Awesome Aussie

Five-time champ comes to Palmer

By CASEY RESSLER

Valley Life editor

Five-time world champions in any event usually don't swing through the Valley for a quick exhibition, but for Australian squash player Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Saturday night at Moosewood Squash Centre in Palmer, a packed house was treated to world-class squash, as Fitz-Gerald, considered one of the sports top female competitors in history, put on a spirited exhibition against Moosewood owner Mark Alger and Bob Ballinger, a top Canadian player.

For Fitz-Gerald, coming to Alaska was something she has wanted to do for a while -- and getting to play squash was an added bonus.

"I'll be back, but next time, I'm bringing 10 of my friends," she joked with the audience. "I've wanted to come to Alaska, and I have a friend who knows Mark, and they told me he built this squash court in Alaska. I had to see it, and Mark and I started e-mailing about six months ago, and we finally got a date settled."

Fitz-Gerald, a native of Melbourne, Australia, is considered one of the game's all-time greats. In 2002, she won the World Open Championships and the Commonwealth Games championship. Her incredible r/sum/ includes 61 Women's International Tour titles, which makes her the most successful present-day player. She held the world No. 1 ranking for two years uninterrupted. In 2002, she was named the Australian Athlete of the Year, beating out notable athletes like swimmer Ian Thorpe, runner Kathy Freeman and tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for the honor. Only 35, she retired at the top -- as the world's No. 1-ranked woman, and a five-time champion.

"I didn't want to start losing to people I used to beat three love, just because I was hanging on," Fitz-Gerald explained. "I wanted to go out on top."

Playing in exhibitions is fun for Fitz-Gerald, she said.

"Now I get to have fun beating all these blokes," she said, pointing at Ballinger, which brought a chuckle from the audience.

Saturday, she took the court for a "warm-up" against Alger, the 1981 national champion and a frequent competitor in squash competitions in the Lower 48, before beating Ballinger in a five-game match that included plenty of laughs and showmanship.

Ballinger and Fitz-Gerald have played more than 20 exhibitions together around the world.

Following the exhibition, Fitz-Gerald and Ballinger talked with those in attendance about topics such as her tour schedule, training routines, their careers and squash in general.

Tomorrow, the pair will play in an exhibition in Ketchikan before Fitz-Gerald continues her schedule, with upcoming dates in Brescia, Italy, Manchester and Nottingham in the United Kingdom and then Calgary. She'll then return home to Australia for Christmas, she said.

The exhibition was sponsored by Alaska Airlines, which also sponsored the Alaska State Squash Championships, which were held in March at Moosewood Squash Centre.

In little more than a year, the squash center has hosted several noteworthy events, in addition to the state championships. In January, Alger hosted an exhibition and dedication of the center that included Yusuf Khan, considered to be the greatest coach in squash history. Khan has mentored Alger since Alger was a junior competitor in Seattle.

Alger built Moosewood Squash Centre at his Palmer residence as a way to get Valley residents involved with the sport. Since completion, Moosewood has attracted new players steadily, of all skill levels. Alger and his wife, Dawn, host men's and women's nights regularly, as well as junior's training.