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When Squash Strings Go to College
By Steve Crandall
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Ashaway Racket Strings
Ashaway currently offers two families of Zyex® - based strings for squash, UltraNick® and PowerNick®, both of which feature the high dynamic stiffness and superior tension holding characteristics of this space age polymer. |
You won't find many college squash programs more successful than the one at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Under legendary coaches Paul Assaiante and Wendy Bartlett, Trinity's teams are among the most feared in college sports. Last year, Assaiante - who has just been inducted into the US Squash Hall of Fame - guided the Trinity Bantams to a 10th consecutive NESCAC Championship. In 2014-15, he brought the Bantams to the CSA National Championship Finals for the 19th year in a row, and his charges won their 15th national title.
Wendy Bartlett begins her 33rd year as head coach of the Trinity College women's team, having led the squad to a third-place finish in the College Squash Association (CSA) National Championship Tournament a year ago. In 32 seasons, Bartlett's teams have compiled an impressive record of 375-103 for a .785 winning average. Under her watch, Trinity has won National Championships in 2001-2002, 2002-2003 and in 2013-2014, and all 10 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship titles. Bartlett was honored as the NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2015-16.
In short, they're good: the coaches and the teams. So we thought, who better to talk with about stringing for inter-collegiate squash? Now, full disclosure: I am an alumnus of Trinity, and for many years both Paul and Wendy have been kind enough to have their squads playtest many of our new strings. So, I am biased, but I think the record shows that they know what they're talking about.
So what happens when squash string goes to college? There are several string related issues that are different from an amateur or professional environment.
The first relates to cost. Nobody likes paying for their string, but what is unique in the college environment - at least at Trinity - is that the players are really quite free from the constraints of cost. It's the coaches who pay the bills and have to control their budgets. Players, for the most part, get to use whatever string they want, and get their racquets restrung whenever they want.
That said, they do their own stringing at Trinity and players are encouraged to string their own racquets, Assaiante said. "Some we teach, some come already knowing how to string, and some have a teammate string for them."
But because the boys aren't paying for their own string, "they're more concerned with string feel than durability," Assaiante said. "We as coaches are interested in durability because we have to pay the bills!" But he said they've been able to address both issues with the newer Zyex® - based strings. "The powder blue UltraNick® 18 and the red PowerNick® 18 strings were the go-to strings last year," he said, "but we have recently been play testing that new black Ashaway string, SuperNick® ZX Micro, and that seems like it will be pretty popular as well."
Selecting a string is also easier in the college environment. "We have lots of demo racquets with all the different kinds of string," said Wendy. "And they choose what is best for them." Also good on the women's side is that Vikram Malhotra - Wendy's assistant coach and a rising pro, currently ranked 66 on the PSA Tour - "is really into strings and can advise the girls on what string is going to give them more touch, more power, etc."
But while string durability and breakage is an issue for the men, "it's never a huge factor with us," Wendy said. "The girls just don't go through string after string. They are more concerned with touch and control, and now that they're making thinner strings more durable, it's a perfect situation."
"I remember years ago Paul and the boys always complaining about strings breaking," Wendy added. "But now, new strings like Ashaway's PowerNick and UltraNick have the soft feel and are very durable."
Paul also noted that power and control are differentiated by the tension of the string. "A power player looking for more feel is going to string his racquet more tightly," he said. "A touch player needing more power will string more loosely. Plus, you have more touch if your swing is shorter. And with the new strings, with a short swing and less tension, you can still get the power you need. You get the best of both."
Both coaches claimed their players were quite knowledgeable about strings, especially the better players. "Players who come in at our level are experienced and have played at a very high level," said Wendy. So they've been taught a lot about string. But they're also very open to suggestion because they want to do what's best for their game."
That said, she added, many of her top players come from other countries and may have preconceived notions about what makes a good string. But then, when they hit with some of the new Zyex-based strings, "they like them because they get the feel and the tension durability. They really like that soft touch that the ZX provides."
What I was curious about was how had this team stayed so successful for so long: what was their secret? Wendy, I think, put it very succinctly. "It's really something because we have these kids from all over the world, and yet by the very nature of our program, we emphasize the oneness of everything: That we're together, that we're working together as a team and a family, that there are no prima donnas. It really works. It's a very special team and a very special group of kids."
ZYEX® is a registered trademark of Victrex Ltd.
This article previously appeared in Squash Magazine.
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