Editors : Peter Jee & Susan Teal
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Sarawak Squash Newsletter
Volume 1 No. 2 April 1998
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There has been many activities to keep the committee busy
these few months.
Juniors involved in SUKMA have been training twice a day
and attending school. They went to KL for exposure trip in March and again
in April. After this they will attend the camp for all the competitors
in the Sarawak teams and depart for Selangor 18 April for the games from
20-25 April.
Sarawak Open is to go on in JUNE this year at the
Civic Centre. Now the raising of the needed funds is going on full swing.
Total required is RM100,000 and generous sponsors are being sought. TV
coverage is under consideration aswell as local corporations support.
DUNLOP IN £1M LINK WITH WSF, PSA & WISPA TO
GROW THE GAME OF SQUASH
- The world's leading squash brand
Dunlop, in conjunction with the sport's three principal international associations,
the World Squash Federation (WSF), Professional Squash Association (PSA),
and Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA), unveiled
plans for a £1 million (pounds sterling) investment in the launch
of a new range of squash balls, both to increase participation in the sport
through greater accessibility, and to revolutionise the sport's televisual
appeal.
- Dunlop has also been chosen as the
official ball of the WSF, PSA and WISPA, thereby guaranteeing the ball's
use in all international competition and major championships.
- The announcements, under the banner
'Squash - Growing The Game', were made at a press conference at the National
Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham during the staging of the British Open
Championships.
- The objective in Dunlop's new squash
ball programme is to stimulate participation levels and growth worldwide.
- Dunlop, with a 90% share of the worldwide
squash ball market, is in an excellent position to recognise that the game
must become more accessible, and must overcome the high 'drop out' rate
from beginners, whose early difficulties are invariably caused by using
an inappropriate ball.
- Abandoning the existing and widely
misunderstood range of coloured 'dot' balls, Dunlop is introducing a new
squash ball programme which includes balls which are bigger, and more playable
than the current single standard size ball, to bring more fun to the game.
- The new range, which is endorsed
by the WSF and will be available in sports shops worldwide early next year,
features four balls:
- * The "Revelation Championship
XX", the existing traditional-sized black ball for championship play
- which remains the benchmark for professional players on the PSA and WISPA
world tours.
- * The "Revelation Competition
XT", the existing traditional-sized green ball for club players, with
a similar performance to the XX but with increased 'hang-time'.
- * The new "MAX Progress"
ball, which is 6% larger than the XX and has instant bounce. It is also
has a 20% longer 'hang time', thereby making it ideal for the 'game-improver'.
- * The "MAX" ball, which
is 12% larger, and has a 40% greater 'hang time'. This ball is therefore
the perfect 'starter' ball, aimed at the all-important beginner.
- "This new concept is designed
to maximise enjoyment at all levels," said Dunlop's International
Racketsports Marketing Manager Paul Walters. "From now on there will
be a ball which genuinely suits every level of player - and beginners will
immediately be able to enjoy rallies, moving on to the next ball as they
develop with the sport.
- "The programme recognises and
includes existing XX and XT models which remain the benchmark for quality
and performance for professional and club players, respectively,"
Walters added.
- CHROMABALL
- The new Dunlop 'Chromaball', developed
in partnership with the PSA, exploits 'chroma key' television technology
which enhances the ball's visibility on a TV screen - the same technology
which enables a TV meteorologist to appear to stand in front of a weather
map when the backdrop is in fact a blank blue screen.
- This is the most significant development
in a 'TV squash ball' since Dunlop pioneered the 'Teleball' a decade ago.
- The long-awaited breakthrough in
the bid to overcome one of the sport's biggest hurdles - seeing the ball
on TV - has come after extensive research and development in Los Angeles
and at the recent PSA Super Series Finals in Hatfield, England, filming
a variety of types and colours of Dunlop squash balls.
- Key to the concept was the production
of the optimum coloured ball which replicated the performance of the Championship
XX.
- The yellow Chromaball, production
samples of which were produced for demonstration purposes in Birmingham,
will be launched at the 1998 Men's World Open in Bombay in November.
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