JAMES WILLSTROP: HARDLY LOST FOR WORDS
The resurgent James Willstrop shares his ideas on how squash needs to embrace a bit of glamour in order to grow as a sport.
Hang around at the bar after a major squash tournament and there’s a good chance you’ll hear James Willstrop singing or playing guitar. Together with fellow squash players, the World No.6 and English No.2 is in a rock band called Lost For Words.
It’s their job to provide a bit of post- tournament entertainment, performing cover versions of songs by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Robbie Williams and Joss Stone.
“People are lost for words when they hear us play,” James says, “in a bad way.”
Ironically, James himself is never lost for words. He enjoys quite a reputation for being very opinionated about the politics of his sport. He even writes a column for a local regional newspaper. Get him opining about the problems faced by squash, and he becomes animated.
Like everyone involved in the sport, James knows inclusion in the Olympic Games would be an enormous advantage. “If that happened, it would be massive, especially in this country because people would start waking up to the fact that we’re really good at squash.”
The problem, James contests, is that most squash tournaments lack glamour and atmosphere. “I don’t think governing bodies and the people who are running squash are quite aware of what we need to do as a sport to glamorise it; to make it more of a spectacle.”
He suggests squash should follow the lead of sports such as rugby league or darts, where what happens off the field of play is all part of the show. “I’m not saying we should be shouting, bawling and drinking like the darts crowds do. But there are things we could take out of sports like darts: the music, and the pretty women leading the guys on, for example. The atmosphere at darts tournaments is incredible. And look at rugby league matches with cheerleaders and opera singers. There’s an element of glamour there. That isn’t happening in squash. We haven’t cashed in on it.”
Meet James in the flesh and you’re immediately struck by his physical presence. For a squash player, he is no small lad. He weighs 90kgs, sports size 14 feet and, depending on who you believe, he’s either 6ft 4ins or 6ft 5ins tall. “6ft 4ins sounds better to me,” he says. “6ft 5ins sounds a bit too freakish.”
Compared to his peers it really is freakish. Of the five players placed above him in the world rankings, not one weighs more than 80kgs or breaks the 6ft height barrier.
In other sports 6ft 4ins wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. In squash, however, it makes for a veritable giant. But as James explains, there are both advantages and disadvantages to being the big man on the court.
“I’ve got good reach, obviously, which helps when I’m stretched and on volleys. But you’ve got to get down very low, very often in squash. Every lunge I do, I’m carrying at least eight more kilos in
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine 20 | September 2010 INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE
weight than every other player I compete against. That’s a lot. And I have to be strong enough to push that extra weight up again. Throughout a match it takes its toll on you.”
Large opponents can sometimes be intimidating, even just on a subconscious level. James isn’t sure whether that’s ever a factor when he’s on court. “You’d have to ask my opponents,” he says. “But I can certainly walk tall. It’s easy to walk tall if you ARE tall.”
He’s always been a big lad. When he was born in Norfolk, England in 1983, weighing 9lbs 3oz, he set a new hospital record.
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