by Doug Steinberg
When Par11 was rolled out as the standard scoring system for
squash a few years ago, I was very concerned that the change would make a great
game less attractive. The Olympic Committee had instructed the World
Squash Federation that the general public would not accept squash as an Olympic
sport without a scoring system that was uniform across all abilities and ages.
WSF jumped on board and mandated this change for all players. So, for the good
of the Back the Bid Movement, I gave PAR11 a chance.
Well, it's late 2013, and I am proud to say that I am now
reaping benefits that have been raining down on the sport since
the scoring change. For those skeptics who believe that the change hasn't
helped the game, I submit the following advantages to PAR11:
· I don't
have to be fit anymore to win. Watching Duck Dynasty is now my between
match training regimen.
· When
planning and scheduling a junior tourney, 15 to 20 minute slots for matches
make the tournament so much easier to run.
· During
last year's Collegiate women's individual tournament, I no longer had to be
worried about being distracted and losing track of the match at hand, because
the matches were usually over within the time frame of a Spongebob Squarepants
episode -- the length of my attention span and apparently that of all squash
players. Under PAR11 we can now retain focus for an entire women's
collegiate match.
· I can now
play a match, not be tired or sore, and still devour a big meal like I used to,
because technically, a match was played and the USSRA site says 5 games is
worth 1000 calories...and the best part is that my friends and I get to shop
for new clothes because we are continually growing out of our old ones
now.
· We are
helping to save the environment due to the short matches resulting in not
having to wash clothes after a match.
· Since the
game is now standardized, it has opened the door to a great new trend of not
wearing eyewear anymore. Since we are all taking our cues from PSA pros
-- who uniformly disdain the use of eyewear -- we no longer need to wear
eyewear. Most people have an extra eye anyway so what's the big deal?
· I hit
many fewer balls on the tin. The pros use a 17" tin and not the 19"
tin that was standard for the amateur game. Again, since the game is now
uniform between pros and amateurs, us amateurs don't need to worry about the
top two inches of the 19" tin anymore. It would be so confusing if the
pros and amateurs used different heights of tins. Thank goodness for this
change as I have many fewer balls hitting the "real" 17" tin
that would be down on the old 19" tin.
· The
"extra" games that we are now encouraged to play after the extremely
short real match ends are so much more fun than the real match itself. The
natural reduction in intensity that occurs after a match ends allows me to
"play" and simultaneously contemplate what I am going to eat for
dinner while in games 7, 8, 9, 10, 11....
· The new,
exciting strategy of passing on the serve if you win the spin is now in play!
· We are
finally getting rid of those pesky less well off kids who enter junior
tournaments as the 15 minute matches just don't justify the expenses of
entering and traveling to a tournament. If you're not a "one
percenter", there's probably a local dodgeball tourney in your area
that'll help get your kid into a more than adequate state school.
· Epic
comebacks are no longer possible, thereby reducing my overall stress level.
· Turning
squash from a marathon into a sprint will allow future generations of players
to be fatter.
· The best
benefit is obvious...the standardized scoring helped with a fabulous million
dollar presentation to the Olympic Committee that almost got us into the
Olympics. Seriously, whenever I walk off the court now after my mini
PAR11 workout, I say to myself, "I am contributing to squash almost
becoming an Olympic Sport."
It has taken me some time, but I get it now. I am so pleased that
I jumped on the PAR11 bandwagon.
