IiNkundla zeSquash zikawonke-wonke zasimahla zivuliwe kwiSithili saseMpuma esisezantsi saseManhattan

U-Alex Wessner noRyan Wall babedlala i-squash ngenye imini. “Yayiyimini entle yasentwasahlobo, amaqondo obushushu angama-75, kwaye ndandifuna nje ukuphuma ngaphandle,” utshilo uWessner. Ingxaki kuphela? I-Squash, ubuncinane eNew York City, ngumdlalo wangaphakathi kuphela. Kwiminyaka emine kamva, uWessner noWall basebenzisana nabanye abathandi be-racquetball uBrian Staub noSean Dragann ukuqala i-Public Squash nokwakha iinkundla zokuqala ze-squash zasimahla eNew York City.

Iingcango zesakhiwo seglasi esikhazimlayo, esiyilo lwaso lukhumbuza isitayile sanamhlanje esinomtsalane seVenkile yama-Apple, zivulwe ngokusesikweni ngoLwesibini. Iinkundla, ezikwiHamilton Fish Park kwiLower East Side, zikufutshane nechibi lokudada elinobukhulu be-Olimpiki, iinkundla zebhasikithi kunye neziko lokuzonwabisa leBeaux-Arts elenziwe ngo-1898 nguCarrère & Hastings (inkampani efanayo eyayila iThala leeNcwadi likaRhulumente laseNew York elidumileyo kwiFifth Avenue yaseManhattan). Abathandi beSquash banokuqesha iirackets zasimahla kunye neebhola ngaphambi kokuba bangene kwiinkundla.

Abalandeli balo mdlalo baya kuqaphela indlela entsha ngayo le ngcamango. Iinkundla zesquash zininzi eManhattan, kodwa uninzi lwazo ziiklabhu zamanqanaba amaninzi kunye neendawo zokuzivocavoca ezinamalungu, zihlala zibiza amaxabiso aphezulu. (Ukongeza kwiimali zobulungu, uninzi lweeklabhu zihlawulisa umrhumo wokuqesha inkundla.) UWeisner ubiza oku ngokuthi "yingxaki yokulungiselela kwangaphambili" yalo mdlalo, nto leyo engeyiyo ingqiqo. "Nangona ithathwa njengomdlalo ophucukileyo," utsho, "inemvelaphi ephantsi." (Okuphawulekayo kukuba, lo mdlalo wawudlalwa ngaphandle ekuqaleni.) Abadlali bokuqala besquash babengamabanjwa eFleet Prison yaseLondon, abaqala ukubetha iibhola ngeerackets ezindongeni zentolongo njengendlela yokuzilolonga ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane ye-19. Lo mdlalo wahlelwa ngokusesikweni kwiHarrow School for Boys eLondon, apho kwakhiwa khona iinkundla zesquash ezine zokuqala ngo-1864. Ukususela ngoko, lo mdlalo usasazeke kwihlabathi liphela ukuya kumanqanaba ahlukeneyo okuthandwa, kodwa kubantu baseNew York nakuninzi lwaseMelika, ingxaki yokulungiselela kwangaphambili isasele.
Ngengqondo yeminyaka eliwaka, amalungu eeNkundla zePublic Squash enze uphando lwedijithali aza afumanisa ukuba nangona kukhangelwe iinkundla zesquash zikawonke-wonke kwiGoogle eNew York City, iziphumo azizange zigqibelele kuba bekungekho zinkundla. Nangona amakhulu eenkundla zehandball zikawonke-wonke kuzo zonke iidolophu ezintlanu, ukukhangela ezi ndawo kwi-intanethi bekungaqhelekanga kakhulu. Benethemba lokuhlukana nesiko, eli qela laya kwiSebe leePaki kunye noLonwabo laseNYC ngengcinga yokuguqula ezinye iinkundla zehandball ezikhoyo zibe ziinkundla zesquash. Bacinga ukuba ukwakha nje iindonga ezintathu ezongezelelweyo kuya kuvala ngokupheleleyo le ndawo kwimigangatho yesquash yamazwe ngamazwe. Beqinisekile, iSebe leePaki laqesha iinkundla simahla, kodwa ulwakhiwo lwawela kuWeisner, Staub, Wall, kunye noDragan.
Lo mbutho uqalise iphulo lokuqokelela imali leminyaka emininzi. Iminikelo yobukhulu obahlukeneyo, uninzi lwayo luvela kubahlobo, kusapho nakubantu abathanda i-squash, kunye nokuthengiswa kwee-T-shirts ze-PS, ekugqibeleni yaqokelela imali eyaneleyo yokwakha inkundla yanamhlanje ye-squash yangaphandle.

Le mizamo sisiqalo nje somzamo wokuhlaziya iingcambu zomdlalo we-Ivy League kwaye uwenze ufikeleleke njengomdlalo wakho webhasikithi wasekuhlaleni. Asingobadlali kuphela abaqonda ixabiso le-squash: Ngokungafaniyo ne-tennis, lo mdlalo ufikeleleka ngokumangalisayo kwaye ude wabizwa ngokuba ngomnye weyona inempilo yiForbes. Imibutho eseNew York efana neCitySquash sele iqaphela iingenelo ze-squash kulutsha oluhlwempuzekileyo: Iwebhusayithi yayo iphawula ukuba i-100 ekhulwini yabafundi beCitySquash baphumelela kwisikolo samabanga aphakamileyo, kwaye i-98 ekhulwini baya ekholejini.

I-PS ikwajonge phambili kwikamva le-squash kwi-Olimpiki. “Akuzange kube ngumdlalo we-Olimpiki, ikakhulu ngenxa yobunzima bokufikelela kwiindawo zokudlala. Ngethemba ukuba le modeli iya kunceda i-squash ifanelekele ii-Olimpiki,” utshilo uWall.
Iqela likwabona le ndawo njengento engaphezulu nje kwenkundla, lichaza ukuba iindonga zeglasi zivumela ubuchule, kwaye indawo yangaphakathi inamandla okusingatha imisitho. Nangona izicwangciso zenkundla yesibini zingekazaliseki, ngokuqinisekileyo linyathelo elilandelayo. Oku kubangela umbuzo: Yintoni ethintela umntu ekwakheni enye inkundla? “Akukho nto imthintelayo, kwaye sinethemba lokuba baya kwenza njalo!” utshilo uWeisner. “Injongo yethu kukufikelela, ngoko zive ukhululekile ukukopa loo nto! Sifuna nje ukuba wonke umntu akwazi ukuza kudlala.”