The family that plays together, stays together . . .

Move over Jinks', there's a new squash family on PEI!

The Philips gang, consisting of Dad (Stephen), Mom (Jackie), Nathan, and Olivia, kinda just showed up at the courts this fall and never left! Their enthusiasm for the sport, though new, has been infectious.

Their talent for the sport hasn't been anything to scoff at either.

At the recent UPEI open, the entire family found them playing on Sunday, and all of them came out with big wins. Nathan won the Junior A consolation side, and was runner up in Men's D; Olivia came out on top of the pack in Junior B, and Stephen came out with the Men's C consolation win. 

Such quick success in the sport can be credited to natural talent, a strong sense of competition, and hard work outside of the tournaments. If you frequent the Spa, it isn't unusual to see the family in a couple of the courts. 

When did you each start playing squash?/What brought you back to the game?

I’ve been Playing off and On for about 12 years. My kids started playing Hockey,  and it was hard to find the time to play other than the occasional  pick up game

Olivia and Nathan, have you been taking lessons? Do you enjoy them?

We love it, Squash PEI is lucky to have such dedicated people such as Mitch, Shara ,Lester, John and many others who coach and give their time to help develop the juniors.

 You are all all-round athletes. . . what other sports and hobbies do you partake in?

The list is long, we all have been playing hockey since we were about 4 years old, soccer, badmintonn, tennis, golf, downhill skiiing, snowboarding, and waterskiing.

What would each of you say your strongest and weakest shots are?

Olivia's strength has to be her serve; Nathan is his forehand drive down the wall, and I consider myself a bit of a duffer, so I don't really have a strength, but you'll have to play us to find out our weaknesses'!

What will it take to get "Mom" out of the courts too?

Jackie is a bit shy, It will  probably take the installation of vertical blinds on the glass at the back  to get her in the courts.

**Photo to follow