s ongoing performance in any given year is an interesting success. challenge, for while we focus ourselves on the annual tasks needed to be completed, the I commented above about a view towards the organisation is on a long term journey and a view future. Squash is a mature sport and the national towards the future is essential. organisation will celebrate its 75th Anniversary in 2009. The tradition and experience gained across 2007 was a year of significant activity for Squash the years provides an important context for the Australia. This Annual Report will provide organisation’s operations however, we cannot rely extensive detail on the organisation’s efforts, on the past to deliver on our aspirations for the however, I will take this opportunity to highlight a future. The sport faces numerous challenges, number of areas of operation, key individuals and some which are external to us and others that are organisations. controlled from within. The external factors Squash Australian must face are; Behind the scenes work for a sporting organisation x The growth in the sport internationally through is extensive, with wide responsibilities to be the increased membership of the World covered from regulatory environments including Squash Federation, the inclusion of squash in corporation law, community (e.g. child protection), over 20 multi-sport games and the men’s and ethics (e.g. anti-doping) to expectations of the women’s tours are all welcome but challenges sport’s members and participants including us, for it is in this competitive environment that education programs, communication, calendar our teams and players must seek success.