Squash Yukon is organizing a tournament for women and girls at the Better Bodies courts in Whitehorse on April 29 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
The aim of the competition is to promote the participation of women and girls in the sport, said Gyanendra Singh, Squash Yukon coach.
Singh said the upcoming competition is focused on women and girls specifically.
“We want to see more women and girls participate in the sport,” he said.
Singh said the event is a tournament as well as a social gathering.
The competition has four categories based on skill level — A to D. There will be prizes for winners and runners up.
Registration is still ongoing for the tournament. The last day for registration is April 27. So far, 11 women and girls have signed up for the tournament.
Singh told the News they are expecting 25 to 30 participants or more for the competition.
Before the tournament, Squash Yukon organized a four-week clinic for women and girls to teach them the basics of the sport. Equipment such as racquets were provided to the participants at no cost.
The clinic, which was free of charge, had more than two dozen participants — 19 women and nine girls aged seven to eleven. Two volunteer coaches joined Singh in training the women and girls during the clinic.
“We want to remove every barrier facing their participation in the sport,” he said. “We want to empower women and girls in the territory to play squash.”
One of the highlights of the clinics, Singh said, is that the participants are enjoying and loving squash.
“They have a good workout and one of the best things is that they meet a lot of friends,” he said.
“We created what we call the ‘buddy list’ where they become friends and play against each other. That’s the beauty of sports. You get fit and healthier while having fun at the same time.”
Singh added that Squash Yukon has a year-round squash program for women and girls, each running a separate program according to age differences. The program also includes weekly clinics and coaching classes.
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
