THE BREAK DOWN (TBD): #14 GOATs in Sports! Joined by Wael El Hindi & Paul Johnson

SQR+ Squash Radio

Thank again for tuning in and we hope you Enjoy the show!

Time Stamps for TBD Segments:

• R&R Topic: Top 3 GOAT’s of Sports [starts at 1:50 = 28 mins]
• Breakdown: Top 3 GOAT’s in Squash from Wael, PJ, Bill & Conor [starts at 30:10 = 25 mins]
• The Appendix: this is an evolution of the ‘Fan Follow up’ as a way for Conor’s appendix to live when his was removed! [starts at 56:50 = 11 mins]

In today’s episode, we are joined by former world number 8, 2010 US Open champion, and 2009 Egyptian team world champion, Wael El Hindi, who has recently added author and racquet club owner to his already impressive list of accolades. Before we begin with the topic of today’s show (shout out to Ricky from Philly for the suggestion!), you’ll hear about Wael’s experience of opening up Kinetic Racquet Club in Delray Beach, Florida, and why he went with a multiple-sport model instead of opening a club dedicated purely to squash. As you have probably guessed from the title, this episode focuses on the greatest sportsmen and women of all time. Wael and the hosts share their opinions on the people who have revolutionized the sports of golf, tennis, soccer, basketball and baseball, and some points of contention arise around Usain Bolt’s level of recognizability, and Diego Maradona’s level of integrity. Then, of course, the discussion swings to the greatest players of all time in the greatest game of all time. Wael also shares some inside information about a few players he has had personal dealings with, and how squash has changed over the years. To end, Wael explains why he decided to write Ready, Set, Squash! and the impact that he hopes it will have.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Conor’s experience of appendicitis.
• A shout out to Ricky from Philly for the topic of today’s episode.
• An introduction to Wael El Hindi and his various achievements.
• Reasons that Wael saw a lot of potential for squash in Delray Beach.
• Challenges that Wael was faced with when setting up Kinetic Racquet Club.
• Response that Wael’s club has received since opening 30 days ago.
• Why it is beneficial to have racquet clubs that cater to multiple racquet sports, and the three racquet sports available at Kinetic Racquet Club.
• The fastest growing sport in the United States.
• How Tiger Woods changed the sport of golf.
• Michael Jordan’s worldwide and long enduring influence.
• Statistics which highlight Wayne Gretsky’s dominance in hockey.
• Deigo Maradona’s transformative effect on the world of soccer (and PJ’s tainted view).
• The hosts differing views on Usain Bolt’s recognizability.
• Pele’s impressive achievements, which earned him a spot as one of PJ’s picks for today.
• Muhammed Ali’s impact on the world, inside and out of the ring.
• Roger Federer as the torch carrier for tennis.
• Tom Brady; multiple reasons why he was chosen by all the hosts as one of their top three.
• Characteristics of Wael’s picks for the best male and best female squash players.
• A discussion around Jahangir Khan’s style of playing, who PJ has seen live.
• Heather McKay’s phenomenal career; only dropping two games in a 16-year period!
• How the game of squash differs now, compared to when Wael was playing professionally.
• The person Wael most dreaded playing against.
• Players who Conor and Bill think have changed the game of squash, and why.
• Squash; the person who transitioned the game from amateur to professional, and the impact he had on Wael’s career.
• Why Wael decided to write Ready, Set, Squash!, what he hopes the book will achieve, who it is aimed at, and where you can find it.

Tweetables:

“The idea was to try to get kids to get through a lot of other sports before they switch to squash.” — Wael El Hindi [0:08:44]

“Having a mixture of racquet sports involved, that you could get them excited again for another week of training for squash again.” — Wael El Hindi [0:10:39]

“To me [Usain Bolt] is just pure talent, and the way that he used his body to break that record was just something that changed the world.” — Wael El Hindi [0:20:44]

“In my era it was more about the tactics than the physicality. Now it’s obviously a mixture of both.” — Wael El Hindi [0:44:24]

“I wanted to share some of the information that helped me break down things during my lessons.” — Wael El Hindi [0:54:35]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Wael El Hindi on LinkedIn

Wael El Hindi on Instagram

Ready, Set, Squash!

Ready, Set, Squash Website

Kinetic Indoor Racquet Club

The Last Dance

Victory

Squash Radio

Conor O'Malley on Twitter

Bill Buckingham on Twitter

Squash 57

REACH OUT: FAN FOLLOW UP > The Appendix!! In this segment, we will be sharing the feedback, comments, insights, you name it! So reach out us on social media or email [e-mail]. As always, thanks for listening!

SPONSOR SUPPORT: BIA Sports

They were on a mission to develop the best court shoe EVER. These shoes are performance ready, straight out of the Box. Made by squash player for Squash players! The latest shoes are out BIA FORCE X, go to their website https://biasports.us/and take a look!