Squash just doesn't quite have the sophisticated ring to it as does other racket sports like, say, tennis or racquetball or even the lesser known paddleball.
Squash sounds, well — more edible than playable.
But, according to Forbes magazine, squash — the game — is the healthiest sport an individual can undertake — better than rowing, rock climbing, swimming, cross country skiing or basketball, all runners-up in the scheme of fitness.
Not taken into account is the sheer fun of standing inside a room, about the size of a large bedroom, and hitting a little ball as hard as is physically possible.
Regulation squash, as is played now, involves playing in an enclosed area that is 21 feet long and 18.5 feet wide, has no ceiling (one difference from racquetball), and a thin piece of tin stuck to the front wall that makes it nearly impossible to play a "quick" game.
And now, said Craig Bennett, teaching pro/manager of the Squashworks — Utah's only designated squash playground — the introduction of a softer, squishier ball in recent years has upped the level of play.
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Forbes consulted with fitness experts and asked them to score the various sports in four areas — cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. Also scored were calories burned and injury risk.
Of a possible five points, squash scored 4.5 for cardiorespiratory endurance, 3 for muscular strength, 5 for muscular endurance, 3 for flexibility and 5 for calories burned in 30 minutes (517). In rating injuries — high, so-so and low — it scored a 2 or so-so. Total points: 22.5.
Rowing and rock climbing tied for second with 22 points each.
What this shows, confirmed Bennett, is that squash is both healthy and fun.
Unlike other racket sports, points are scored on every serve. The ball can be played off any of the four walls but can bounce no more than once before being returned.
What makes this game so different is the 19-inch-high tin plate on the front wall. All shots must be returned above the plate, which eliminates quick kill shots, which are common in racquetball.
"What you find," explained Bennett, "is that the better you get at racquetball the shorter the rallies because of the kill shot.
"It's quite the opposite in squash. The better you become, the longer the rallies . . . the more of a workout you get."
Squash had a rather shady beginning. Prisoners in England in the early 19th century got their exercise by hitting a ball against one of the prison walls with a racket. Eventually it made its way to the Harrow school in England around 1830, where students found that puncturing the ball made it "squishier" and made for a better game. In 1864, the first squash courts were built at the school.
Eventually, interest in the game spread. Here in North America, it first hit Canada and then filtered over the border to the United States — first in Concord, N.H., then points west.
Here in Utah, it was somewhat late arriving. Bennett's grandfather, Harold Bennett, was introduced to the game while on business in the East and brought it back to the old Deseret Gym near the Hotel Utah.
When the new Deseret Gym was built in 1965, he was instrumental in getting two squash courts included. Later, two more singles courts and one doubles court were added.
Some of the sports clubs have built squash courts and some have modified racquetball courts for squash. The University of Utah built four courts in the old Einar Nelson Fieldhouse when it was remodeled.
It wasn't until 1999, however, that Utah got its first all-squash center, the Squashworks, 225 S. 500 East in Salt Lake City, which has six squash courts.
The center, said Craig Bennett, is somewhat of a squash marvel. The walls are constructed of large panels, with sand filling the space between the studs, "making for a truer bounce of the ball and a quieter game."
There are also moveable walls between two courts, making it possible to expand from singles to doubles play.
As mentioned, one of the newest changes in the game is the move from a rock-hard ball to a softer ball.
One reason for the move, said Bennett, "is to try and get squash in as an Olympic sport. We're told that squash will be one of five sports to be considered for introduction into the 2012 Games."
"The hard ball is a much faster game. The ball behaves much more quickly. It makes for a more offensive game and points are a little shorter, but the game was harder to pick up. Now, with the softer ball, there's a little more bounce to the ball, which makes it a little slower and easier to hit."
Despite all the benefits of squash, the game has been slow to catch on here in Utah, especially among women and children.
Bennett said the center is working to promote the sport within the female and younger ranks.
"Really, the new softer ball has made this an ideal sport for women," he explained. "It's become more balanced between offense and defense, so physical power is not such a big part of the game. Women can play against men and not find themselves overwhelmed by the power game."
Bennett brings in a couple of traveling pro tours each summer — one men's and one women's, "just to show the level of play."
In the meantime, he will continue to do his best to let people know that squash — the game — is both fun and healthy.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com