All the Comforts of Home : Mersola Family Pursues Squash With Such Fervor That Building Own Facility Was Only Way to Play

For those who thought squash was only a soft, yellow vegetable that young children fed to the dog when their parents weren’t looking, meet the Mersola family of Burbank.

The Mersola men, including Carl, his three sons--Cam, Bret, Jerry--and Carl’s brothers Joe and Mike, have almost single-handedly kept the sport of squash alive in the Valley. Squash enthusiasts from the Valley area would have been forced to drive to Torrance or Brentwood to get their daily fix if Carl Mersola had not started the Burbank Squash Club, the only Valley-based squash club, two years ago.

For players such as Cam Mersola, 25, who works out four hours a day honing his racquet-handling skills, a long commute to play squash would detract from his workout time. It’s much more convenient, not to mention timesaving, to own your own club.

“It was father’s dream for years to own his own court,” Cam said.

Typically, Carl Mersola, 53, commuted daily from his Hermosa Beach home to the South Bay Squash Club in Torrance to play. But soon after moving to Burbank eight years ago, Carl found it more practical to build his own squash club, a building that also houses the offices for his construction company.

Carl has played for 16 years and was the state amateur champion in 1975. He retired from competitive squash after undergoing knee surgery last year.

Cam has played more than six years and competed at the amateur level the past four. When not competing in tournaments, Cam helps run his family’s club. Although there are more than 35 members in the club, the business is hardly profitable.

“We don’t make a penny,” Cam said. “Our membership fees just cover the maids and the lights.”

So why run a business when it’s a struggle just to break even? Well, for one reason, the owners never have to wait for a court.

That could change, however, if the sport continues to grow. Southern California racquetball courts are being converted for squash in order to keep up with the influx of European players and the growing number of racquetball players who are switching to squash.

Darwin Kingsley, the executive director of the United States Squash Racquets Assn., claims interest in racquetball peaked five years ago while and squash has experienced steady growth in the past 10 years. More than 500,000 play squash in the U. S., and Southern California is considered one of the sport’s fastest-growing areas.

Kingsley estimates there are more than 3,000 squash courts in the United States. To convert the standard racquetball court--20 feet wide by 40 feet long--into a squash court, the back wall must be moved in eight feet. Although the courts and scoring are similar, racquetball and squash are radically different games.

Squash is played with a long-stemmed racquet that resembles one used for badminton, making racquet control a critical part of the game. A player can employ forehand and backhand drop shots, lobs, volleys or numerous other speciality shots in squash.

“If a guy has really good racquet control, he can make his opponent look stupid,” Cam Mersola said. “The better you get in racquetball, the shorter the rallies. In squash, the better you get the longer the rallies last.”

Many squash players are former racquetball players seeking a more challenging sport.

“Squash is a lot harder game to play,” Cam said. “It’s more at the level of tennis.”

There are two versions of squash played in the United States. In the international variety, a softer ball is used and a player can score a point only when serving. A harder ball is used in the U. S. version of squash and a player doesn’t have to serve to score.

Although a 15-point game is standard in squash, a nine-point game is played in the international version of the sport. Squash is played at the high school and collegiate level in the East, where many Ivy League schools have teams and conduct intercollegiate competition.

While the top amateurs compete in tournaments nationwide, most squash players pursue the sport for exercise and a challenge.

Which is made easier, of course, by owning your own squash facility. Just ask the Mersolas.