She's a lucky lady
Squash player enjoys fun and Games

Kerrie Duncan says she could be screwed when she goes to Sydney, but she says it with a smile. Signing up to play in the 45-and-over women’s squash event at the sixth Gay Games in Australia means she’ll most likely be in some tough competition, but Duncan looks forward to the strategic play against athletes who’ve had 20 or 30 years to master the game.

Playing on the winning B-level women’s volleyball team in the Amsterdam Gay Games in 1998, Duncan was in the bleachers during several other sporting events, but was so impressed with the squash tournament that she decided to participate in 2002. “It’s such a nice event,” she enthuses. “People who play squash get a good sense of level right away and play friendly, even though it’s competitive and you play to win. I really liked the camaraderie at the squash event.”

Duncan has been really impressed with the organizers of the Games this time around. “They’ve provided us with so much information; it’s been great,” she says. “There’s going to be an opening reception specifically for the squash players, which didn’t happen in Amsterdam. Also, they’ve organized some tours outside of Sydney, and have balanced them out so that if you’re playing, you can fit in a tour around your play schedule. I don’t know if the other events are doing that. They’ve done an amazing job.”

The athletic hopeful has had a long and extensive history in sporting events, so much so that she calls sports her hobby. Duncan was a fast runner and competed in track and field events all through high school, and although she made it to the finals, says she was never first at the finish line. Since then, she’s played almost any other sport you can think of and has been playing squash regularly for about four years now.

“I try to play at least three games a week,” Duncan explains, “and I also do Pilates. I needed to do some exercise rehab when I moved to Ottawa because I hadn’t been very active for a while.” She moved to Ottawa about a year and a half ago after living in Toronto and in Iqaluit in Nunavut for over 12 years.

“I loved it there. It’s a whole different pace of life. You can do anything. You can play volleyball, basketball, curling, hockey, baseball, squash, you can do it all… in one night! It was heaven on earth.”

Duncan admits that squash can be a difficult and dangerous game at first, but explains that once you learn how to manage the ball, you’re fine. “You’re supposed to watch the ball,” she explains. “Squash is a game of physics, too. You learn how the ball will move when you hit it a certain way. That’s why it’s about hitting a lot of balls, because the more you see, the more you know how to react to them.”

For 2002, the organizers of the Games are hoping to attract a lot more female players, aiming for a 50-50 ratio of men and women. In past Games, the ratio of female to male athletes has been considerably lower, yet Duncan thinks that this has more to do with economics than a lack of interested female athletes. Since women generally have less expendable income than men, they may have to rely on subsidies from fundraising groups to afford the expense of participating in the Games.

“Not only that,” she adds, “but you still have to pay your club fees. You still have to play and practice. It starts to really add up, and Sydney is really a long way to go. It’s expensive.”

Fortunately, Duncan has found a place to stay during her trip, finding a woman through a mutual friend who has agreed to let her stay in her home. Yet it doesn’t sound like Duncan will be there too often, since she plans to enjoy herself thoroughly during the event.

“There’s always a little party going on,” she hints suggestively. “It was so much fun. I wish I had been single in Amsterdam! One time, I was walking down the street with my partner and this woman started to pick me up and I was thinking, ‘This is so weird!’ I liked it!

“I hope to get lucky and keep getting lucky,” she jokes. “I consider myself lucky, so we’ll see what happens.”

- printed in Capital Xtra, Issue #111, Oct 25, 2002. Photo of Kerry Duncan by Colin Seaman.