Copa

The death of George Wadsworth last month has led some to ponder the future of the Copa Wadsworth. The annual squash match between the U.S. and Mexico was started in 1990 and has become a wonderful fixture on the calendar, helping cement ties between the two nations and sending players all around North America. Anything that gets the U.S. ambassador to come and present trophies is a good thing.

George presided over the Copa as a gentle spirit, not as someone who managed every last detail. The tournament began as the brainchild of some Mexican squash players, including three ex-presidents of the Mexican squash association. Purdy Jordan, who played in the first Copa in 1990, helps greatly from behind the scenes and, stateside, Ken Stillman, who first got involved when he was the president of the USSRA, and Alan Fox, who has played in it since 1993, keep an eye on all things Copa.

This year’s was in Louisville, keeping to the general plan of moving the U.S. match to small, but vibrant squash locales (Atlantic City in 1991, Colorado Springs in 2001, Santa Fe in 1993 and 2003)—though it is often in the big city too. Next year it is in Mexico City.

With the demise of hardball singles and the increasing globalization of squash, the Copa is even more important to the health of the U.S. game, quite literally as important as its sister, the Lapham-Grant. And with a couple of doubles courts in Mexico City and one in Tijuana, it is also the route for expanding doubles to other countries besides the U.S. and Canada.

 

 

One thought on “Copa”

  1. Thank you for your email. I will be at a conference and then out of the office until Monday, July 25. I will be happy to respond to your email when I return. <br/> <br/>In friendship, <br/>Rebecca

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