Brooklyn boasts four winners in Baird E. Haney Squash Tournament
Will Cembalest has been a serious squash player since age 13. He plays for his school’s team; he plays outside of school; he has elite private coaches and plays in the biggest tournaments. But despite his usually-immersed life of Squash, he found that taking a four-month break from the sport has improved him as a player.
Cembalest took four months off last spring when he went to the Bahamas for a marine biology program through his high school, Poly Prep. The program had a heavy emphasis on fitness and culminated with a half marathon. He said training for the half marathon was the key in improving his focus on the court.
“I think that taking time off really helped me a lot because it improved my fitness and helped me become mentally tougher,” Cembalest said. “Training for that half marathon is hard work not only physically, but mentally as well. Ultimately, I feel that it’s the biggest reason why I’m playing so well right now.”
Cembalest proved he is at the top of his game after winning Brooklyn’s Baird E. Haney Junior Gold Championship for the first time ever, beating Krish Bhavnani 3-1 (12-10, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7) at the boys under-17 singles bracket. He was one of four Brooklyn kids, including Tiber Worth, Lucy Martin and Tobey Surratt, to win their respective brackets at the tournament, which took place this past weekend.