a week’s worth of food
In the beginning…..
there was an apple. Two toasted tortillas with salsa and greek yogurt. Three dark chocolate kisses. And a large glass of seltzer with a splash of cranberry juice. I eat some weird things after I play squash. Basically whatever’s close at hand and quick to fix. But four of those items I won’t be eating this week. They’re too expensive and I’m on a budget. A SNAP budget. Continue reading
Jennifer Santiago, a trainer and professional boxer at my old Printing House gym (and now owner of J5Fitness) will be fighting in her third professional boxing match on Friday November 15, 2013 at
5 Star Banquet Hall
12-05 43 Avenue, Long Island City, New York 11101
If you’re a boxing fan, a women’s sports fan, or just plain curious, I’d highly recommend seeing it. To purchase tickets in advance call:
516-451-6773
Ticket for Jennifer Santiago $60
More info. here: https://www.facebook.com/events/724776440883864/
The article below was published in Squash Magazine, after I saw her professional debut last summer….
Jennifer Santiago warming up
A woman I knew from my gym was making her professional debut and I’d never seen her in action. I had seen her plenty of times at the gym; she was a personal trainer and always had a friendly smile for everyone. But on the night of her match, when she approached her opponent, her smile was nowhere to be seen. In fact, her visage was so severe, I barely recognized her. The two women locked eyes, the bell rang, and within seconds Jennifer Santiago, threw her first punch. Continue reading
Imagine. Your favorite coffee shop is shuttered on your way to work. No more latte just the way you like it. Imagine. The magazine you look forward to every month is discontinued. No more articles by your favorite writers on the subjects you love. Imagine. Your beloved squash club is bought by a boutique gym that doesn’t ‘do’ squash. The squash courts are destroyed. A yoga studio takes their place.
Daily Squash Man Ted Gross
in the DSR “office”
Yes, I know these certainly are far from world disasters, but when they happen you wish you appreciated them more when they were around. They made the world a happier place to be. That’s how I felt when a location I visited practically every day, was open seven days a week, and contained many of the things I love, hung a ‘closed for business’ sign on its virtual door last week. Yes, the Daily Squash Report almost went the way of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream — into the flavor graveyard, or wherever websites fade away. Continue reading
fernandes vs. hawkes: Carol Weymuller Open 2012
The squash season may go on all summer for the pros, but I half-way hung up my squash shoes in favor of surfing, cycling, and hammock napping for three months. I officially woke up today to some awesome squash at the Carol Weymuller Open in Brooklyn Heights at the Heights Casino. Continue reading
classic ‘endo’
Did anyone else feel like they hit a pothole and were thrown over the handlebars when they heard about Lance Armstrong last week? As you probably know by now, he announced that he would not fight the doping charges that the USADA (U.S. Anti Doping Agency) had brought against him, saying “I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.” That ‘one side’ includes evidence that he had used both performance enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his professional cycling career. By making this decision, it’s likely that he will be stripped of all seven Tour de France titles, his Olympic Games bronze medal, as well as much of his winnings. That’s when my brain did an endo into a ditch: Lance Armstrong would give up the very thing that defined him: seven time Tour de France champion? How could he possibly do that? Continue reading
“Start paddling!” the guy calls out from behind me.
I rotate my arms as fast as I can, digging into the water as I feel it start to lift and push me forward.
“Now get up!” he shouts, so I can hear him above the roar around me. Continue reading
Got a sporty dad in your life? Want to be one? This one’s for him….and you….and moms as well. This was published in Squash Magazine a few months back, but it feels especially appropriate for Father’s Day. If this doesn’t get you out hitting (or throwing) the ball with your family this weekend, I don’t know what will. Have a great day.
father & daughter vs. mother & son @ U.S. Century Doubles Tournament
The guy is all over the court—front, back, sides, middle—hitting low reverse corners, floating lobs, and hard cross courts to the left wall, aiming to get it past an opponent with graying hair and probably thirty years his senior. But more often than not, the older man gets it back, and early in the first game the ball is hit hard down through the middle, catching the younger man off guard. He whips his racquet behind his back and takes a stab at the ball, nicking but not hitting it true. His head dips down. “Sorry, mom,” he calls out. Continue reading
A summery May day in midtown NYC near University Club
I admit it. I wasn’t psyched to play squash this past weekend. The weather in NYC over Mother’s Day was perfect. Sunny. High 70s. Sundresses and sandals were everywhere. Not to mention tourist shorts and sneakers in mid-town, close to my Saturday and Sunday destination: the University Club on West 54th Street. Where I had to go inside . . . did I mention how unexcited I was?
But then I met my pro partner for the Patricia Han Ladies Pro Am run along side the WDSA Turner Cup. She was standing outside the doubles court in a long black and white sundress and sandals and she greeted me with such sunshiny enthusiasm, that it was as if the blue sky outside had followed her in. Continue reading
Looking at the photo I took of my squash team the other night, I’m struck how healthy and in-shape everyone appears. Dare I say beautiful. Certainly happy. Our ages span thirty years, but it’s not immediately apparent into what decade each of us falls. And while I used iPhoto to crop the picture and adjust the exposure, I did nothing else. But then I wasn’t planning to put it in a magazine. . . .
Julia Bluhm outside Seventeen’s NYC offices
Two news items caught my eye last week. One about a 14 year old girl, who asked Seventeen Magazine to include at least one spread each issue of ‘real girls’—that is, photos of models untouched by image editing programs like Photoshop. She was bothered that no one she knew looked as flawless as the models did in the magazine.There were no blemishes or blotchiness or tan lines or cuts or bruises. The girls looked ‘perfect’, only it wasn’t a perfection that anyone off the pages of the magazine could attain—and when she saw the lengths to which some girls tried, she was appalled. So this wiser-than-women-twice-her-age Julia Bluhm put together an online petition, gathered thousands of signatures, and got an invite to meet with Seventeen’s editor-and-chief. So far, Seventeen has made no promises, but it’s great to know that there are young Julia Bluhms in this world who are looking at magazines (and the world) with their eyes open.
Could this model play squash?
The same week, Vogue magazine finally opened its eyes wide enough to acknowledge that teenagers as young as Julia should be heard but not seen within their pages. The editors of Vogue’s many editions announced that they would no longer hire models younger than age sixteen or who appeared to have eating disorders. As part of the announcement was a six point pact that also promised, “We will be ambassadors for the message of healthy body image.” Kudos to Vogue. However, like Seventeen, there were no promises about not altering those images. Can a body be healthy if it’s not real?
NYSquash Women’s 4.0 league finals: EAC vs. SCLA
(with photos!)
The wine was flowing, the people were clapping, the racquets were flying . . . It appeared to be a typical NYSquash League Women’s 4.0 match. Only it wasn’t so typical on this night; it was the division finals. And Eastern Athletic Club was playing a team who were close to their equal in the vino drinking and fan club cheering department—Sports Club LA. Continue reading
Crossing the Atlantic by Catamaran.... (click on photo for story)
squeaky feet 