Bob Hanscomb Looks Ahead

Hanscomb: A figure in LA Squash since 1985 ( ©2008)

Bob Hanscom Ends 25 Successful Years Promoting Squash

Some people love winter. The crackling fires, mugs of hot cocoa between the palms, pink sky, snow shining in the moonlight, snow landing on the ground, not melting, piling up in the bitter cold, finally needing to be shoveled…or plowed through with a speeding Porsche that cannot get to sunny California fast enough. Lucky for the squash community, Bob Hanscom was the guy in the Porsche.

"I jumped in my car and headed west," he said. "I was tired of the New England weather."

That was in 1985. Since relocating from the Northeast to the Los Angeles area, Hanscom has been the leader in growing squash in Southern California. On June 29th at the award ceremony for the Epstein Baker & Green WISPA World Squash Tour Los Angeles Open, Hanscom announced his retirement as the Los Angeles Athletic Club's squash pro － a position he held since 1993.

"It's time," Hanscom said. "I'm 72 years old. I wanted to retire while I still feel good and have some energy left. I want to have a high quality of life."

Hanscom's career revolved around sports. He competed as a figure skater growing up on the North Shore in Massachusetts, later served as a judge in the figure skating community, and went on to coach and judge gymnastics at the elite level. In 1963, Hanscom was introduced to squash by Roger Bakey, a former national single and doubles champion who happened to be the father of one of the gymnasts Hanscom coached.

Hanscom received his teaching professional credentials in 1984. He also received USSRA refereeing, assessor and instructor certification. Hanscom was working in Southport, CT when he decided it was time to head west.

Hanscom heard that the Los Angeles area was the place with the most squash activity on the West Coast. After spending three months criss-crossing the country － staying with friends he knew from his involvement with sports － he finally made his way to Southern California.

After a brief period, he made friends with John Moore who was a member of the University Club of Los Angeles. The Club did not have a pro, and after being advised by Moore, Hanscom proposed to the Club that he become the pro. The Club liked the idea, and Hanscom began a six-year tenure there, that ended thanks to the recession of the late 1980's when the Club was forced to close it's doors due to tax law changes which resulted in companies no longer paying for their employee's memberships, something the Club relied heavily on.

Following his success at the University Club, Hanscom seamlessly transitioned the position at the LAAC where he had already developed relationships. At the time, the LAAC had just one court and a dozen players. Hanscom doubled their membership the day he started thanks to the patrons from the University Club that he brought with him. By the time he retired, the LAAC had 160 players and four courts.

The increase in membership at Hanscom's club and clubs in the surrounding area was surely helped by the events he developed. He put in a successful bid to host the 1998 USSRA National Championships, which saw more than 400 squash players descend on Southern California. In 2000, Hanscom staged the Epstein, Becker & Green USSRA Professional Squash Championships in which the best players, including non-US citizens could compete.

In 2006, Hanscom brought the then top four women in the world － Nicol David, Vanessa Atkinson, Rachael Grinham and Natalie Grainger － to L.A. for the "Clash of the Titans." That same year, the top players on the continent competed in the North American Professional Squash Invitational in L.A. By this time Hanscom was already looking for the right time to retire, but having that on his mind did not stop him from relentlessly advancing squash. Before his retirement he brought Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour to the Club for a junior clinic, and staged his final WISPA event that again drew some of the world's top players.

Looking back on where squash was when he moved to Southern California, and where it is today, he says with a laugh, "There was only one way to go, and that was up."

Hanscom said the reason for the success is simple.

"The secret to making it grow is to develop relationships with the community" he said. "Without them you can't do anything."

Hanscom does not know when or who will fill his position at the LAAC when he vacates it at the end of July.

"I hope they would bring in someone who would continue to promote the game and the facilities in greater L.A. so that it continues to grow," Hanscom said.

That will likely happen, as in recent years established pros have taken up positions in the area: Chris Walker in San Diego, Robert Graham in Santa Barbara, and Stefan Casteleyn in Irving.

With his official retirement date now just weeks away, Hanscom is not exactly sure what he will do next. His immediate plans include watching the Summer Olympics and then some traveling. If he stays in the L.A area he would like to remain involved in the squash community and possibly be on the committee at the LAAC. 

Wherever Hanscom's future endeavors take him, it is thanks to him that squash in Southern California will thrive.

 

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