Squash enthusiast? That’s an understatement. This guy loves squash so much, he decided he wanted to help run the sport in this state. When he joined the DAC in August, it didn’t take him 1 week before he had registered for squash lesson subscriptions, 2 leagues, the ladders and 1 doubles tournament! Apparently, it is possible not to have enough activities! If you are looking for him, try searching one of the courts first…
MEET… JOSH SLOMINSKI
The Squash Joint (TSJ): Describe to us how your DAC experience has been so far? Has it met your expectations?
The DAC has exceeded my expectations in every way. The locker rooms, food services, squash activities are top notch. I'm proud to be a member of the DAC. Now if only something could be done about jeans. Hmmm…
TSJ: You work in the technology field. Tell us what a typical Josh Slominski work day looks like.
Ooh, typical day. Well first I come in and check my email, then I play some flash games, then I check my personal email. After that I play more games... Oh, I mean, um yeah, awkward.
More seriously, it depends on what phase of the project we are currently in. Right now we are coming to the end feature development and starting to move in to bug fixing. Once every 4 weeks, we commit to a set of features and work only on that. I am currently working on implementing a graphical weather overlay on the standard Navigation map. When that's done I will be moving into a testing phase. My goal is find as many issues with the radio as possible. Our team collects the results and divides the bugs up amongst all of our team members to fix.
TSJ: If you aren’t working or playing squash, what do you do in your spare time?
I am a member of OmniCorpDetroit. OCD is a hacker space located in Eastern Market. A hacker space is a collective where people go to share ideas and collaborate on projects. Some projects we have worked on are: Air Cannons, Robots, Laser Tag Systems, and Power Wheels. There are about 25 members in the group. We all pay $100/month. That money is used for rent, utilities, projects, etc.
The project I am most proud of is our Banana Car Power Wheel. We took a medical scooter (like the ones in Wal-Mart and Target) and stripped it down to its controls, motor, and seat. We built a 10 speaker sound system around it. It features 2 12" sub-woofers, 2 10" sub-woofers, 4 6x9, 2 30mm tweeters, 3 car amplifiers, 1 car battery, and a 1.5 farad capacitor. Needless to say IT’S MIND-BLOWINGLY LOUD!!!! We raced it at the power wheels race that was held at Maker Faire over the summer.
TSJ: You get drenched by atomic waste. Rather than dying an agonizingly slow death, you develop a super power of your choice. What power do you choose?
Tough choice. It’s a toss-up between scoring hot chicks or hitting the nick on demand.
TSJ: You joined the Michigan Squash board. What exactly motivated you to do so, and even though many important changes have been made, what further improvements need to be accomplished?
Three years ago Hugh Stalker mentioned that, at that time, the MSRA wanted to start a rating/ranking system. It sounded like a fun job so I contacted him about it. I was invited to a board meeting and with our even realizing it I became a board member.
Michigan Squash still has a way to go. It has a really a really bad reputation that needs to get changed. I think we have made huge progress in our branding and website. I feel the new website has proper form but it's not very functional yet. With Mick's help we completely revamped the way the travel league works. I feel that we need to take a hard look at our tournaments and ensure that they are being run with the same standards and dedication that the travel league is.
TSJ: Who is your current squash ‘nemesis’ and why?
Mike Ng. I lost to him 3-0 in the Boasters League. One game was by 1 point and another was by 2 points. If I had beaten him, team “Vivio's” would have gone from worst to first.
TSJ: Tell us three pet peeves that you really have zero patience for.
Excessive cussing.
Talking in the restroom/shower
Excessive Alcoholic consumption
TSJ: What is the most satisfying aspect of playing squash? What do find the most difficult aspect of playing squash?
I love the challenge and strategy of the game. It's like a game of chess at 100 mph. Make a bad shot and your opponent will make you look like a fool. But, play the right shot and you will have him running around the court like a chicken with its head cut off.
TSJ: The atomic waste has suddenly given you the ability to bring cartoon characters to real life. You are allowed to bring back 3 characters but the catch is you have to live with them. Who do you choose?
Stewie from ‘Family Guy’
Beavis and Butt-head. Huh-huh.
TSJ: Tell us your least favorite…
a) Movie… Fast and the Furious
b) Famous person… Justin Beiber
c) Music band… Nickleback
d) Food… Olives
e) Class at school… English
f) Sport… Squash, I mean soccer
TSJ: Describe for us your best squash win. Then, describe to us your worst squash loss.
When I came to the DAC I challenged myself to win a tournament before the end of the year. I entered the Blitz tournament with high hopes. I played my butt off and was the only person to win every game I played. Granted, I was handicapped for most of my matches, but it still felt great to bring home the win.
The morning after the blitz tournament I played Mike Reno. My legs were so tired from the tournament the previous day, I couldn't move around the court. It was very frustrating knowing that I had the stamina to get around the court, but my legs just wouldn’t move as quickly as I wanted them to.
TSJ: This last question is designed to make you think. And for us reading the answer, make us wonder about you. If you had to enter a competition for the "Most Uselessly Unique Talent," what would your talent be?
I don't know if it’s useless but, I follow a straight edge lifestyle.
Thank you to Josh for being such a good sport. Although I wonder why anyone would want to bring a homicidal baby and the two dumbest cartoon characters to life... that can only end badly! With his energy and assistance with Michigan Squash, things can only improve and benefit all of us in Detroit and the DAC is lucky to have as such an active member. If all of our squash players played as much as he did, we’d need 12 courts!
