SquashMatch interviewed Fliss Sampson to be our random squash interviewee. Felicity can usually be found playing squash at Brixton Rec Centre.
What is your name? Felicity Sampson
How long have you been playing squash? About 7 years
When did you seriously get interested in squash? This was when I got a bit bored with volleyball whilst playing in a guy’s team. I was a setter and was not getting any of the adrenaline from hitting or passing. Seeing all the squash players in the stadium heading to the squash courts made me realise I should give it a go.
Where do you normally play squash? Currently at Brixton Rec. Centre
What is your favourite shot? My favourite shot is a lob but I am no good at these so my own favourite shot is a forehand drive or a tennis overhead shot.
What is your worst shot? My backhand is a disaster in general.
What racket do you play with? My favourite racket is a Wilson but I have a tendency to crack rackets quite frequently so it does change.
What’s the best squashing advice anyone has given you? There are endless pieces of advice which I seem to forget. The main pointers I find useful are: “Get back to the T”, “You can win this” and “Don’t use a topspin grip!”
Who is your favourite squash player? No-one really - I don’t follow anyone. But I would like to say congratulations to Megan Craig from my home town in Blenheim, NZ who is ranked something like 49th in the world even though she has only recently moved out of the junior rankings. That is great!
Have you ever injured anyone playing squash? Nothing serious but I have hit someone in the nose and she was unhappy with the cosmetic effect that I achieved for her. Otherwise, just a lot of elbows and I did hit one guy at a tournament recently but he was fine. I probably sound dangerous but I have injured myself a lot too, so it evens out. I was serving once and took the top off my knuckle due to my tennis swing follow-through. That was very painful.
Tell us an interesting squash-related story about yourself. The only “interesting” thing is that once I was going to practice alone at Oasis and I got off the tube without my racket! I had to practice with a bent racket from reception. It was quite interesting to go to the TFL ‘Lost and Found’ depot and very surprising to get my racket back. Pretty good service.
What other sports do you play? In London it is too hard for me to play all the sports I want. If I could, I would be playing tennis and volleyball too.
Will you still be squashing in 5 years’ time? Yes, I will hopefully know how to master the game by then!