Stuart senior finds a favorite with squash

Farrell helps Tartans stay perfect in young season

By: Justin Feil
   Win or lose, Colleen Farrell would have liked a chance to play the Lawrenceville Prep varsity squash team.
   But with a program that is barely five years old, and players who have less than two years experience on the Tartan team, she had to settle for an easy 3-0 win as Stuart beat the Lawrenceville junior varsity, 5-2, Tuesday.
   "In the past, we’ve had a pretty good record against the Lawrenceville JVs," said Farrell, a senior at Stuart. "Some of our players are ready to play varsity level players and others are ready just to play JV. So some of us had easy matches and for other ones, it was hard."
   Such is life on the Stuart squash team.
   "It’s pretty basic," said Stuart head coach Richard Hankinson. "It’s not up to playing most varsities. It’s comparable to a JV level. But they have fun and enjoy it."
   And therein lies the key for Farrell, who is her fourth season as the Tartans’ No. 1 player. While she can list the frustrations of being a Tartan squash player, like playing JV teams and facing only a limited schedule that invariably pairs them against the same opponents several times in a season, her voice crescendos as she talks excitedly about her experiences.
   "I started playing squash in the middle school with the Princeton Juniors program," said the Princeton resident. "I love it. It’s my favorite sport out of the three I play."
   That statement means plenty when you consider that Farrell was part of the Mercer County Girls’ Tennis Tournament first doubles and Prep B state championship teams as a junior and has played with the lacrosse team that is just two seasons removed from reaching the prep championship. There is no state squash tournament, but she finds plenty of challenges on the squash court.
   "There’s a certain level of intensity in squash that you don’t see in tennis," Farrell explained. "You’re standing right next to the person (in squash) and you have to try to anticipate every move. It’s a real mental game. You have to know your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses right away. It’s definitely more mental than tennis or lacrosse."
   Yet, there are plenty of tennis players who do play squash. Farrell cautions that it’s not that easy to switch from one to the other.
   "There’s definitely a transition," she said. "You have to train yourself to hit a different shot. It helps with the whole racquet coordination thing, but it’s different."
   Farrell’s rapture for squash wasn’t instantaneous. Stuart tennis coach Dede Webster, who also coaches the Princeton Day School squash team, had suggested that Farrell give squash a shot. She played ice hockey as an eighth grader at Stuart. But after just one season with the Tartan squash program, Farrell had found her love in an oft-overlooked sport.
   "I kind of grew into liking it," the 18-year-old said. "It started with the Stuart team. It’s really fun. It’s a laid-back team."
   Farrell and the laid-back Tartans face one of this season’s toughest challenges when they play at Blair 4 p.m. today.
   "They should beat the Lawrenceville JV team," Hankinson said. "One would judge them more against teams like Blair and Hill. They have programs comparable to ours. They’re good kids. It’s just not advanced squash."
   "They usually have a bunch of good players," Farrell added of Blair. "They’re pretty strong every year so it will be tough."
   Farrell doesn’t have many personal goals for her senior season. The team is off to a 2-0 start after topping the Princeton Junior squash team, 4-3. She’d love a winning record at the end of the year. She’s 1-1 after losing her first match of the season before topping Lawrenceville’s Evelyn Yam on Tuesday. And Farrell has no plans to give up squash after graduation.
   "I would consider playing with a club team," said Farrell, who has not decided where she’ll attend college next fall. "I’d love to play at the club level or with friends. I’m looking to continue playing."
   For now, Farrell is often on the same court as Hankinson, or she drills with Stuart’s No. 2 or No. 3 player, Lucy Arnold or Kathleen Murphy. Farrell may not be as experienced at No. 1 as some opponent’s players are, but she still proves to be a formidable opponent.
   "She’s a good competitor," Hankinson said. "She’s reached a certain level and she still has a ways to go to be a true varsity players, but she gets by by being a good competitor."
   It’s what the Stuart squash team could use a few more of as it looks to continue to build. Growth has been slow at times, but Farrell sees the program coming around.
   "This year," she said, "we had so many girls we had to turn girls away. It was a first-come, first-serve basis.
   "Over the last four years, we’ve definitely grown as a team," she added. "The quality of our team has improved and the quality of our games have improved. And a lot of girls have only been playing a couple years."
   Colleen Farrell used to be one of those Stuart players, just starting out for a budding program. As she prepares to leave, one thing’s for certain. She won’t be getting away from the sport that’s grown into her first love.