Brian Bartes—Detroit Athletic Club
Bartes first picked up the squash racquet in the fall of 2011. With no fear, he jumped straight into the box ladders at the DAC—the seventeenth and last box. With a steady diet of lessons, and consistent box ladder competition, Brian has worked his way up to the fifth box for September 2013 where he went 4-0! (The ladder now has twenty-six boxes!) No other player in the DAC has scored more box ladder points during that time.
Bob Hummel—Equinox Sports Club Irvine, CA
California native Bob Hummel came to Equinox about three years ago in his mid-fifties with little squash background and a thirty-year gap since his last racquetball game. Following his doctor’s orders to join a gym and get in shape, Hummel gave squash a try and has been an active player ever since, becoming a regular player after work and a reliable participant in leagues, shootouts and tournaments. Gone are the treadmill and the thirty pounds he has lost since becoming an active squash player.
Ryan Ranson—Los Angeles Athletic Club, CA
A twenty-six-year-old Colorado native and Los Angeles-based trader, Ranson was 2012’s LAAC Box League Champion as the overall point leader. He picked up squash from scratch two years ago and has been quickly climbing the ladder to a 4.5 level singles player combined with a solid doubles game.
Paul Stauffer—Southport Racquet Club, CT
Stauffer started playing squash in 1979 at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, played for four years on the Trinity College Varsity Team (graduating in 1986 with thirty-four wins), and returned to the game after a twenty year hiatus—now playing at Southport Racquet Club. Stauffer has proven to be the top player to beat at the Racquet club, winning three months in a row in box league.
Jesse and John Molina—Life Time Fitness, South Austin, TX
Now in its twentieth season, the Austin Squash Team League includes league stalwart, Jesse Molina, and his son John. Since 2008, Jesse has played in eighteen of twenty seasons (eight as team captain), seven box leagues and in eleven tournaments around the state. John is following in dad’s footsteps with fifteen league seasons (the last two as team captain), five box leagues and eleven tournaments.
Burc Sahinoglu—The Bay Club, San Francisco, CA
Sahinoglu started playing in his early twenties (1986), in Belgium. Sahinoglu is the Bay Club’s top ladder participant and is of the opinion that squash players tend to play too often against people they know—“The ladder is a great and easy way to play regularly within your own club against new players of skills that are pretty close to yours and sometimes much better!”
Alex Burt—Multnomah Athletic Club, OR
Burt first picked up squash six years ago when his son started to play and was encouraged to sign up for the box league. In addition to having four to five matches per month, he also participates in two to three box league social events to meet and talk with the other league members. “One of the best things for me has been exposure to players of all ages. I’ve had box league matches against players in their sixties and thirteen year olds on their way up.”
