Alison Waters – 'Squash Professional'

My rehab is going well and I have been stepping up what I have been
doing in the gym. I have been adding in squats/ lunges which tends to bring
on quite a bit of stiffness the next day. Also more balance exercises
and soon to start light jumping and foot drills.

Also I have been doing solo practice for the last few weeks which has
been great. No movement involved but I can still
get my eye back in and work on technical aspects of my game. I have
really enjoyed getting back on court and doing what I know best.

Hoping to step this up over the next few weeks and get back into some
movement on the court. No rush though and I’m just taking it all
gradually and adding bits in when the time is right. I have been
enjoying training back at Hatfield with Tony and we have had some fun
doing circuits which has been nice to get back into some competition!! (I won’t say who
wins the circuits…!)

The season has started for the girls and it has been good following the
results over the last few weeks. Though also hard at the same time
as I wish I was there competing as well.

As they say ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’..!

‘It’s been six weeks now since my operation and everything is going very
well. I have just started doing a lot of different calf exercises to get the
muscle back and to get the movement and range in my Achilles. It’s amazing how
quickly your muscles shrink! (not that my calves have ever been that big!!)

It’s mainly body weight exercises to start and a few exercises with
weight on. Gradually increasing the weight and the range as well. It’s great to
be increasing the rehab now and even though its only something small it feels
like something big.

I was told that you have to wait 6 weeks post op before you can really
start loading it up more and its amazing how quickly the last 6 weeks have
gone. I thought it would be really slow and boring but i have had great people
around me who have made things really easy! I can do as much cardio work as i
want.. on the bike and cross trainer and i have started doing some inclined
treadmill walking as well.. very exciting!!! (I’m serious)

I had an interesting email from a lady with similar Achilles problems as
me and its great that i feel i can give advice on this and use my experience to
help/reassure people.

It’s always nice if you are injured or need an operation to talk to
someone who has been through it as well. To tell you that it’s not actually as
bad as you think it might be!

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. Have a great
week. I think the sun is on its way out!

Alison x

When I got back from Cayman I saw my physio and doctor and we decided that I needed to see a top Tendon specialist to discuss my Achilles problems which I have been suffering from over the last year!

To cut a long story short I ended up travelling to Sweden to have an operation on the removal of a bone spur. This had been causing the tendinitis in my Achilles. I had a local procedure and it took about an hour or so.

The worst bit was when they put the local anaesthetic in and then when they actually removed the bone spur.

As I was awake I heard this loud banging noise which was the bone being removed. I asked to see the tool he used and it was literally a hammer and chisel!!! I took the piece of bone ( a good centimetre of two) home as a souvenir!!!

So it’s been three weeks since I had the operation and all is going well. Had a week or so on crutches and gradually eased off them, two crutches, one and now walking without. Have just started to use the bike and bringing in other exercises so am happy to be exercising again.

We went to Cornwall last week and had a great stay in a place called Looe. We took our rib out on the sea and tried our hand at fishing which wasn’t that successful!! Weather was on and off but wasn’t too bad overall.

I Have had quite a bit of spare time on my hands the last few weeks and have started Learning Spanish. I’ve Got a great audio course I’m listening to. It’s quite a challenge but i’m enjoying it. I Might need a trip to spain to practice.

So all in all everything is well. Recovery time is 2-3 months as it needs time for everything to heel. I’m going to miss the start of the season but I’m aiming to come back fitter and stronger then I was before. I have to take my time with this and not rush back and will step up the level and intensity of training gradually.

On another note.. Going to Wimbledon tomorrow. Got centre court tickets so am looking forward to that. Hopefully the sun will be shining.

Thats all for now,

Alison x

”Squash wise in Cayman…. I lost in the first round to Donna Urguhart 3-2.. All credit to Donna she played really well and was slotting it in especially in the first game. After a slow start by me i managed to get back into the match and came back from 2-0 down to take it into a 5th. Donna managed to get a few points ahead throughout the game and I couldn’t close the gap. So a disappointing result for me!

Otherwise I really enjoyed the Cayman Islands, great place and we were well looked after throughout the week with boat trips and fishing trips organised for all the players. Would have liked to have got through to play on the glass court as it was an amazing set up…..will have to wait for next year.

I was meant to be playing the Texas Open in Dallas this week which I was looking forward to. Unfortunately i have had to pull out due to my Achilles playing up so a shame all round really.

I spent a few days in Miami on the way back from Cayman. Had never been to Miami before and i really enjoyed it. We went down to south beach and had a good look around and had some great food. (would recommend News cafe on Ocean Drive)

Miami is a great place to people watch and you do see some funny sights.. a man in a pink bikini with a tattoo on his forehead saying ‘Holla’ was the highlight I think!!

Back home now and my number one priority is to get my Achilles sorted once and for all.

Will keep you posted”

Alison xx

‘’I’m leaving for the last two tournaments of the season on Friday. Starting with a ‘Gold Event’ in the Cayman Islands where I’m seeded 4. I’m really excited about playing there as I missed last year through injury and all the girls say it’s a great place and event! It will be nice to be in the sunshine and Dan Kneipp and his team sound like they are doing an amazing job of getting everything ready.

After Cayman I go straight to Dallas for a ‘Silver Event’ where I’m seeded 2. I haven’t played at this event for a few years so I’m looking forward to going back there.

In both events I’m playing a qualifier first round so will find out the night before the main round starts who I will be playing.

So first up… Cayman here we come!!’’

Alison xx

“It’s been a good week so far. Had National League on Tuesday and we got a good 5-0 win so that should see us into the playoffs. Managed to see a little bit of the Arsenal vs Barcelona match. National league always seems to fall on these big Champions League Matches!! Had good day training at Potters Bar Wednesday with Paul Carter and the boys. There are a good group of boys to train with and everyone pushes each other on. There is a good amount of banter as well and I seem to get called ‘Murky’…quite a bit and it seems to be sticking!!

Off to Malaysia at the weekend for my first tournament back. Really Really looking forward to it. Flying out Saturday evening, direct to Kuala Lumpur ready for noodles Sunday night!! It will be good to see everyone again and nice to be in some warm weather!  Not looking forward to the mornings though, it’s always a struggle to get your eyes open! (8hrs time ahead of UK) I’m sure my roomie Jen Duncalf and I will be having a good laugh at each other to see whose eyes are in the worst state!!

Qualifying starts Tuesday 15th March with main draw starting Thursday 17th March. Follow up to date news and results as it happens.

I’m drawn to play Egyptian Raneem el Weleily in the first round”

Alison xx

Click here to check out the draw

‘Had a great weekend in Florence for Italian League. Played one match vs Manuela Manetta and won 3-0. It’s scored differently and it’s just three games to 15, so it could finish 2-1. There were 4 in a team and it was all down to how many points you won, so you could lose in matches 3-1 but still win overall in points. So a different system to over here and its hard going on court when you know you don’t want to drop any points!I managed to get into the town and it was great to walk around and see some great sites, especially to see the Duomo which is basically as its name says ’the dome of the  cathedral’ and this was stunning. There were some great little side streets and markets and I would love to go back there as there just wasn’t enough time to see everything. Well worth a visit!

So i got back Sunday and then went to present the trophies at the national juniors held at Colets squash club. It was good to see the up and coming players and it seems a long time ago now since I was a junior, time just flies!

It was also great to see my team Liverpool get a fantastic win over Man United. Very happy!!

“Well its been over 8 weeks now since i had my small achilles procedure… and good news is I have been back on court a couple of weeks now though doing it all gradually. Its great to be back on court and i have really missed it.

Had a national league match tuesday so it was good to get a match in and we got a good 3-2 team win.

More league next week which im looking forward to plus a little trip to Florence for italian league at the weekend which im very excited about!!

 Then its off to Malaysia for a tournament starting 17th march and i can’t wait to get back into the swing of playing tournaments.

Its been a long time coming but building up gradually has been the key really.. as my physio Joe keeps telling me!! (Thanks Joe!!!) I have spent more time in the physio room the last 3 months then i have ever done before but have been in fantastic hands and well looked after.. thanks so much Joe and Wendy.. been fun singing magic songs with you both..!!

 Having 3-4 months out puts everything into perspective and makes me realise how much i love what i do and am very lucky to be doing it and am looking forward to a good season now injury free and pushing on forwards!”

Alison xx

I sent a sponsorship application form to ‘Lululemon’ (technical yoga clothes and apparel) and had a great reply saying they would be happy to send me some clothes out to try out and test for them and for me to give them feedback on their products. I got into Lululemon clothes when i was out in New York last year as everyone was talking about them, so i had to go and checked their shop out.
 
They are a Canadian based company with shops in the states, Hong Kong, Australia and a few others.

Lululemon offer a wide range of clothes, mainly yoga clothes and running gear for men and women. The clothes are fantastic and are made with great comfortable material.
 
Check out www.lululemon.com for more details.
 
I am very excited to have received some clothes from Lululemon as i just love their clothes!

Massive thanks!

Alison

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the gym since my operation.  Lots and
lots of rehab work.  It’s been mainly a lot of calf work to build them up and make
them strong, which then takes the pressure of my Achilles. Mentally it’s pretty tough as i
would much rather be on the squash court but to get back playing again this
is my main priority for the day, to get my rehab done. Physio Joe has
been writing a programme for me for the week which I follow and this has
been very helpful.  It makes sure I’m getting the right amount of rehab, cardio while also introducing light squash back into my routine as well.

I have been going to ‘hot’ yoga classes as well which i really like and this is such a good, tough session and its away from the gym, with lots of people doing it as well which i really enjoy. The class the other night had about 50 people in it!
 
On a personal note, thanks to my sponsor Vitabiotics (Health care products) for their recent advertising campaign in the London Underground. I had a lot of comments from people saying they had seen the poster of me on various tube trains!! I sometimes go to Warren Street for physio and so over the last few weeks i have seen the poster a lot which was a little embarrassing at times but great publicity for me and for squash.  So a massive thanks to Vitabiotics for their continued support.

Speak soon

Alison xx