Roll Away the Dew, Dude

One thing that has been happening quite a lot during the pandemic is that many squash players, inspired by Marie Kondo or a nagging spouse, have been going through their closets, attics and basements and digging out all their old gear.

In particular, that inevitable pile of broken racquets. I can’t bear to just toss a battered, no-longer-usable bat. They often have meant something significant to me: eliciting a memory of an important match, a partnership, a weekend, a league title. In my basement, I’ve got a lot of racquets and each, I tell my wife, inspires joy.

Last year Andrew Cordova, the head pro at the Maryland Club in Baltimore, went through his collection and filmed a seventeen-minute, wide-ranging conversation about them. He mentions an infamous chocolate luge, crazy bulldogs, cool cosmetics, unique commemorative frames (2012 and 2014 LA Kings for their Stanley Cup wins; Jervis Finney) and the first Harrow racquet as a tournament favor (2010 National Doubles).

May the four winds blow you home again.