Greetings to our Squash Ontario family as we settle into this new reality away from the courts for the time being. Over the coming weeks, we will be presenting good news stories from the 2019-20 season celebrating the special people that make our community so wonderfully unique. First up is a feature entitled “We The North” that will chronicle a resurgence of squash activity in Northern Ontario. With a rich tradition of producing top players and for having the best tournament hospitality anywhere, the North is now BACK due to the hard work and dedication of some special folks.
This week, we feature North Bay’s The Hunt Club Squash and Yoga, a beautiful mix of new and old where Stephen Hunt and family have brought back to life the legendary CG’s club and put a modern spin on it. Hunt learned the sport in his early 30’s in New Liskeard and has been a self-proclaimed addict ever since, seeking out coaching from the likes of Mike Way, Barbara Cooper and John Power and making the Queen's University varsity team while doing his MBA. He went from a walk-on to the #2 player on the team in the early 2000s.
In May of 2018, Stephen, who is a professor at Nipissing University, noticed a building that GoodLife had put up for sale and could not turn down his dream of owning and operating a squash club. The building was none other then the legendry CG’s, which has a long history through to the late 90s as a great club and classic tournament venue, including the customary bar right beside the courts. A few months of do-it-yourself back breaking labor and Stephen had returned the 3 glass back show courts to life and given the entire club a face lift, including installing yoga studios, massage rooms and a salon and spa upstairs.
Fast forward to 2019 and the club is now humming with all of the electricity of the late 90’s and more – the Hunt Club boasts a 72 player house league, an Operation:OFSAA high school program, and in December 2020 hosted the first annual Sudbury/North Bay Challenge featuring #1’s Madison Eggert and Charles De La Riva won by the Nickel City 9-3. Hunt and the North Bay team are already gearing up for 2020, including the club purchasing a 12-seater bus ready to transport the squad.
Squash Ontario Executive Director Jamie Nicholls payed a visit in September 2019 and played an exhibition with Hunt (Eggert ducked him) and remarked “What Stephen and his family have done for Squash in the North is incredible. One can feel the history and tradition as you walk through the doors of what was and IS an iconic club. Squash Ontario thanks the Hunt Club and the North Bay community for their commitment to our sport and wishes them all the success in the future”.
Please click below for pictures and more details of the “We the North” Resurgence at the Hunt Club and stay tuned for next week’s installment.
