Ana buɗe Kotunan Squash na Jama'a Kyauta a Yankin Lower East na Manhattan

Wata rana Alex Wessner da Ryan Wall suna buga squash. "Ranar bazara ce mai kyau, digiri 75, kuma kawai ina son fita waje," in ji Wessner. Matsalar kawai? Squash, aƙalla a birnin New York, wasa ne na cikin gida. Shekaru huɗu bayan haka, Wessner da Wall sun haɗu da sauran masu sha'awar wasan racquetball Brian Staub da Sean Dragan don fara Public Squash da kuma gina filin wasan squash na farko kyauta a birnin New York.

An buɗe ƙofofin ginin gilashi mai haske, wanda ƙirarsa ta nuna salon zamani na Apple Store a hukumance ranar Talata. Filin wasan, wanda ke Hamilton Fish Park a Lower East Side, suna kusa da wurin ninkaya mai girman Olympics, filayen wasan ƙwallon kwando da kuma cibiyar nishaɗi ta Beaux-Arts wadda Carrère & Hastings suka tsara a shekarar 1898 (wannan kamfani ne da ya tsara shahararren ɗakin karatu na jama'a na New York a kan titin Fifth Avenue na Manhattan). Masu sha'awar Squash za su iya yin hayar raket da ƙwallo kyauta kafin su shiga filin wasa.

Masoyan wasan za su fahimci yadda sabon ra'ayin yake. Filin wasan squash ya yi yawa a Manhattan, amma yawancinsu ƙungiyoyi ne masu matakai da yawa da wuraren motsa jiki tare da membobinsu, galibi akan farashi mai tsada. (Baya ga kuɗin membobinsu, yawancin ƙungiyoyi suna karɓar kuɗi don hayar filin wasa.) Weisner ya kira wannan "matsalar shiri ta wasan," wanda a zahiri ba daidai ba ne. "Kodayake ana ɗaukarsa wasa mai rikitarwa," in ji shi, "a zahiri yana da asali mai tawali'u." (Abin lura, an fara yin wasan a waje.) 'Yan wasan squash na farko fursunoni ne na Gidan Yarin Jiragen Ruwa na London, waɗanda suka fara buga ƙwallo da raket a bangon gidan yarin a matsayin wani nau'in motsa jiki a farkon ƙarni na 19. Wasan ya zama tsari na musamman a Makarantar Yara Maza ta Harrow da ke Landan, inda aka gina filayen wasan squash na farko guda huɗu a 1864. Tun daga lokacin, wasan ya bazu ko'ina cikin duniya zuwa matakai daban-daban na shahara, amma ga 'yan New York da yawancin Amurkawa, matsalar shiri ta ci gaba da kasancewa.
Da tunanin shekaru aru-aru, membobin Kotunan Squash na Jama'a sun yi wasu bincike na dijital kuma sun gano cewa duk da bincike da yawa na Google don kotunan squash na jama'a a birnin New York, sakamakon bai cika ba saboda babu kotuna. Duk da ɗaruruwan kotunan ƙwallon hannu na jama'a a cikin gundumomi biyar, binciken kan layi don waɗannan wurare bai zama ruwan dare ba. Da fatan karya al'ada, ƙungiyar ta tuntuɓi Sashen Wuraren Shakatawa da Nishaɗi na NYC da ra'ayin mayar da wasu filayen wasan hannu da ke akwai zuwa kotunan squash. Sun yi tunanin cewa kawai gina ƙarin bango uku zai rufe sararin gaba ɗaya bisa ga ƙa'idodin squash na duniya. Da suka gamsu, Sashen Wuraren Shakatawa ya yi hayar kotunan kyauta, amma ginin ya faɗi ga Weisner, Staub, Wall, da Dragan.
Ƙungiyar ta ƙaddamar da kamfen ɗin tara kuɗi na tsawon shekaru da yawa. Gudummawa masu girma dabam-dabam, galibi daga abokai, dangi da masu sha'awar squash, da kuma daga sayar da rigunan PS, daga ƙarshe sun tara isassun kuɗi don gina filin wasan squash na zamani a waje.

Waɗannan ƙoƙarin kawai farkon wani yunƙuri ne na sake fasalin alama don farfaɗo da tushen wasan Ivy League da kuma sanya shi ya zama mai sauƙin samu kamar wasan ƙwallon kwando na gida. Ba wai kawai 'yan wasan ne suka fahimci darajar squash ba: Ba kamar wasan tennis ba, wasan yana da sauƙin samu kuma Forbes ta sanya shi a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin mafi koshin lafiya. Ƙungiyoyin da ke New York kamar CitySquash sun daɗe suna lura da fa'idodin da squash zai iya bayarwa ga matasa marasa galihu: Shafin yanar gizon sa ya lura cewa kashi 100 cikin 100 na tsofaffin ɗaliban CitySquash sun kammala karatun sakandare, kuma kashi 98 cikin 100 sun ci gaba da zuwa kwaleji.

PS kuma tana da burinta na ganin makomar squash ta Olympics. "Ba a taɓa yin wasannin Olympics ba, galibi saboda wahalar shiga wuraren wasa. Da fatan wannan samfurin zai taimaka wa squash ta cancanci shiga wasannin Olympics," in ji Wall.
Ƙungiyar ta kuma ɗauki sararin a matsayin fiye da filin wasa kawai, tana bayyana cewa bangon gilashi yana ba da damar yin ƙirƙira, kuma sararin cikin gida yana da damar ɗaukar nauyin taruka. Duk da cewa shirye-shiryen kotu na biyu ba su cika ba tukuna, tabbas mataki ne na gaba. Wannan ya haifar da tambaya: Me ke hana wani gina wata filin wasa? "Babu abin da zai hana su, kuma muna fatan za su yi!" in ji Weisner. "Manufarmu ita ce samun dama, don haka ku ji daɗin yin kwafi! Muna son kowa ya iya zuwa ya yi wasa."