By Gary Caffell
Red Star Squash Club is on a roll.
At the recent Wellington regional squad awards they celebrated success in the men’s inter-club division three and seven competitions and the women’s inter-club division one and two competitions.
Taking out the women’s division one title was especially notable as it was the first win in this category for Red Star for a number of years.
And just to prove how much they punch away their weight as a relatively small club compared to many others in the Wellington region Red Star was also awarded the cup for the most wins in the winter inter-club series.
The reasons for Red Star’s rise to prominence are many and varied.
For starters they have continued to expand their membership, both in senior and juniors, through well-structured coaching programmes which see free coaching provided for all members through five nationally-qualified coaches.
Improvements made to facilities have also been a huge plus.
The men’s and women’s bathrooms were upgraded in 2014 while early this year the upgrading of the lounge, kitchen and bar areas was completed.
This work is a tribute to the committed participation of members and highlights the strong club spirit.
Current Red Star president Noel Fussell has been a driving force behind Red Star’s growth and was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from Wellington Squash at their recent awards.
His personal contribution to his club and to the province in general has been immense.
On the playing front Jannah Goodall has made a big impression.
She was the number one player for the successful division one side and was selected to represent Wellington in the national teams event.
Grace Hymers is an up and coming junior who can look back on a very successful year as well.
She was selected in the Wellington regional team, was a finalist in the Wairarapa junior sports awards and earned herself a national ranking of 16 in the under-17 junior girls division.
For the second year in a row Hymers received the cup from Wellington Squash for most improved junior and she was also a member of Red Star’s competition-winning division one and two squads.
