Andrew Schnell of Calgary, Arjun Gupta of Toronto and Nick Sachvie of St. Catharines, Ont., will make a second consecutive appearance at the men’s world junior squash championships set for July 27-August 7 in Quito, Ecuador.
The trio helped Canada to a better than expected seventh place finish at the 2008 junior worlds in Switzerland. This year they are joined by first-year member Tyler Osborne of Kingston, Ont. Schnell, Sachvie, Gupta and Osborne took the top four spots respectively at the Canadian junior championships this past April in Calgary.
“At the last world juniors, Arjun, Nick and I went in as 16-year-olds which was great not only in team bonding and friendship but gaining experience on the international stage,” said Schnell. “And we still came seventh so we are aiming for a top-four this year.”
One of the biggest challenges for the players in Quito is the high elevation. The city is nearly 10,000 feet above sea level which will deeply affect play in physically demanding sport like squash.
“We will be going into Quito very well prepared,” said Jonathan Hill, the head coach of the Canadian men’s junior team. “We will hold a training camp in Calgary this summer then head to Quito a week before the championships. The Canadian players will be extremely fit and that should help us do well.”
Schnell will be able to provide some valuable experience to his teammates as well. He was a member of the Canadian team at the senior Pan Am Championships last year in Ecuador.
“It was a very different game there,” said Schnell. “Your strategy changes because the ball is bouncing a lot faster, you have to choose your rallies because there is so little oxygen. The best way to prepare for it is to go down there early and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Schnell also hopes to contend for a medal in the individual event which is being held in the first week of the competition.
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