|
World class squash player ... Miss Karla Khan ... was visitng Cyprus where she kindly responded to my request for an interview ...
INTRO...
The name "Khan", is very familiar to most squash players in the world ... I was really happy to meet one of these people who carry this legendary name, on her current visit to Limassol ... Miss Carla Khan .. Dont let her gentle voice and looks fool you ... as she says, she doesnt give anything away in a squash court .. and trust me ... I`ve experienced it .. :)) ... painfully !!!!
Carla ... 22 years of age, is currently number 22 in the world rankings. Born and raised in Britain, however she chose to play for Pakistan national team (# 1). While in Cyprus she took the opportunity to do some training with our own coach Nasos. She is getting ready for a WISPA tournamnet in Mexico next month.
A> Carla what is like to be a pro?
C> Well, its my job to practically train twice every day ... morning and afternoons and then games in the evenings. I do that every day except Sundays. .. I do this since my early teens .. It also means, I have to participate in about 12 to 14 tournaments a year around the world to impove my ranking points.
A> So you started young?
C> Quite young ... My dad was the one who inspired me to start playing ... though I never though I was really "gifted" for sports in general. He was and still is a very fluent and talented player. What really pushed things forward was my intense desire to be number 1. I know as a young teenager student after school life meant playing squash ... I had to do my hard training .. but thats the idea .. if you wish to be a champion thats what you must do .. you must beleive in yourself ... you need to sacrifice something.
A> Who is your coaching team?
C> Well, I m really different from most pro players. My dad and my brother are the ones who are helping me to get my training done... My dad always advised my play against men, who are physically stronger ... that helps a lot for both my physical as well as my mental confidence ... Being a pro you must be both .. physically and mentally strong ... you praise yourself on every win ... which is a great feeling by the way ... but you cant afford to think too much of a loss .. after loosing a match lets say ... I try to stay focused and learn from what went wrong ... pick up the pieces and move on ... dont forget, the level I play I must be able to perform within hours ... so sentiments shouldnt take the better of me on a bad result ...
A> So Squash for a pro is simply competitive?
C> The truth is ... I`m not aggressive towards my opponets .... BUT ... I give nothing away to my opponents .. its my job not to ... you must do your best to win ... But still like to enjoy myself while playing ... I dont just like to win at any cost ...
A> So the ultimate question is ... funding? ... how does a pro squash player manage to fund this "Dream" ?
C> Funding is not easy at all ... you must be lets say... in the top 10 in the world in order to get serious sponsorships ... still I `m not there to receive this benefits. ... Some funding as far as I know ... is given by the Pakistan Squash federation mainly though to women .. nothing much really ...My main sponsor is simply my family .. they support all of my expenses ... We are talking about a lot of money ... just consider the travelling expenses alone ... that could give you a rough figure .. plus equipment etc .. its certainly not easy ... but I consider myself lucky to be able to follow my dream ...
A> What is the gravity of the "Khan" name in the squash world ?
C> The name is there ... we cant questioned that ... I`m certainly proud for what I`ve inherited ... truth though its not easy being a Khan ... there`s a lot of "lobbying" taking place ... well ... on international level is a name respected but ... there are a lot of people who wouldnt like me to do well .. people are afraid of the competition ... Having this name is really difficult .. its a great name in international sport ...but lets face it ... it doesnt open doors for me ... it practically makes it harder for me ... I have to be always strong to face these out of court "challenges" ... but every little hurdle makes me stronger ... :))
A> I noticed on your website you mention squash or rather sports could bring cultures closer ?
C> The place of a woman in a country like Pakistan its not easy. Fundamentally no rights are given to women. I took that "role model" purpose to influence many ladies playing squash in the country. I believe I did very well ... and I `m proud of myself ... I met though some severe opposition by people around me in the country ... strict family and religious codes who didnt like the idea ... but I`m happy of what I`m doing and it can only get better ...
A> What would your advice be to a young girl who wants to succed in squash or sports in general?
C> If I can do it... anyone can .. with a lot of hard work ... I do what I do because I`m determined to reach my goals ... Believe in youself and you cant go wrong ... take critisism for improvement ... dont be afraid to take the challenges ...
A> How was training with Nasos?
C> Nasos is a very good coach ... a very good player too ... its a pity he doesnt get the chance to play on pro level ...but talking with him ... I understood of his position and realities ...
A> What about Cyprus squash ?
C> Before I came to Cyprus I never thought much of squash on this part of the world... but much to my contentment I see that there is something special here ... the friendliness of all players ..the "family warmth" is amazing ... I feel very nice being among the squash players I`ve met ... you may not have the magnitute of a squash nation ... but you certainly have the heart of it ... the work that is done with the juniors can lead to improvement and who knows ... one day Cyprus may have pros who can be in the world rankings ... I see also people here who like to "give" and not just "take" from the game ... that is admirable ...
A> The next tournaments for you are ...?
C> Mexico and then Bahrain.
A> To improve your ranking in these tournamnets ....
C> .... must reach the semis in order to take enough points to go up ....
A> Well Carla, I wish to thank you for your time and wish you the best. I`m personally impressed with your maturity and I`m most certain you`ll be a great ambassador of everything you stand for ... I`m most certain we`ll meet again here in Cyprus .... We shall be following your progress via your website ... Good luck
C> Many thanks
PS: CARLA HAS HER OWN WEBSITE WHICH YOU CAN FOLLOW: http://www.carlakhan.co.uk
The intervier can also be found at http://www.squash-limassol.org.cy/menu.html
|
