The Guyana national junior female squash team has departed for the 33rd annual Caribbean Area Squash Association’s (CASA) annual regional junior squash tournament which commences today in Barbados and which will end next Saturday.
Guyana are the defending champions having won both the boys and girls’ team titles at last year’s championships in Bermuda.
The Guyanese have been declared overall champions for 10 straight years and will be looking to continue that trend at this year’s championships.
As usual the Guyanese will be looking to a number of players such as the Taylor and Madison Fernandes, Akeila and Larissa Wiltshire and Makeda Harding in an effort to win not only the team title but individual singles and doubles titles as well.
Below are profiles of the female national players:
Makeda Harding: the 13-year-old Harding endured a difficult CASA experience last year but returns this year determined to improve.
One aspect of her game which has improved markedly since is her return of serve. She also believes that she can test her opponent’s skill the most through her serve and also believes her power and ability to think under pressure makes her a dangerous opponent.
Harding, who also plays hockey, opines that there is still room to improve her drop shots, which she has been working on in the build up to the year’s tournament. As with many successful athletes, she believes that the sheer volume of dedicated and focused training, as well as the support of her family and coaches, have been the biggest factors in her progress thus far, progress which was evident even in her loss to Nicolette Fernandes in the recent national senior tournament, which she said was the best experience of her young squash career.
Madison Fernandes: The 11-year-old Fernandes trained almost daily for this, her first CASA tournament and boasts in her repertoire strong serves and drives. The young athlete said that her return of serve is an area she has been striving to improve and confidently believes she is ready to do well at the games. With her love and enjoyment of the sport a stand out feature of her play, the young Fernandes stated that her best experience thus far in squash was simply hitting her first ball.
Haley Carpenter: The 10-year-old Carpenter expects to put in her best effort at her debut for Guyana in Barbados this year. Showing her skill in the recent junior tournament, which was good enough to earn her a spot on one of Guyana’s most successful junior teams, she highlighted practice and dedication as the reasons for her recent success. Favoring the backhand strokes, and to a lesser extent forehand drives, she believes her control of the serve and use of drop shots still has some distance to go before they are the finished product.
Larissa Wiltshire: Lithe, lean and experienced 17-year-old Larissa Wiltshire is ready to compete and win at this year’s CASA.
Finishing second in her last dig at the tournament, she believes that her strengthening of cross court shots and the mental awareness to time kill shots well are the areas that can help her go the distance this year.
The Queen’s College student athlete affirmed that “squash is half a mental game, so you have to be in the right frame of mind to win” and with her immaculate record on the educational frontier much can be expected of her on the court. Fitness and shot selection are at a premium for the in-form player who has been working on the use of lobs and serving aces as ways of dismissing her opponents. A hard worker, she believes that constant training, increasing her fitness and her mental fortitude have been the pillars of her success over the years. Most recently, the junior athlete enjoyed a gruelling five-set match with senior Ashley DeGroot, narrowly missing out on a win.
Rebecca Low: Fourth place at the last CASA tournament, the 15-year-old Low feels “as ready as can be” for this year’s event and is extremely determined to do well.
Her exuberant style of play reflects this determination which she credits for her progress thus far in the sport. Low said that rather importantly she learnt from her last experience at CASA that “every point counts” and that when representing the country “every person on the team makes a difference.”
The right-handed player believes that she tactically defeats her opponents, especially with the use of her cross court shots, but opined that confidence is an important facet of her game, being both a negative and positive at times.
Akeila Wiltshire: Always a calm fortress, Akeila Wiltshire is the current 18-year-old junior national champion and captain of the Guyana’s girls’ team at this year’s CASA tournament.
With the experience of finishing second at her last outing, Wiltshire is expected to be the front runner this year for the title. Working especially her on her back hand drives, the racket wielder possesses powerful drives, and makes smart use of lobs, as well as drops, and she has the added skill of a strong serve. Akeila related that her highest point in the sport so far has been winning her first CASA in 2011 and this year she’ll be looking to regain the title in her last attempt as a junior. She returns this year more mentally prepared, fitter, and with a higher skill level.
Gabrielle Fraser: The 18-year-old Fraser is no stranger to the championships having placed seventh at her last attempt.
Noting that from that experience she needed to be fitter, Fraser believes she has prepared well, and is eagerly anticipating testing her current skills against her opponents.
Sarah Lewis: The 15-year-old Lewis believes she has learnt from her previous experience at the Caribbean tournament which is that she needs to hold her nerves, and, as evidenced by her recent performances in the local tournaments, she looks set to compete and show her improvement on the regional arena. Lewis feels natural talent, power and supreme fitness are key points to her success, she has been working on her serve, and believes she is just about ready to do well this year.
Taylor Fernandes: Recently recovering from an ankle injury, 17-year-old Taylor Fernandes is an experienced national player who placed third the last time she competed at CASA. With a never-say-die attitude, she believes her positive style of play makes her difficult to beat and, with her execution of the cross court strokes and drives, is a key player on the national squad.
The 2013 national champion has been working on her play in the front court, and believes she is especially well prepared for this tournament considering her mental and tactical improvement, and the constant training she has put in leading up to the tournament.
