Good squash news. The University of Ottawa has made squash an official
varsity sport. U Ottawa has long had a squash club but it did not have official university
backing akin to lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and other teams. This year, however, U
Ottawa has made squash a competitive team, Gee-Gees Squash Club, on par with
other traditional varsity sports.
U Ottawa squash players can now officially represent the university as Gee-Gees in the
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) league, the preeminent collegiate sports association
in Ontario. The OUA has nurtured elite-level and even professional caliber squash, with
some member schools suiting up players who have been among the best in Canada.
With U Ottawa squash now part of the OUA, the university is poised to attract some of
the global talent that international students are increasingly bringing to North American
squash.
“Previously, international students who were elite junior players in their home countries
might have given lesser consideration to U Ottawa, compared to other Canadian
schools where squash has official university backing and status,” said U Ottawa head
squash coach Vinit Kudva.
“Now, however, U Ottawa stands to attract these students, as well as Canadian-raised
top juniors who, when looking at a university, want an institution where they can
continue to play and to develop.”
Not only does the new status allow U Ottawa squash players to compete in the OUA,
but the team will now receive resource support from the university, in terms of practice
facilities and assistance for travel and accommodation to tournaments.
Coach Kudva believes that this long-awaited backing from U Ottawa will help raise the
competitive metabolism of squash generally in Ottawa-Gatineau, because many of the
team members will become part of the local squash scene, especially if they stay in the
Ottawa area after graduation.
Coach Kudva himself is a former varsity squash athlete (University of Waterloo) and has
become a familiar figure in the Ottawa squash community since moving to the capital
region in 2018. A university-level squash coach for more than 10 years, he has been
helping to develop squash at U Ottawa since arriving in the city and he played an
integral role in obtaining official status for the varsity squash club.
The current 2022-23 team – the first to have this new status from the university – is an
encouraging harbinger of a bright future. There are seven female athletes and 11 male
athletes, and the squad has been very competitive at the three out-of-town tournaments
so far this year.
The team is highly diverse, with students born and raised in Canada and others whose
roots are in powerhouse squash countries such as Egypt, India and Pakistan. Their
programs of academic studies are equally diverse, with undergraduate, graduate and
professional school students all represented.
One important benefit of the U Ottawa squash team’s official status is that squash
supporters in the city can now donate to the team and receive a charitable tax
receipt from the university.
With this in mind, the U Ottawa varsity squash team invites members of the ODSA
fraternity to consider making a donation of any size to the varsity squash team.
U Ottawa squashers say that donations, no matter the size, from the greater ODSA
fraternity will be hugely appreciated, not just to help kick-start the team but because
support from local squash players will send a symbolic message to the university that
this is an important and valued sport in the community. The funds collected will go a
long way to support travel and accommodation for the various university tournaments in
which the team participates.
Donations can be made:
- On line at: https://alumni.uottawa.ca/donation-form?fid=ItJ%2fhgQBLu4%3d&fdesc=Ub8T1OarvZ9U1xU3lpsEquh97NlB%2bpt0
- or you can contact Coach Vinit Kudva at .