not qualifying for Pan Am Games — Coach Chan-A-Sue
By Sean Devers

IT was a tough Pan Am qualifiers in Cartagena, Columbia for the Guyana Squash teams as both the Men’s and the Women’s teams failed to qualify for the Pan Am Games scheduled for Chile from October 20 to November 5.
The Guyanese Women’s team was led by Nicolette Fernandes and included Ashley Khalil and Taylor Fernandes while the Men’s team consisted of Jason Ray Khalil, Alex Arjoon and Samuel Ince-Carvalhal.

However, both teams failed to qualify for the Pan Am Games, and since 1995, when Squash was first introduced, Guyana’s only Pan Am medal (a bronze) was won by Nicolette in the Singles.
USA-based Guyana head coach, Ramon Chan-A-Sue, explained that why he felt his charges failed to qualify, how they maintained a positive mind-set in the ‘doubles’ after knowing they were not going to Chile, what’s next and how to bridge the gap between Caribbean and International Squash.
“We dealt with some really tough conditions, especially the heat which was 10-15 degrees hotter than what we are accustomed to in Guyana, that, along with the lower tin height used and the (high) quality of competition made every match very challenging” Coach Chan-a-Sue informed.

“Nicolette who was feeling unwell during the Singles, but felt better by the time the team event began. Her condition probably had a lot of do with the heat.
She was not the only one who suffered, a lot of the top seeds in the women’s event also complained of feeling upset,” lamented Coach Chan-a-Sue.
“It was great to see the players rally a little in the doubles event even after the disappointment in the team event and knowing we had not qualified for Chile. Everyone played their heart out and we had some opportunities to get into the medals in those events,” said Chan-a-Sue, who has been Guyana’s Squash Coach for the last nine years.
“They will now focus on the Senior Nationals in July and then get ready to defend their CASA championship at the end of August in the Cayman Islands.
We have the next four years to figure out how we bridge the gap between Caribbean and International Squash,” concluded Coach Chan-a-Sue.