My run at the British Open has ended in the semifinals against a strong player, the #2 seeded Rick Weatherall. Rick played good, all-around squash and while there was a potential path to victory for me, it required me to make my straight drops and volley drops in order to open up the court, and I was unable to consistently do this. The result was that Rick controlled the play for the most part. As much as I dislike losing, there is a lot that I will take away from this experience, and I look forward to getting back on court and working to become a better player and sharing my insights with my students.
As I write this, Hull City is up 2-1 against Arsenal, so if there is any consolation to losing today, it is that I can finally enjoy a real, English hand-pulled ale, and if Hull City can hang in there, be a part of the biggest celebration this little town has ever had.
There is a picture of Nicol David that I have that was taken after she lost in 5 to Nour El Sherbini at the World Open held in Nicol’s home country. She is profoundly, profoundly sad. She puts everything she has into being a great player, tries to conduct her life like a champion, and gives every bit of herself every time she plays. It is stunning to watch her. But when she loses, you see the other side – how much it hurts to put everything you have into going for something and come up short. No matter how much it hurts to come up short, it is always the right path to give it everything you have. You just let yourself be sad no matter how long it takes, then think through what happened, figure out how to do better the next time, then pick up your racquet and get back to work.