Two athletes from Regina are excited to be competing in the Canadian Squash Championship in Toronto this weekend.
Nikki Todd, who lives in Toronto now, started playing when she was 14 years old.
“My dad and my brother played back in Regina and then so I went to juniors and then started playing pro in about 2013, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Todd said.
Todd has been able to travel the world playing the sport, going to places like South Africa and Australia.
She’s competed in major tournaments like World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Pan Am Games.
The 31-year-old was playing and training full-time until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since then, she’s picked up a coaching job.
“It’s a nice way to sort of supplement it when you don’t have a lot of tournaments going on,” Todd added.
Todd said it was tough to figure out training at first when the pandemic hit.
“Being squash fit and just generally fit are two different things. It’s a tough sport to replicate … being on a court,” Todd explained.
As she waited for things to return to normal and open back up again, Todd started taking nutrition classes online.
She said for some competitors, this is their first tournament back and it just so happens to be the biggest one of year for Canadian squash.
Todd is one of many athletes competing in a full glass court in Yorkdale Mall in Toronto.
“As people walk by in the mall, they see people playing squash and they ask questions and want to know what’s going on. So that’s been amazing,” Todd said.
“It’s definitely different hitting on a glass court when you haven’t been on one for ages, but it’s awesome and it’s great exposure for the sport,” she added.
Isaiah Richter, 17, from Regina is also competing in the Canadian Junior Championships at Urban Squash Toronto.
Richter started playing when he was 10 after a cousin invited him out play one night.
“I just kind of stuck with it ever since,” he told Global News.
Richter has played in local tournaments as well as tournaments in Niagara, Toronto, and Edmonton.
He said it’s been exciting competing in the national championship.
“The club is pretty nice and the courts are nice (and) I got to see a bunch of people that I’ve seen before,” Richter said.
Richter lost his first match but hopes to win his Friday night match.
Richter said he’s happy to be competing and representing Saskatchewan in the tournament.
He added it was difficult to find motivation not being able to train or compete during the pandemic but he kept up with sprints and then got back into drills once courts opened.
Richter is also looking forward to competing in the Canadian Junior Open in December.
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