Sam's Adventures

2025 to March 2026!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:54:00 +0000

Well it's been a minute!

I enjoy writing and I'm surprised I haven't paused to write here for myself in so long. Life has been overall good but has felt a bit unsettled since my last update.

In early 2025 we were in India, and we went for a 3 week visit to Japan, and a then week in Vietnam with Arjun's parents.

Then India for another month for quality family time with Meena, Mohni, Chiya, and full family time with Sanya and Karan in town and with visits from Pradeep and with Thethi Auntie. It was about a year since Thethi Uncle died.

Arjun and I had an incredible wedding in Delhi. It was put together in a week and it was a mildly stressful week, but all I will remember is the wonderful ceremony and great company. Also, we kept it tiny and low key, removing all expectations and a lot of tradition. It was a Gurudwara ceremony with 20-30 of our closest people in Delhi, followed by a lunch at a great buffet spot. It cost $800. Arjun wore a sharp suit and got a beautiful turban wrap, pink, and I wore a ink gown Meena already had. Lucky me we fit the same clothes, this is a wonderful theme! We have now shared a lot of clothes! The whole thing was amazing!!!! I will cherish the feeling in the Gurudwara.

Since then, our US visa/green card didn't come through yet so back to Canada we went, tail between our legs ish. We had a mortgage coming up so couldn't keep explored and evading responsibility.

I enjoyed not working!!!!! I think I was good at it!!! I felt creative and free.

We got back to Canada in March and stayed in Ottawa and then and stayed with Nikki Todd in Toronto. Angel to give us a soft landing place. Then we stars aligned and my friends were relocated with their baby to Ottawa temporarily ish so we stayed in their house from May to end of December. It was lovely.

We got our US green card in January. Now we're in a three month sublet until the end on March and then we will spend time in Ottawa with my fam and then with Arjun's fam here in Toronto before moving to NYC. Importantly, Karan, Arjun's brother, moved to Dubai last month for work and very unfortunately and sadly, a war broke out with Iran and so now he's coming back.

Mixed feelings. I feel in my soul and my brain very loyal to Canada, I have been granted and given so much here. But I need to test and see how it feels to have a change. It's been an amazing year at Squash Canada also. I was overwhelmed previously, but this past year resources were allocated way better and I was much more at ease and confident in my work, not feeling burnt out. Maybe that's because I had a 6 month break though.

This is a quick update! Arjun and I have lots on ours minds at this moment, we are living in LimboLand. Waiting to hear back about an apartment in NYC, a job for Arjun, our closing date and mortgage for our QA condo. Glad my job is set. And now it's tax season. Life is non stop. I wonder what happens next!

2023 - Life Moving Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:24:00 +0000

Many big life events over the past year+.

Engaged to the wonderful Arjun, three beautiful nieces, a great job, graduated university which I'm super proud of, and some really great visits with family and friends across North America.

2023 saw us in Calgary for Squash Canada and surprise engagement in Banff(!) with the most meaningful ring, Montreal for SqCan nationals, Ottawa and the cottage for family, San Diego and Grand Canyon with Deon, San Francisco with Chachu, Seattle with Leane, Manny, Audrey, Calgary again for Danielle and Abir's wedding, Philly for SqCan, Newfoundland for Ande and Debbie's wedding. I missed a few beauty weddings that stung. Lots of wee babies happening around us too.

While doing so much, Arjun and I still seemingly can't keep up! And life keeps sort of hitting you. 30s are not a breeze as we, and people around us, age. Don't know how people do it with kids/dogs and all. I assume folks just rise to it all. Bravo!

Delhi coming up soon in October, with a stopover in New York. Time for Arjun to meet Doug and Co.

Also coming up - wedding scheming (do we want to spend money?!), coinciding with our QA condo purchase being completed, around the same time as some big life moves.

The questions of the time are, which direction do I want my career to go long term? And will I ever learn Hindi?

6 Courses, 3 Jobs ... and an eventual decision to be made!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 04:29:00 +0000

So being busy is kind of my thing. At the same time that I want to have some downtime, I also want to be busy. I can't be pleased! I need scheduled downtime or something. Planned activities.

Anyway, I'm cruising my way through my university program. I have 36 credits left to complete, so that's 12 normal courses. Typically in a full-time uni program, folks take 5 courses, but I've asked for permission to do 6 this semester because there are a lot of courses available that I absolutely need to graduate, and I'm afraid it might be a while before they show up again! My school, Laurentian, has experienced massive budget cuts because they are very much in debt, and the Gerontology program I'm in has made it through, but has suffered a bit, losing a lot of professors. Therefore, fewer Gero courses are being offered.

I think what I'm most proud of myself for with school is how I've slowly improved my time management. In college, I was just happy getting good marks and breezing through assignments, really enjoying the content. In my first couple semesters of uni, I was happy that I was able to hand everything in on time and I was impressed by how well I could focus when I needed to. However, I've typically been plagued by procrastinationitis. This semester, things are different.

I now have three jobs, one of which is almost full-time. I just started a 30-hour/week commitment with Squash Canada as their Events and National Teams Coordinator, reporting to Jamie Nicholls, which I am loving! I'm also coaching 3 nights a week (may have to change that, we'll see), and running Aging Well classes.

As it pertains to uni, I don't have the option to procrastinate anymore if I want to pass all 6 courses. I'm way ahead of schedule right now, and I don't see that changing, simply because I don't have time to be stressed out about school and due dates. So, my time management skills have improved dramatically, and as a beautiful result, I feel so calm! Sometimes I have a headache from so much screen time, and I'm positive I've been steadily putting on some weight since I started sitting at my desk all day in early January. But once I get moving whilst coaching when this round of lockdown ends on Monday, I think I'll be back on track.

Once I finish this semester of uni at the end of April, I should be able to take 3 courses in the Spring and 3 courses in the fall, and then apply to graduate.

Will things ease off after I'm done school? I have a feeling I will be very excited to be free from the constant assignments and readings looming over my mind. What will I do with my evenings? Relax, watch tv, maybe get back on the ukulele and singing and expand from the two songs that I never expected to learn! (thanks Arjun!)

A small part of me is worried that I've completely succumbed to the "hustle culture", but at the same time, I'm confident I'll be ready to manage and enjoy my free time when I get there. I can't wait for this pandemic to ease a bit so that I can freely travel, spend quality time with my family and friends. So many babies I want to hang out with!

Also, the timeline for finishing school coincides with the end of this Squash Canada job. I'll then have to make a decision - do I want to pursue Gero, or sports and events admin/management? And will it make sense to keep coaching, even if it's just a tiny bit?

Two very different routes and I love both, so the good news is I can't go wrong.

Super cute mask pic for fun.

Contemplating the Length of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:32:00 +0000

As I enter into 3rd year university after my diploma program, many of the readings so far are, of course, centred around old age (degree in Gerontology, so of course!).

I am for some reason at this moment really struck by how much life is left (assuming nothing goes haywire) for me. I have been very preoccupied in the present. I think I'm caught up on this because I just read about a 114 year old Girl Scout whose 91 year old daughter said nice things about her to the press after she passed. That's a LOT more life than most people would expect. Phew!

I've drawn no particular conclusions, it's just preoccupying my mind right now :)

Celebration! and a big update

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:49:00 +0000

Yes. I tend to celebrate myself a lot so stay tuned for lots more of that over the years! It's important to celebrate successes!!!

On Thursday last week I wrote my last college exam. I crushed all of my courses, getting 90 or above everything throughout my program at GBC - Activation Coordinator in Gerontology (recently changed to Recreation Manager in Gerontology). Everything except English, that is.

I'm super DUPER proud of myself for finishing that and for doing well. I know Arjun and my family is as well and Dad and my grandparents would be too.

It was a chaotic year this year. I was doing SO many things at the same time, every day. Let me summarize, because I think it'll be important for me to remember this time. It was A LOT. And I kept up.

Last year I accepted a job as a Peer Leader for the first year students in my program. This is a 3 hour commitment a week, part-time job for minimum wage. So I made like $45 a week. Worth it? In the end, yes, since I found it to be an extremely rewarding experience, and a nice connection to the college in a very strange time of life where we're all feeling very disconnected during this pandemic. I got to chat with college staff, my profs, and first year students and share study tips for the program, review for tests, and share my experience. I had a fellow Peer Leader named Chandni and she was an awesome co-worker.

In addition, in the fall I also accepted the task of taking notes for one of my classmates who has accommodations. So in each class I had to pay extra close attention so that I could provide her with the best, most efficient information from each lecture. Getting paid for it, between $1000-2000 per semester. Can't wait to get the latest cheque!

My usual coaching gig on Mondays and Thursdays at the Granite Club has been on and off during the pandemic, definitely more off than on. I'm not sure I could have kept up with everything if that was happening too.

Since squash has been off and socializing has been off for so long now, over the last year I had been scheming starting my own business. And with so much time over the holidays (no visit with family due to corona), I polished off my personal training certification that I had been studying for and working on since July - I did the theory exam in August 2020 and the practical exam start of January. Crushed it. So, I'm now qualified and prepared to offer my services to older adults!

Arjun, Mim, Brian, Leane, Manny, Alex, and Chad and my friends too - Deon!! my neighbour Marcus!! - have all been SO HELPFUL getting me started. Wow. 100% couldn't have started without all of them. Making the website was super intensive. And planning the actual service offerings took a lot of thinking and planning and help from businessman/start-up-man Marcus. Chad gave me the final push in the fall of 2020 to make it happen. He reminded me that it's the perfect time to get it going, to help people out during these lockdowns. I had been working towards getting it started with about 15% effort, I'd say. After we chatted about that, I saw that he's right! And I poured my effort into it - Rubi Living Inc. I took a Toronto small business information webinar and did research. I offered my first free trial of the Aging Well program to a great, great group of people starting in February. They are loving it! I've found some more participants who are starting shortly.

Anyway, point is, that has taken a LOT of my time and energy over the last 4/5 months.

I've also been helping out one of the squash kids, she's so keen and fun to work with. I make a training plan for her each week and we chat on Zoom sometimes.

Summary - this past semester has been especially crazy: I've had my PL job, the note-taking job, the coaching work, Rubi Living, and college work. In addition, Arjun and I moved last month, and we also just signed off on buying a condo together!! It won't be done for a long time - 3-5 years, but I'm already super pumped about that. Also, Arjun has been working super hard on creating and building videos for his YouTube channel - Arjun Approach. I've been helping with that - call me Assistant (to the) Creative Director. (Office <3)

Now, the semester is over, GBC is over, and I'm signed up for Laurentian University starting next week with summer courses for the Gerontology undergrad honours program. I'd like to transfer to U of T... wish me luck! I'm also hustling people to join my Aging Well program. Participants are loving it, and I want to reach more people, especially since all of Ontario is currently under a stay-at-home order due to the Rona. People need to keep moving and stay connected, as per my Aging Well tagline!

In summary, things are pretty great here, with an underlying crappiness to all things - we stay home, covid cases are super high in Canada, things are scary in India and Arjun is super worried about his friends and family re covid, people are dying, I can't hold my new niece Audrey, and I haven't hugged my family in forever or really been able to see my niece Rowan growing up to be a cute toddler, and same with my little guidedaughter Isla, Laura and Adam MacBunn's babe. I can't wait for this to be over. However I'm also worried I'll be completely overwhelmed when the world opens up. Probably need to change my thinking around that, and be patient with myself.

This was a bit of a rant post. But maybe gives a good idea of what the inside of my head looks like right now!

2021 Blog Revitalization Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 03:42:00 +0000

Well.

Things have really moved around since my last post!

I'm not really sure where to start.

I've updated the title, changing it from "Squash Adventures - the life and times of this Canadian Squasher" to "Sam's Adventures - the life and times of Sam Cornett".

I was thinking about how to begin this project. It's starting out as a class project. I love writing. So I thought, a great Legacy project (for my Living with Dying class in my program at George Brown College) would be to write a blog. Then I thought - What's a good, timeless platform that I can use to write on until I die? Probably none of them. We will just think in the future and it will turn into a book that our descendants will just absorb somehow.

Anywho, I thought of this squash blog. I've written so many posts, and I even have some really emotional unpublished posts from after my Dad died. So I thought - why start from scratch? Keep adding to this!

I love writing, and I love the opportunity that this project has given to me to share my memories and thoughts to my loved ones after I die. I have lots to say!

Thanks to Professor Anne-Marie Stoneburgh for making this extremely practical, thought-provoking, wonderful project one of our assignments. I love it. I love this program. Can't believe graduation is imminent!

The best part is - all of this doesn't have to make sense to anyone else right now! It'll unfold :)

Enjoy the sunshine,

Sam

A Summer in the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 18:06:00 +0000

With the PSA season just around the corner, I thought I'd recap the summer!

After a nice break in May, I got back into proper training in June and then eventually went to Moncton for a trials event for World Doubles, of the softball variety. It was my (and I think everyone else's) first ever doubles trials, and it was interesting! We played a match with as many combinations of people as possible for the coaches to see pairs' chemistry and how people played different sides. Your results from each match were a big factor in how they chose the 4 players to represent Canada in Manchester. Myself, Nikki, David and Shawn made the team.

From Moncton I spent a bit of time on the east coast for squash and family stuff, then after another month of training, Nikk and I joined the two guys in Montreal where we prepped for World Doubles and we all headed to Manchester together with coach Yvon. In Manchester, we all played between 10 and 12 matches over 6 days. It was a melée of good and bad results. Nikki and I did well in the women's event coming 5th. This has set us up to be on the Canadian team heading to the Commonwealth Games in April of the new year in Australia. 5th was good enough to get us there, however a couple very narrow losses to the top teams means we have plans to do way more than just show up at the Games. Eyes on the prize.

Taking a deep breath while Nikki takes over!

Since World Doubles, I've been training hard in Toronto at the TAC and the Granite and AIO, not to mention a great training week with Squash Canada national coach Graeme at Windsor S&F. I've also dabbled in some coaching. The season starts for me with the Nash Cup Sept 20th. I'm watching results of the first couple PSA events with interest. I didn't get into the China Open with my ranking of 32, however am pumped to be that much more ready and fit when I get started. I can't wait to get the ball rolling in just over a couple weeks!

↓ I'm looking forward to go into this season with my favourite sponsors and supporters ↓

-Black Knight and Fred
-Slaight Music and Gary
-Control the T and Jeff
-Bell Canada
-Toronto Athletic Club and coaches Josh and Andrew and trainer Mike
-Mayfair Clubs and Barb and Melissa and Darlene and Willie
-The Granite Club
-My coach Jess
-All In One S&C and Carlo
-Sports psychologist Jorhdin Banner
-Squash Canada
-Squash Ontario
-My family and friends!

If you are reading this and have interest in supporting me on my squash journey, please reach out to me! You can follow me as I post more regularly on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds than I do on my blog:

https://twitter.com/CornettSamantha
https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaCornettSquash
https://www.instagram.com/samantha.j91

2016/17 Season Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 02:26:00 +0000

Well it was a roller coaster of a year! A lot of great stuff to pull away with, and a lot of fuel to fire my training this summer.

Thanks Redflixx for the picture

My season started of with a few strong showings at smaller events in September and October, and then as I gained experience at larger events, my results improved at World Series events and through to winning some smaller and mid size PSA events!

I finished the season with a couple good performances at the World Championship and then while feeling good at the start of Canadian nationals, couldn't push through well enough at the latter stages of the event.

Now for some make-you-puke training with the guys at the Toronto Athletic Club, at the Granite Club, and at AIO Strength and Conditioning. I plan to take great care of my body and make it work hard. Here's hoping for a stronger mind at the end of it too!

Next season will start up for me in August or September, I'll be scheming up my tournament schedule soon.

Thanks for sticking with me this season!

And thanks a MILLION to my sponsors Black Knight, Slaight Music, and Control the T Sports!! Huge thanks also to Sport Canada, Quest for Gold and Squash Canada for great funding, as well as Bell for the phone plan.

Happy summer everyone

Sam

🌞

Last Push for Nationals

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 02:18:00 +0000

It's coming to the end of the season! And it's been a great one.

Canadian Nationals begin next week at Mayfair Lakeshore! More info here:

http://squash.ca/en/events/2017-canadian-squash-championships

I had a nice visit in Ottawa after I got back from El Gouna, Egypt, and since then I've been training in Toronto.

At Worlds in Egypt I won though two tough matches in the qualification against youthful Egyptian players with lots of energy and no fear. I won both and fought hard to do so. Then I went up against Nour El Sherbini and lost a quick 3-0. I was sad not to extend my time a little longer than the 20 odd minutes I had on that court, but she was in great form and made me scramble just to make a rally, let alone win one. A very humbling experience and it made me want to learn to do what she does to the people I play!

I then enjoyed some Red Sea sun, saw some dolphins, and watched the squash. The town, El Gouna, is pretty incredible to play a tournament at. Rumour has it that it will be a World Series event for both men and women next year! Fingers crossed.

See you at Nationals!

Sam

Calgary, Hull, and onto Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 14:28:00 +0000

So Calgary went well!

Thanks John for the pictures

I started off shaky in a tough first round match against Sivasangari Subramaniam. When I got through that I met Jenny Duncalf who retired when I was up 1-0, due to a previous injury. I was happy to feel I was playing better in the one game we played. In the semis I played Fiona Moverley. We had a gruelling match back in October, so I knew it wouldn't be an easy win. And boy was I right. Both of us were bent in half farther and farther as the match went on. There were brutal long rallies at the end of the match, since neither of us wanted to give an inch. Somehow I won that, and played teammate Danielle Letourneau in the final. I went in with a good record against her this season, but I know she is training hard and playing well, and I was ready. I got the W, and that was my biggest PSA tournament title to date, a 15k. I was happy with how I was playing and pumped up to head to the British.

***technique***😅

So thankful to have stayed with the Mackays while I was in Calgary!! And Janice and Andrew, the title sponsors, were so wonderful. The volunteer team and the club pros worked their butts off and seemed to really enjoy the squash and the off court fun. Thank you so much for having me, I really enjoyed the week.

Obviously, things aren't always perfect, and such was my British Open performance! I played Haley Mendez first round qualification, and I played hard to win. I started off playing really well, but then ended up relying on my fitness to win the match. Gotta do it sometimes, but it doesn't feel as good as winning with tactics and shot execution. Then I played Coline Aumard, a rematch of our recent Chicago matchup. I lost in 4; she was extremely quick and gritty and I wasn't playing tight enough balls.

I'm looking to improve on that effort here in Egypt. I'm training in Alexandria right now before I head to El Gouna, Egypt, for the Women's World Championship. Thanks to Salma for having me!! I'm enjoying this city and the sun that I haven't felt on my skin since the fall!!

In other news, I was the PSA Player of the Month for February, you can read about that here! https://psaworldtour.com/news/view/4570/elshorbagy-and-cornett-are-february-psa-players-of-the-month

And my match with Danielle at the Winter Club made it onto Shaw TV in Calgary, here's the link to see that coverage! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsQ44wa8EgI

Talk to you soon

Sam

Results

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 04:39:00 +0000

Hi folks

I have stepped it up on court these last few weeks. And it feels good! Riding the high of the athlete emotional rollercoaster right now. Hopefully I can make it last!!

The Winnipeg 10k PSA went well, with me winning my first 10k since April 2015, almost 2 years ago, with a lot that has happened in between!

I played Diana Garcia, Nada Abbas, Danielle Letourneau on the way to the final with Zeina Mickawy. I’d lost to Zeina in November in 5, so I knew it would be tough, and it was! She is a fighter. I’m really pleased to have kept a razor sharp focus and calm for the majority of the match. I won a trophy that I have been in love with since I first saw it, it’s a work of art!!

Then I was home for a couple weeks before heading to Chicago.

At the Bean with Jess and Nikk

I was pretty tired with heavy training those two weeks, but the hard work paid off! I won my two qualification matches needed to get into the main draw, then went up against the 9th seed of the tournament, Joelle King, who I’ve lost to enough times to before. I felt physically really good, nice and quick. I’m really stoked to take that match. Next up was 5th seed Laura Massaro. I was a little slow and her penetrating length and consistent quality ball retrieval didn’t help me. Her boast was on point while I was hanging back. Lesson learned, point taken! I fought to win with what I had, but she was too good. Lots to improve on for next time, and a decent result.

Now I’m settling into Calgary for the Winter Club 15k PSA. I play Thursday!

Cheers

Sam

January 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 18:58:00 +0000

It's 2017! Can't believe it. So far this year is treating me well.

I'm at the airport in Philadelphia with a delayed flight and I realize my last update was after Sarnia in November. Airport time can be productive for me!

At world teams, the Team Canada women came in 10th place. We fell short of our goal of top 8.

We had many quality matches, and I was tested at the no 2 spot with a lot of matches that I had to win. It was a great way to practice - in a high pressure situation - playing point by point and letting go of the result before I stepped on court. It took me two matches to figure that out! Paris was beautiful and I enjoyed picking up on my french - a couple steps back from where I left off in Nimes at the WWTC 2012!

Then it was holiday season, and then it was the 150k Tournament of Champions in NY,

and now I'm on my way home after the 10k CSC Delaware State Open in Wilmington.

The results weren't quite perfect at those first two events of the second half of the season, but the more matches and the more experiences, the better. I lost in the first round qualification in NY and the semis in Wilmington.

Thanks to the families who have hosted me over the last couple of weeks - the Rojeks and the Wards. And thank you to the promoters and volunteers and sponsors at both events! Hard work, these tournaments are, mmmmm.

I'm headed to Toronto for a week and then it's the Winnipeg Winter Club Women's Open 10k PSA starting Feb 2nd.

I feel fit and it's time to win.

Cheers!

Sam

Victory!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 04:35:00 +0000

From the Granite Open in Toronto, I went to Vancouver, where I lost in the quarters to Zeina Mickawy, a young Egyptian player. Then back to Toronto where I played in the Ontario Closed Championship and won over Micaala Seth in the final. Quick turnaround and I'm in Sarnia playing in the Simon Warder Memorial PSA event. This is not only a men's and women's pro tournament, but also an amateur event, as well as a Prostate Cancer Fundraiser.

I managed to pull it off, beating Emilia Soini of Finland in the final. I'm quite happy with how I finished off the week, playing solid squash. Which is important leading into next week's Women's World Team Championship, in Paris!

Myself, Nikki, Hollie, and Danielle will be representing Canada, travelling with our National Coach Graeme Williams and therapist Tim Marshall. We are seeded 10th and we are in a pool with England, USA, and Wales. Here's the link to a piece on our team and through there you can explore the WWTC2016 website:
http://wsfwomensteams.com/team-canada-aiming-for-top-10/

And here are a bunch of pictures from Sarnia! It was a great confidence booster win for me after being out for so long. And it's also my 7th title! Bring on mooooore. I like winning. Also, the squash community in Sarnia raised over 40k for their local prostate cancer clinic in memory of friend, referee, and coach Simon Warder. Pretty amazing. The squash vibe in Sarnia is fabulous. Shoutout to the Bradds who I stayed with!!

The Granite Open and Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 16:30:00 +0000

What a week!

I had a great time competing at the 15k Granite Open last week and really enjoyed playing.

I got to play 4 quality matches, making it to the final (my biggest final yet), where I lost out in 4 games to Millie Tomlinson.

Thanks to its Toronto location at one of my home clubs, and to the great SquashStream live streaming, I got to play in front of friends and family. Friends and family who have been amazing over the past year and deserve my deepest thanks. I hope that they all know it, but I'd love to thank them each for their support!!!!! I'm so grateful for these people.

For Jess who is inspiring and talks me through everything. For Carlo who put up with a lot and helped me stay fit, positive, and mentally sound. For Barb who gives great advice and lit a fire under my butt. For Tara and our creative swimming sessions and her advice. For Kylie, Rolf and the friendly staff at the CSIO. For Jorhdin who helped me realize squash is a lot but not everything. For the whole team at Bayview Chiropractic. For all the great therapists for their time. For Andrew and Josh and Mike at the TAC for putting together a great training program. For all the pros on tour who put together such an exciting show of squash last season that made me itch to get back. For my sponsors Black Knight, Slaight Music, and Control the T Sports for sticking by me. For Vinnie Taylor, rockstar. For Squash Canada and Squash Ontario supporting me consistently. For my good friends who entertained me and encouraged me. For Nicolette and Dee for being beacons of light. For Nikki not-so-patiently waiting for a training partner! For everyone who kindly offered advice, kind words, or contacts for me throughout the year. For my whole family's encouragement, and for any and all time I got to/get to spend with them. For my man Brendan who is so patient and wise and makes me laugh. For my roomie Leane’s kindness and understanding. And for my parents and my sister who are wonderful, no words!

Everyone has their own stuff going on so I'm so grateful that these people all gave me a boost when I needed it.

THANK YOU!!!!!! I know this post is mostly just interesting for me, but I like to put it out there to acknowledge these great folks.

I'm now in Vancouver my my next tournament, the Nicola Wealth Open at the Jericho Club, which starts tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed Halloween!

Sam

Getting into it

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:34:00 +0000

Thanks Rael Wienberg for the photo

Big move for me up the PSA rankings from 225 to 147!!

This is thanks to a pretty good start to this season with a semi final showing at the Nash Cup. I played pretty well, better and better as the tournament progressed. And everything feels great. Good news.

More good news - I made the team for the Women's World Team Championship in France in November. Last week was the trial event that decided on the last two positions available, with the first two already taken up by Nikki and Hollie. Danielle and I came through to join them. Graeme will be our coach and Tim will be our therapist. Great crew!

Now I'm on my way to Philadelphia for the US Open at Drexel University. I played well last time I was here, and I'm ready to get back on those courts!

I'm in the qualification which begins on Thursday.

Stay tuned

Sam

10 Day Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 15:24:00 +0000

10 days out of my first tournament of this fresh new season!

I'm really looking forward to it :)

Stay tuned

Sam

BACK

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:45:00 +0000

SO excited!

Thanks Paige for the photo

Great news for me!

Back at tournaments this September after a long year away from running around and competing. I’ve missed it and I can’t wait!

My first tournament will be the Nash Cup in London, Ontario, and from there I’m going to play tournaments around North America to start. Lucky for me there are a bunch.

My ranking currently sits at 220 on the PSA World Tour, so I’ve got my work cut out for me :)

A Pegged Ranking will help me in 4 of my first events by placing me at WR 48 in the draws of those events I choose. A helpful boost for me and it’s better for some of the draws.

One month countdown to Nash, starting September 20th!!

Yay for full on training and match play!

Sam

WWTC2014 at White Oaks

Photo by SquashSite

Canadian Junior Championship and World Championship Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sun, 01 May 2016 13:09:00 +0000

Last weekend I watched some matches at the Canadian Junior Nationals, and soaked up the atmosphere.

I saw a lot of good stuff. My favourite part was watching the U13s.

We sat there and tried to figure out what it was that we were seeing: the kids looked so free to play, hit shots, deal with whatever came next. It wasn't because there was no pressure. Even though they are young, they are in the finals of nationals; there is definitely pressure.

What is it that leaves these kids looking so free on the court? Maybe they will grow up and keep that same approach, I hope so. For me, I'm going to look to recreate that every time I get on court.

Results are here: http://squash.ca/en/news/2016-canadian-junior-championships

I saw someone with a similar approach to the kids just yesterday, and it was nicely juxtaposed with nervous play and free play:

Nour El Sherbini of Egypt became the youngest World Champion of all time on Saturday night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nour went down 2-0 to Laura Massaro of England. Laura looked confident and hot, while Nour looked as though that bit of magic she is known for was missing. She looked tense.

After the second game. Something was said, or something shifted inside the 20-year-old Egyptian. She walked on court with a renewed energy, a razor sharp focus, and she looked much looser. What I imagine was said was that at 2-0 down, you now have no pressure. Go out and play like it and enjoy it! It's amazing what that can change.

I've seen it time again when someone starts playing great from 2-0 down and pulls the match back, because everything loosens up when the loss is imminent. Once someone has seen the worst that can happen, they can relax.

The secret is, how do I start the match like this? I imagine someone like Nicol David has done a lot of work to figure this out, having dominated the game for so long, constantly being the one expected to win.

I really enjoyed that final on Saturday. It was so exciting, even though I already knew the outcome when I got to watch the replay. Nour's reaction at the end of the match was absolutely beautiful; I could watch that last shot over and over!

As for me, I'm going to keep looking for that effortless effort.

Happy squashing!

Sam

Rehabbing

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 13:50:00 +0000

Hi folks!

I just saw the poster up at Mayfair Lakeshore advertising our National Championships that will take place there from May 4-7th.

Bittersweet moment for me as it would be the most convenient nationals for me to play ever, I could bike to the club! But it doesn't look as thought it's to be; I have begun a new strengthening program that feels really great so far, but I won't have enough time to get squash fit even if it works out to be the winning formula to get my knee and foot back in the game.

I plan to be around for nationals (so I'll still get to bike to it :) ) since Barb reminded me that I am the women's athlete rep, and also because I really appreciate the Mayfair Clubs. They stepped up to stage Nationals and also support me personally by giving me access to their clubs in Toronto.

So on I go working to get my legs into fighting shape with especially loads of VMO strengthening and any and all exercise I am able to do pain free to get my heart rate up. A good sweat is a rarity when my foot and knee aren't cooperating, so I'm looking forward to more and more of that as I get better!

Cheers!

Sam

Nationals last year at the NSA.

Photo by Paige Stewart

Stiiiiiiiill Injured!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 15:52:00 +0000

Hello from Toronto!

Since my last update things have changed, my foot is really feeling better! At the start of January an ultrasound showed the tear in my plantar fascia covering over with tissue. Ever since the doctor told me that news it has felt a lot better and I barely notice it! Funny how the mind and body work....

However, somewhere in my attempts to help my foot, I have tweaked my knee. It started to hurt quite a lot back in September and it has been quite challenging mentally to be battling these two issues since then. Neither has been overly painful, luckily!

I'm doing everything I can to get back on track, but my first tournament back is not in sight yet. I would be absolutely thrilled to play squash right now but it would hurt, so I am going to listen to my body and try to help it be happy once again!

Thanks for tuning in, I'll let you know when I'm back!

Sam

Windy City Open 2015, thanks SquashSite for the photo. I wish I was there right now for this year's event in the beautiful Cathedral Hall!

An Update from Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 16:21:00 +0000

Hi folks!

It's been a while since I've filled you in on my goings on.

I've been busy, but not with my usual routine!

I am 'injured', with a tear in my plantar fascia, and some plantar fasciitis. It's healing up nicely, but it's taking its time doing so. It certainly isn't the worst injury. It's more annoying that I have to rest it, even though at this point I'm feeling pretty alright!

It's turned out that it's a good time to be at home in Toronto, spending time with my family. There's always a positive to things, right?

I've been filling my days with training in every way that I can: solo practices, ball machine sessions, upper body workouts, cycling, pool sessions, mental training, watching squash. And also a bit of fun since I'm around and can enjoy being in one place :)

The most interesting thing I've noticed these last couple months is how my mood and my general happiness level are so closely tied to my body's status. Maybe this is just as an athlete, but I doubt it. At one point I was injured in three different places and I was going off the deep end! I made it through; I will truly appreciate being healthy, and I hope I can stay active forever.

Now that things are falling into place I'm getting more and more optimistic about getting back on court. I can't wait to get playing again. I have been watching SquashTV and the other live streams from tournaments and I have been drooling with anticipation thinking of my first match back.

I'm not going to rush it as I want to be 100% healthy as well as 100% confident when I return.

See you in the new year!

Happy squashing

Sam

The Pan Am Buzz

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:48:00 +0000

This is how I finished up, thanks Steve Kingsman for the photo!

And this is how our team finished up! Thanks Paige Stewart for this one :)

What an experience these Pan Am Games were.

The pressure mounted slowly in the months leading up, as little things hinted at their imminence. The airport had a Pan Am Games booth one time I flew home, and when I flew home a month later, the booth worked. The infamous HOV lane signs were placed, and then their warnings flashed on the screens beside the highway: "COMING SOON". The banners took over the city. The excitement increased. The village was ready. The meal plans for the (24 hour) food hall in the village were released. The team was announced. The squad camp was awesome. I did my last big workout before tapering for the event. I packed! We moved in, got all our Canada gear, and settled in for the week ahead.

Graeme, Nikki, Hollie, myself and Tim

And that's just the start! The love and support we received throughout the event was staggering. Win or lose, the crowd was behind us, and we gave them and our team our all.

We played an individual event, a doubles event, and a team event. I ended up playing 11 matches in 7 days, and was still standing tall at the end!

The final tally for your Canadian squash team was 6 medals, and the icing on the cake was finally, on the last eve of squash, capping off the night singing along to our national anthem, courtesy of our incredible men's team.

We won 2 bronze medals, 3 silver medals, and one beauty gold.

The best and worst thing about this week is how intense and brutal the squash is, with so much crunched into so little time. What this means is that every day, someone on the team has to step up. One teammate will carry the team the first day, and when they are tired the next day, the others carry them through. We saw it on both our women's and men's teams, and it's such a special thing to be a part of a team in an individual sport like ours.

Playing for our country is an absolute treat. And it's made even better when we are led by a really classy, inspirational, organized bunch: coaches Graeme Williams and Yvon Provencal and manager Jamie Hickox. They were behind us the whole way. Tim Marshall, our therapist, kept us all in one piece and helped us all do what we do best! The support team in the Canadian building was so helpful and well organized; I was very impressed. They always had time for a chat and a smile. Marie-Andrée, Curt, Waneek, and Elise all had little bits of love and time for us amid their crazy schedules and commitments at the Games. I loved being around these people, and all the other Canadian athletes. Such a cool atmosphere!

Team Canada Welcome Ceremony

And I can't stop saying how impressive all of these people are:

The volunteers had pretty wild hours and they never let on! They helped us with every little thing, kept us in line when we needed it, and made the whole thing run quite smoothly. Thanks to Barb, Shivani, my mom, and the entire team of volunteers, many of whom are squash players and many others who didn't know what they were getting into!

Also, I am so happy to have had my family there. They get me amped up, and pull me back when I go too far. This is a game, after all ;) It's a fine line to walk to world of professional sport, and my family's support means the world to me. Thank you!!!!

I'll put some links to some articles on the team below. I hope everyone is enjoying the Games as much as we have and are. They aren't over!

So long, til next time :)

Sam

Cool links:

When we were on the front page of the Toronto Star:

http://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20150709/281479275085864/TextView

A piece on our doubles results:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/panamgames/2015/07/14/pan-am-silver-feels-like-gold-for-canadian-doubles-squash-teams.html

And another, really good pictures (also note I am called a "veteran"):

http://olympic.ca/2015/07/14/double-silver-for-doubles-squash-at-toronto-2015/

When IOC president Thomas Bach came to watch squash and visit the athlete's village:

http://squashmad.com/breaking-news/pan-am-games-media-blackout/

Nikki is a superstar:

http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/Regina+Todd+earns+American+Games+silver+medal+squash/11215698/story.html

An article on me at the end of the Games:

http://sportsottawa.com/content/bittersweet-silver-squash-player’s-3rd-medal-pan-ams

A great interview with the golden guys on CBC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it8cUtNI-iA&feature=youtu.be

Nationals roundup and onto the Courtcare Open, Chorley, England

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Wed, 06 May 2015 21:55:00 +0000

Thanks Paige Stewart for the great pics all week!

Good things to report!

I won nationals on the weekend, getting through some good matches. It's always a tough tournament!

I played Seanna Keating (3-0), Nikki Todd (3-1), and Hollie Naughton (3-1). Happy with the final result and was keen to get back on court this week.

Here's a roundup of the final! It's killer! Thanks to both Joshes for this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd4D967pd4w&app=desktop

Now I'm in Chorley, in the north of England near Manchester. I've got through my first round in a good 4 games with Millie Tomlinson and play the quarter final tomorrow with Olivia Blatchford. 6.45pm England time, so 1.45pm Toronto/Ottawa time!

Here's the Squashsite link with the draw
http://www.squashsite.co.uk/2009/courtcare2015.htm

Sam

Success at the Richmond Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 13:03:00 +0000

2015 Richmond Open Champ!

So excited to have come through a really tough battle yesterday. Pulled it off against my friend Misaki in the final in 5. Happy kid!

It was a big week of squash with some great matches for me and for others.

My first round was against Kelsey Engman who used to play my sister when they were both in university. Another thing that got us talking was our outfit choice, which was exactly the same, strangely enough! Great minds...! I won 3-0, but got put to work as I found her game unpredictable and she was powerful. Good length improved my situation!

Second round was against Marie Stéphan, who had already put in two tough matches, and they were impressive wins. I thought she would be quite tired, but she had a lot left to give until the last game of the match. I won 3-1.

Semis were with Nouran El Torky, I'm not sure of the last time we played, but we definitely played in juniors and I'm fairly certain I lost back then. She is a tiny thing, but manages to take up a lot of space, and she is hard to play! It was a good match, quite intense, and I was happy to win in 4.

Finals with Misaki, who had an upset win over Tesni Evans in the other semi, an epic 5 game duel. Those five games possibly got to her towards the end of our match, as she gave me a few errors. She was absolutely firing in beautiful shots all week, so I tried my best to keep it straight and out of her reach as much as possible and it paid off!

Thanks so much to everyone in Richmond for putting on this great event. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week!!

Sam

Arrived for the Richmond Open, Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Cornett) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 02:27:00 +0000

Beautiful! I'm happy to have my sponsors printed on some new squash kit, debuting here at the Richmond Open, at the Country Club of Virginia. Feeling fresh. Shout out to Black Knight, Slaight Music, Control the T Sports, and Benecaid!

I flew in this afternoon and so far everything is great, staying with a friend at a really nice family's house. The club is beautiful and the weather was amazing today.

Hopefully my squash is just as amazing :)

Sam