{"id":297,"date":"2025-12-09T13:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T13:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/?p=297"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:10:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T11:10:04","slug":"squash-the-best-social-sport-at-newcastle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/2025\/12\/09\/squash-the-best-social-sport-at-newcastle\/","title":{"rendered":"Squash &#8211; The best social sport at Newcastle?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Readers of this post may be thinking that squash is a sport reserved for the rich and entitled amongst us. I must admit, I did as well, until I met the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/newc_squash\/\">Social Squash Society<\/a> at Newcastle University.\u00a0\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The group are aware of this&nbsp;presumption, but this is exactly what is driving them&nbsp;this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"766\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25138\/2025\/12\/A35DD197-892D-4F00-BCE0-417DEBA01914.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25138\/2025\/12\/A35DD197-892D-4F00-BCE0-417DEBA01914.jpg 766w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25138\/2025\/12\/A35DD197-892D-4F00-BCE0-417DEBA01914-300x295.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Newcastle University Social Squash Society logo; Image credit: Newcastle University Social Squash Society<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Squash]\">Squash<\/a> is a two- or four-person game&nbsp;in which&nbsp;players&nbsp;use rackets&nbsp;to hit a small, hollow ball off a four-wall court, aiming to make it so that their opponent is&nbsp;unable to play a valid return.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The society\u2019s president, Charlotte Thomas, a 3<sup>rd<\/sup>&nbsp;year at Newcastle University,&nbsp;acknowledges&nbsp;that the sport&nbsp;may&nbsp;come with an elitist title but&nbsp;said that her goal&nbsp;as president this year is \u201cjust getting&nbsp;new members in and just spreading the word of squash.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p><strong>\u201cThere&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;many numbers last year so my push for this year was just&nbsp;getting&nbsp;some new members in and just spreading the word of squash because I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a very well-known sport.\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><cite>Charlotte Thomas, president. <\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And, according to the members,&nbsp;she\u2019s&nbsp;doing very well so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Member of the social squash society and 2<sup>nd<\/sup>&nbsp;year at Newcastle University, Jay Loveridge, said that \u201cI didn\u2019t even know it existed before&nbsp;uni\u201d but thinks that this society specifically is not elitist due to&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;low cost.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A membership for the year with the society costs \u00a320, giving members access to a weekly Sunday squash session from 3-5pm&nbsp;in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncl.ac.uk\/sport\/\">Newcastle University Sports Centre<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The membership also gets its user access to any other&nbsp;court bookings the committee may make throughout the week.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, as Jay&nbsp;demonstrated, there are no pre-requisites to join, any ability is welcome.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samuel Ol,&nbsp;Jattin&nbsp;Jindal and Yassin Hall are all&nbsp;1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;years&nbsp;at Newcastle University&nbsp;and&nbsp;first-timers&nbsp;at&nbsp;the social squash&nbsp;society,&nbsp;and all commented on the positive environment of the society.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A sense of community comes across quite strongly in their comments: Samuel&nbsp;said that \u201call people are learning and playing together\u201d alongside&nbsp;Jattin&nbsp;who said that \u201cwe are progressing together and&nbsp;learning&nbsp;together so it\u2019s a good environment.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being a sports society, the group do not partake in the Newcastle University sports night&nbsp;tradition and rarely hold social activities away from their weekly squash sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has garnered mixed reactions from their members, however.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Postgraduate student&nbsp;LuLu&nbsp;Zhang said that she would appreciate some extra activities away from squash, such as \u201csome parties or outdoor activities.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others, however, appreciate the low-commitment nature of the single weekly session, like Samuel&nbsp;Ol&nbsp;who said that \u201cit\u2019s nice&nbsp;that there\u2019s no other commitments because it can work with other societies and you\u2019re not blocking out a Wednesday.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even he pointed out that \u201cthe odd one now and again might be fun.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice that there\u2019s no other commitments&nbsp;because&nbsp;it can work with other societies and you\u2019re not blocking out a Wednesday but&nbsp;I&nbsp;think the odd one now and again might be fun.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><cite>Samuel Ol, member<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus far, however, the committee have stuck to their more relaxed approach; the president of the society, Charlotte Thomas, said that&nbsp;she feels that \u201cthe demographic of squash players are more interested in hopping along on a Sunday and playing for a couple hours\u201d,&nbsp;rather than the other social events that societies may run.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The committee said that they recommend the society \u201cfor anybody who wants a cheap&nbsp;option&nbsp;to play.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;\u00a320 for the year and you&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;need a sport membership to play.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The use of the Newcastle University Sports Centre ordinarily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncl.ac.uk\/sport\/membership\/\">costs<\/a> at least \u00a380 for a year\u2019s membership, however, as Charlotte points out, this is not necessary for the social squash society.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members such as Samuel pointed out that \u201cif you booked the courts privately it\u2019s going to cost you that in like three sessions\u201d so said&nbsp;that the price is reasonable because \u201cyou get to come two hours a week for a whole&nbsp;three semesters.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, the society is very well received by its members.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LuLu&nbsp;Zhang said that \u201cit\u2019s a really nice and warm community\u201d while Samuel Ol specifically complimented the committee and said&nbsp;that they \u201chave been really,&nbsp;really good. They do a lot of drills and stuff and try and help you if you make mistakes.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Memberships for the Newcastle University Social Squash Society are available on the <a href=\"https:\/\/nusu.co.uk\/activities\/view-society\/537\">NUSU<\/a> website for all students.&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Visit my Instagram here:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-layout-flex wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/talk_of_thetoon\/?igsh=b3V0b3ZqZXR3emJo#\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Readers of this post may be thinking that squash is a sport reserved for the rich and entitled amongst us. I must admit, I did as well, until I met the Social Squash Society at Newcastle University.\u00a0\u00a0 The group are aware of this&nbsp;presumption, but this is exactly what is driving them&nbsp;this year.&nbsp;&nbsp; Squash is a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":385,"featured_media":298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":14,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[4,8,5,11,53],"class_list":["post-297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-sport","tag-newcastle-university","tag-sober-activities","tag-societies","tag-sport","tag-squash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/385"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/katy-woods\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}