The Harbours from Before: Getting Hooked

As I had Buckle House Practice (c is for noun, s is for verb) on Tuesdays, I could not join the Tuesday group of Sec Ones for training in RGS. Instead I started off at Yio Chu Kang. The squash centre had 10 courts of which we usually had 5. Court 5 to Court 9, with Court 6 being the 'central' court where the seniors (Jasmine, Wah Siew, Huishan, Joanne etc ...) would be ferociously hammering the ball away.

So starting once a week, I would make my way down to YCK after school. Had to take 105 and then change to the train at Toa Payoh. Training started around 3 pm with a compulsory 500 skips. Anyone who forgot her rope would have to pay a fine or do a more vigorous warm-up.

The first few exercises included swinging the racket from ear to ear while desperately listening out for a swish sound, and hitting the ball continuously 1 m away from the wall. I guess I spent more time chasing the ball around the court then. Yup, I was no talent. Either missed the ball completely or hit it out of control. However as I managed to hit the ball more often, I felt very encouraged to play more. It was fun. One week I did 4, the next I did 6 and I looked forward to the next week whereby I could do 10!

There was always room for improvement. After I did 10 continuous straight shots, I would move further away from the wall and start the count from 1 again ... When I hit 10 once more, I would take another step back again. The incremental improvement kept me coming back. Practice sessions increased from once per week to twice and before I knew, I was down at YCK three times per week even as a Sec One. It was addictive in a very fulfilling way.

Soon I was hitting from the short line, then from behind the box and finally, I was attempting to take the ball off the backwall. Each day, as I watched my seniors in Court 6, I felt an increasing sense of excitement. I was motivated to train and get myself to the level where I would be able to hit the ball like them. Crack!