By Lidia Semrau
Few privileged Canadian athletes can say they know what it’s like to be the best at what they do.
Even fewer can say they maintained this distinction while pursuing a master’s degree.
Meet Ottawa native Runa Reta: Canada’s top-ranked female squash player and McGill University master’s student.
Having played squash professionally full-time for the past three years, all the while holding on to the coveted number one position, Reta decided it was time to slow down.
Last January she began playing part-time to pursue her other passion, studies in international development.
“It is very challenging at times,” Reta says. “But I am trying to balance the two.”
Every day Reta finds time to train between studying and attending classes. She even finds time to help coach the McGill squash team.
“It’s very rewarding,” Reta says. “They’re very appreciative toward the help they get which makes me happy to help out.”
Reta attributes her success to a lot of hard work and the level of training she received from the instant she walked onto the court for the first time.
Introduced to squash by her father when she was nine, Reta immediately fell in love with the game. Soon thereafter, she had the privilege of training with squash legend Heather Wallace for over 15 years through Goodlife-Queensview Fitness Club’s squash program.
“Having been a top player myself, I know what it takes to be the very best and to get to the top in Canadian and world squash,” Wallace says. “With Runa, I was able to impart my experiences in training, how to prepare for tournaments, and what to expect when she was starting out.”
Throughout her squash career, Reta has travelled all over the world to participate in tournaments in countries such as Malaysia, Egypt, China and the United States. She currently ranks 30th in the Women’s International Squash Players Association World Rankings.
Reta also had the opportunity to train in Amsterdam for two weeks.
“Everywhere you go there are different ideas about training,” she says. “It was great and very beneficial to be able to go to other places and get different ideas and perspectives of how to look at the game and how to train.”
Now that Reta is no longer completely immersed in squash, she values the game to a higher degree.
“Now, more then ever, I appreciate how much squash has done for me,” she says. “Now that I’ve stepped back a bit and started doing a few other things, I enjoy and appreciate these experiences of travelling the world and meeting new people so much more.”
Wallace also thinks it has improved her game.
“With Runa’s primary focus on doing well at school and getting her master’s degree, she doesn’t feel as much pressure playing squash as she used to, and she can actually enjoy it,” she says. “In fact, she’s probably doing a little better because she is more relaxed on the court when she plays her matches.”
Although she is no longer playing full-time, Reta is not too worried about losing her top ranked position due to the small number of rival female professional players in Canada.
“It takes a big commitment to decide to play full-time,” Reta says. “Squash players have to cover a lot of their expenses themselves.”
“You need to travel quite extensively because most of the tournaments are either in the US, Europe or Asia,” Wallace says. “So, unless you have rich parents to support you, or private sponsors, it’s very difficult to play full-time.”
For instance, Reta is scheduled to play her next tournament in the United States in January. She has been fortunate however to receive numerous sponsors throughout her squash career.
Nevertheless, the squash scene in Ottawa remains quite “healthy,” says Mikola Czich, president of the Ottawa and District Squash Association.
Hundreds of individuals across Ottawa are actively participating in various city leagues and tournaments, he says.
Lately, Reta has been trying to use her celebrity status as a means of affecting positive change for those less fortunate.
“Sports have always been a big part of my life, but now that I’m back in school, the issue of international development is very important to me,” she says.
She recently joined a charitable organization called Athletes for Africa that uses the power of sport to educate and engage Canadians in Africa’s fight against poverty, famine and disease.
Although Reta hopes to work in the field of development and travel to developing countries once she obtains her degree, she promises squash will not be phased out of her life.
“There will always be squash,” she says. “It is such a big part of my life that it is not something I will ever completely quit.”