Vancouver Squash League at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club

Racquet sports have had a long and colorful history at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club. For more than 30 years our members and guests have been spending a significant portion of their fitness and recreation time playing Squash and Racquetball. For some, it’s a highly competitive game of strategy and consistency, and for others it’s a lighthearted way to have fun, burn off stress, and get some great exercise.

September is an important time of year for the Squash program at the Bentall Centre Athletic  Club  because it’s the beginning of the season. And if you’re interested, you can come and participate in many ways.

The first way is by joining the Club as an All facility Member. This opens the door to meeting with one of the Club’s Squash Pros, David Adams, who will get you on court, and then help you get established in Club's Box Leagues or Club Ladder.   These in-house tournaments could be considered a more casual competition where you are added to a box and given a certain time to contact your opponents and schedule a match to play at your mutual convenience… it can be either before work,  lunch, or in the evenings.  Points are awarded depending on the outcome of each match and then used in an algorithm to fairly decide a Club ranking. This also provides information to the pros on how to develop the next Box League and situate you on the Club Ladder. There is also a “Pick and Play” list (which is easier again) and set up like a contact list of time to time players. It's ideal if you’d rather show up, play, and not keep track of scores.

The next way to get playing Squash is by joining the Bentall Centre Athletic Club to participate in the Vancouver Squash League. For 18 years, Andrew Lynn our head squash professional & assistant manager has led the charge in organizing and facilitating the Squash league.  It involves 80-85 people consisting of 11 men’s and woman’s teams from division 1 to division 7 who regularly commit to a rotating league of interclub play on Monday nights. Each team consists of 5 players (and a couple of spares) who play either here at home, or travel around to play at the 15 other Clubs throughout the city. So, if you want to be involved in the Squash community and enjoy the social aspect of competitive team sports, I highly recommend you visit the Club to get started. You’d typically need to commit a minimum of 3 hours once per week plus a little more for travel, practice and social gatherings. The season spans from October to April.

There are also some important dates that I’d like share with you about the Squash calendar at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club:

1. The Season Opener. On Sept 12^th 2012 there is an in house tournament that helps decide the pecking order of the Club players. It helps establish ability levels and provides information on how best to distribute the talent throughout the divisions. Plus, it’s fun to go head to head against your comrades who will be your teammates for the rest of the season.
2. The Halloween Open. Needless to say it’s at the end of October. Like any official tournament, it’s open to anyone and hosted by the Bentall Centre Athletic Club.
3. The International Day Tournament. Generally in late January. Stay tuned for more info.
4. The Handicap Challenge. Hosted by David Adams every Monday evening after the Vancouver Squash League has concluded in April. It’s light hearted and fun. It’s also accessible for every level of ability.

For more information about the Squash Programs at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club please contact Andrew Lynn at alynn@bentallkennedy.com or call the Club at 608 689 4424.

Yours in Health,

CH