The DAC was very fortunate when we found a terrific young man to take the on the job of assistant squash pro in 2015. Corey Kabot endeared himself to the membership quickly and seamlessly and it was a massive loss for us when he had to leave his post. Replacing him was not an easy task. It took about 18 months to find the right fit. The presence of the “new guy” has injected a refreshing enthusiasm into the squash program. His has already made a positive impact with a renewed focus on juniors and building up the women’s participation and I also have to say that he absolutely picked up where Corey left off in regards to our colorful in-office discussions!
MEET… STU HADDEN
The Squash Joint (TSJ): So it’s been about 8 months since you started working at the DAC. Is it what you expected and how are you coping working in the private athletic club industry?
Really enjoy working at the DAC, it never gets old walking into our gorgeous clubhouse everyday, hitting on the perfectly kept courts, working out on top end fitness equipment and learning how to run a serious sports program from the biggest Bogan in Michigan.
TSJ: How did you end up getting your first job in the States in Philadelphia? Why did you want to coach here?
I was just a boy with a ball, a wall and a dream. I had been playing the pro tour part time for a six months before it dawned on me that there was more to squash than just playing. With limited advertised employment options out there I knew I needed to take the initiative. I went on a networking rampage, sending emails to every Tom, Dick and Harry who had registered a pro squash tournament with the PSA in the 3 years prior. I sent over 400 individualized emails to people all around the world explaining who I was, what I was about and what I felt I could bring to the table. This unorthodox approach was well received and I was summoned to Europe to run coaching camps by a few curious clubs. I went on to play the pro tour in Latin America; only to be pleasantly surprised on my return with a few job offers. Ultimately the American dream diverted my gaze from the allure of playing and working in continental Europe.
TSJ: Who were your squash heroes growing up? When did you know that you wanted to be a squash professional?
Jon Power was my major hero, the antics and drama he brought to the court had me fascinated and in stitches as a kid. I just remember watching him and thinking that this sport was pure entertainment and that I wanted to get better at it. I played a tournament in Toronto recently and met him, one of the few times I have ever been starstruck. He must have seen me staring or something because he actually walked over to me and started asking how I was and how my tournament was going, it was totally surreal. I had a few more local heroes: Tom Richards, Joe Lee and Alex Ingham all played at my club in London and were chaps I really looked up to as a kid. Joe and Alex both turned pro after finishing high school at 16 and I remember being amazed by all of the traveling they did and especially some of Ingbo's stories from the tour which were fantastic because the old boy is totally barmy. I never considered taking my squash more seriously until I was 16 and battered the U17 US number 1 in straight sets the week before he played the British Open. He did pretty well in the tournament and so I decided to start training harder (I didn't enter because it didn't occur to me I was good enough) and it all went from there.
TSJ: Tell us about your most memorable squash match you have played, win or lose…
I've had a few crackers over the years so that is actually a tough one for me. I would also say that 4/5 of the most memorable matches I have played I lost in 5 games so who knows maybe they would be less memorable if I had won. Other than beating you so bad you threw your racquet I think the one that sticks out for me the most is actually a practice match I played in Philly last year. I managed to beat the ginger haired Welsh Samurai Sam Fenwick, putting an end to a 3 year losing streak. Given that he was my main training partner in Philly finally getting a ‘W’ over him on what must have been the one hundredth attempt was probably the highlight of my squash career so far, He without doubt is a top 100 standard player, a stud athlete and a great tactician. Needless to say I took my win, packed my kit, and ran off to Detroit as fast as I possibly could!
TSJ: What was the last…
- Book you read… The Operator - Firing the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden
- Movie you watched in a cinema… The Gentleman
- Meal you cooked for yourself… Roast chicken
- Gift you bought yourself… I'm a sucker for a KFC mate
- Sporting event you went to (not squash related)… The Lions vs The Cheese Heads
- Cheesy pick-up line you used… “Your smile is bloody beautiful. If I looked like that when I smiled, I would never stop”.
TSJ: Why do think the US has so few players in the top 100? On the other end of the spectrum, is the Egyptian dominance (men and women) good or bad for the game?
I absolutely think that one country having a stranglehold on the game is an awful situation, I love watching different nationalities because it's so interesting watching a mashup of different styles. To be honest I feel like the Egyptians are very lucky to be so dominant with a lot of players in the top 30 in the world from elsewhere who have not, and at this point I am sorry to say it, but will not fulfill their potential at all. This includes guys such as Marche from France, the German Kandra, Englishman Waller, and the Salazars out of Mexico, and then there are also guys like Brit Joe Lee who was regularly taking Marwan and Gawad to 5 games before getting seriously hurt and having to stop. I feel like the first 5 I mentioned may be slightly submissive to the Egyptians mentally on court and there are a few guys like Joe and Tom Ford (also a Brit) who in my eyes are unlucky to not be up at the top of the sport. There is also a vast swathe of extraordinarily talented Pakistani players who could have been incredible: for example I remember Mohammed El Shorbagy telling me that Farhan Zaman was "the most talented player in the world and would have been world number one if he actually tried". Bear in mind this was while Mohammed was world number one and while Ramy was still on tour and so it really tells you how good this guy could have been!
In terms of the US I truly believe their time is coming. A lot of the best coaches in the world have converged on the USA in the last 10 years which means that in around 10 years from now their students will be the right age to go on tour. The American girls in particular are looking very strong in juniors but there are quite a few promising players like Andrew Douglass, Tim Brownell and in younger age groups u/15 Drew Glazer and Avi Agarwal who I think have enormous potential to eventually play on the world circuit. It is always a question though of whether they want to play pro or just play college and then go corporate. American college fees are I believe on average 5 times what mine were but can run up to 8-10 times as much and so going pro after such an enormous financial investment in your education may not be a logically sound option.
TSJ: Apart from driving on the opposite side of the road, what was one of the biggest adjustments you had to make when you moved to the States?
Having just come off the tour and taken a job as a squash pro the first thing I had to get used to was having more than $20 in my bank account! I remember crossing the road being a particularly dangerous activity in the early days as a couple of times a week when I was running on auto pilot, I almost met my end by stepping out into the street while checking for cars looking the wrong way. It took 2-3 near misses for me to retrain myself!
TSJ: If you could piece together your ideal squash player, who would you say…
- Has the cleanest technique… Marwan El Shorbagy forehand - Gawad backhand
- The best volleyer… Farag
- The best tactician… Gawad
- The most deceptive… Mick Joint (flattery will get you nowhere, mate!)
- The best touch game… Abouelghar
- The best footwork… Coll or Selby
- The fittest… Miguel
- The fastest… Alfredo Avila. Mexican player who ranked 100 in the world who managed to beat 3 guys in the worlds top 20 to win a 100k event at altitude in Mexico City by running like a banshee.
- The most accurate… Willstrop, although the most accurate I have been on court with by far is Robertino Pezzotta of Argentina
- Is the most fun to watch… Gaultier hands down
TSJ: What would you consider to be your best ever tournament, junior or pro?
I'll talk about one junior and one pro event. I won the U19 National Championships in 2011 and I went through the event only dropping one game in the semi finals. The final of the event was a bit of a blur and I just remember blasting through the guy in the final, hitting nick after nick. At 9-0 up in the third game I remember blasting the ball crosscourt past my opponents big wingspan and him throwing himself into the back right corner after it. He banged his racquet on the floor and screamed an expletive very loudly to which the ref said, “11-0 game and match”. I was stood there with the ball waiting to serve and I just remember trying to get the ref to let me win the match rather than have it awarded to me on a penalty match for obscenity but the ref was stubborn and awarded me the last point instead of me actually winning it!
As a pro the most memorable tournament for me was winning the Surrey County Championships in 2016. I actually didn't even enter the tournament but the organizer called me up while I was out in a bar on a date and asked me if I could play because someone pulled out! I turned up the next day for my first round match, unseeded and slightly hungover, and beat one of the England junior team members in the first round in a fifth game tiebreak. I beat an old nemesis in 5 games in the quarters and suddenly I was in the semi finals against the defending champion and number 1 seed in the semis - who I duly dispatched in another 5th game tie break! The final was a one sided affair where I decimated Phil Nightingale - a former top 120 in the world player and the current over 35 England number 2 player for less than 8 points in the final.
Tournaments you win are always better than tournaments you do well in purely because of the antics that happen afterward. After nationals I got up to mischief with Michael Stewart and after winning the Surrey Championships I all but burned London down with James "the ashemongrel" Ashe.
TSJ: What do you find the most satisfying aspect of playing squash? What is your most frustrating?
Hitting a straight line that runs on one floorboard the whole way, I don't care if it is a drop, a drive or a kill I just love pinning the ball to the wall. Most frustrating without doubt is when Mick Joint breaks my ankles with a Houdini like hold or a Bogan Boast which tends to happen at least once a game, and once a month it's so bad I'm surprised I haven't undergone major double ankle surgery!
TSJ: If you were not a squash pro, what do you think you would be doing in life?
I grew up as a typical high achieving secondary school student with straight A's; albeit one who specialized in both truancy and squash. I graduated with a 1st from University and without doubt would have pursued a career in business, more specifically within sales had it not been for squash.
TSJ: Let’s finish off with some fun. I can imagine you were quite the scoundrel in school. What was one of the naughtiest things you did that got you in trouble? Don’t be shy…
Haha - far too many to mention I was quite the reprobate. I remember being called into the headteachers office on a semi regular basis and receiving a jolly good dressing down. One of the most memorable was when I was 13 or 14 and myself and a few of the lads decided in the middle of the day that we needed to go into the city and grab pastries. We sacked off math class, climbed the 12 foot fence that we called the "prison wall" (the school locked the gates during the school day to keep outsiders out and keep us all in) and headed into the city to buy sausage rolls from ‘Gregs’. Unfortunately we were seen and were greeted by an angry mob of teachers and disbelieving students upon our return. Needless to say I got a few detentions and a clip round the ear courtesy of my self-proclaimed “long suffering mother”!
Thanks to Stu for opening up to us and getting to know him a little more! He has been an excellent addition not only to the squash family and the office, but to the entire DAC team. We are very fortunate to have someone of his calibre and work ethic. His knowledge and progressive teaching style certainly raises the quality of the program. If he could only learn to hit the ‘Bogan Boast’…!
