David Noone has come a long way with his squash. Examine the picture wall at Galway LTC and you will see him frozen in time as a teenager, his framed snap accompanied by a series of achievements that included representing Ireland at various events from U14 to U19 and winning a few age-grade national titles. A local hero who went international.
Those turn-of-the-millennium exploits didn’t go unnoticed last week. Seven of the 10-player Ireland group selected for the World Squash Junior Championships were in town for a pre-Cairo training camp, and they weren’t long in picking out their Squash Ireland junior performance coach.
Their spot of the teenage Noone – and the teasing it generated – added to the sweetness and light atmosphere surrounding the gathering in Salthill. Step in the courts, though, and the ambience was very different. There was business to get done. Serious business with the countdown on for the tournaments in Egypt from July 21 to August 1.
Cairo isn’t Noone’s first rodeo; he has been on the coaching circuit for a while. However, he appreciates the strides taken in recent times by Squash Ireland to better resource up-and-coming talent and help it achieve its full potential.
“I have been doing it for 10 years now,” said Noone, providing some then and now context. “I’ve always loved it – the players have always given it 100 per cent. But it’s much more structured now from a governance perspective; there is a lot more going on in the background.
“Ten years ago, it was still brilliant; there was so much good training. But nowadays, it definitely feels like there is momentum gathering towards being much more professional. Hopefully, it is starting to really develop and we will be able to access better facilities, better people as well.
“Be more professional with the strength and conditioning and some psychology and nutrition and all these different aspects of the game, which are going to be so important to the guys if they do choose a professional career or try to represent Ireland in the future. This has been a very welcome progression with Squash Ireland.”
An example of this professionalisation was the presence in Galway of Borja Golan. The Spaniard was once the World No.5, but coaching is now his thing and his contributions last week were hugely enthusiastic, to say the least.
Noone was thrilled. “This is the final stint of preparation, and it has been brilliant. We have a guest coach over, getting some expertise on the top level from a world-class perspective.
“And we are in Galway as well, which is nice. It’s a training camp outside their home environments, and we have been blessed with some weather as well, so it’s good that we can get outside and do some team building.
“We were doing some swimming and jumping off the tower and things like that, which is quite fun. But in terms of their training, we’re looking good. The guys have been training hard. Since the season finished and the teams were announced, we had like a 10-week training block, and it has been very productive.
“We have been lucky enough to do a few squads, predominantly in Dublin, and we have really been pushing on the idea of a lot of court time and a lot of physical stuff, so they are in really good shape. The matches are going to come thick and fast in Cairo, but they will be well prepared for that and will be able to get through it feeling good and feeling positive. They are ready for the event, which is great.”
Why choose Golan to help out? “One of the reasons is just a bit of flavour, to add in some different viewpoints so that it is not too much on the side of repeating itself. Even though repetition is massively important, it’s nice to bring in someone else’s viewpoint and to gain knowledge.
“It might be the same message, but it is so good if it comes from different people. There is just more knowledge being gained from having someone coming from a background like his. He is an amazing individual who has achieved a World No.5 status, and I like to use that as preparation for the guys to make sure they are a bit extra focused.
“I try to do it once per year, to bring in an expert from somewhere else around the world. I just thought it would be the perfect fit this time around with his background. The guys have gotten to know him a little bit over the last few months as well, so I just thought it would be nice to have a familiar face that would inspire. He is a good, friendly guy as well. It makes a big difference if they are enjoying it.”
Galway done, the whole kit and caboodle for the 10-player Ireland group, consisting of six boys and four girls, has moved on to Africa. The squad flew out on Friday, and it will be quickly down to business as the individual event begins on Monday in Cairo.
It’s a tournament that already feels special before a ball has been struck. “Egypt is the biggest hub of professional squash – it adds to the excitement for them to go over and immerse themselves in that amazing place that is Egypt for squash at the moment,” Noone enthused.
“You get to go to a really cool club, and it’s so exciting. It’s definitely the pinnacle of a junior career, and it’s so important for these players to have this as a carrot to train harder. They are very excited about going to Cairo.
“It [the Championships] is always in an exotic location. We have been to Melbourne, India, Kuala Lumpur, all these amazing places, but this one seems to ring home a little bit more to the guys because of the level of players over there as well.
“It’s really exciting. Egypt has become synonymous with professional squash, so Cairo is definitely going to be the pinnacle of their junior career, with the added spice of it being Egypt and the best players in the world. It’s really good.
“We leave July 18 and are gone until August 2, so it’s quite an extensive trip and we need to prepare for that as well mentally in terms of what food we will be eating and if there is any sort of loneliness for home or anything like that.
“We have to make sure that we are operating as a unit and as a team. It’s one of the most exciting things we have as a squad, that they just immerse themselves in the team atmosphere. Typically, it does tend to be one of the most magical weeks. When you are playing for Ireland, it is brilliant, so looking forward to it.”
Assisting Noone and the team will be Breanne Flynn, who is currently placed 141st in the PSA women’s rankings. “We’re lucky enough that Breanne has joined us on the trip. She is a current professional squash player, and she is also a qualified physiotherapist.
“She is going to be a big addition to the team with her squash expertise, and then hopefully being able to guide our guys through the tournament and keep them injury-free. It will be an added bonus.
“The team is looking really good, really strong. There is a good support going out there as well, which will be really fun. It’s always nice when you get the flag out and you are playing for your country, that there are extra people behind the court. It’s exciting as it is, but then you get the voices going, it can be the most special time with lifetime memories created.”
