If you have no idea what squash is (like I didn’t until I went to one of Elan’s matches), here is a GIF that shows a bit of a match.
Elan Reynaud is a sophomore at Boston University studying business administration in the Questrom School of Business. She is originally from Los Angeles, California. I met Elan during freshman year in our intro Spanish class, and we have been great friends ever since. This fall, Elan joined the BU squash team and has been loving it!
Photo Credit: Elan Reynaud
After deciding that during her sophomore year Elan wanted to play a club sport, she attended Splash to search for her options. Elan has some background in tennis from high school, but she did not feel like she found her place in the BU club tennis team. In spite of this, she did still crave the team atmosphere that she experienced through high school. She attended Splash and that’s where she discovered squash.
“I decided to just give it a try and since everyone on the team was so welcoming to me, it wasn’t intimidating,” said Elan.
Photo Credit: Elan Reynaud
Before this year, Elan had never played squash before. She even said she had never heard of the sport.
“I did not know what it was, I had to ask them at Splash!” she said.
Even though she did not feel intimidated, she thinks that joining a team when you have no former experience can be difficult.
“My level was far below everyone else’s, but I believe that if you put in the work, it is pretty easy to get the hang of it,” said Elan.
Photo Credit: Elan Reynaud
When I asked Elan what her biggest take away from being involved in a sport in college was, she said she likes being on a team best.
“My biggest takeaway is the team aspect,” she said. “I think that being part of a team or small community can really improve your happiness because it makes you feel more like you have a place.”
Photo Credit: Elan Reynaud
I asked what Elan’s favorite memory of playing squash was this semester.
“Before our tournaments and matches we all get in a huddle and there is a speech to pump everybody up, and everyone opens their left palm upwards because the left hand with the palm facing upwards symbolizes positivity,” she said.
Elan also plans to continue to playing squash throughout the rest of her college career!
If you have any interest in playing squash or even donating to the squash team, visit the squash team’s FitRec site!
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