Students in Paul Moreno’s squash class. Courtesy | Paul Moreno

When Paul Moreno first played the game of squash in college, he immediately fell in love with the sport. Now the professor of history and dean of social sciences teaches his students squash in a class called “Aristotelian Racquets.”

“I begged Dr. Arnn for years to convert one of our racquetball courts to a squash court,” Moreno said. “Then he finally came around and now I can teach a small class of students the game.” 

The class is one-credit and meets twice a week on Monday and Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. The class has around eight students and no experience is required to enroll. 

“I named it Aristotelian Racquets to emphasize that the end or telos of the game is health which is what we are after in this class,” Moreno said. “We of course want to have fun and learn how to win, but do not want to override the real purpose in it.” 

Originating in France in the 16th century, squash is a racquet sport that involves a four-walled court and a small, hollow rubber ball. In the 19th century, England modified the game and it was later brought to the United States in the 1920s, gaining more popularity and spreading to other countries. 

Moreno said the game of squash is similar to racquetball but requires more agility and holds key equipment differences. 

“It’s really the original version of racquetball, the American version of squash,” Moreno said. “Major differences are that the court is smaller, racquets are smaller and longer, you can’t hit the ball off the ceiling, the ball is dead and smaller, so you really have to run for it, making it a better aerobic workout.” 

Players usually play two at a time and take turns hitting the side, back, or front walls and must hit below the out line and above the tin that is near the bottom of the front wall. The ball must bounce only once and players are allowed to move anywhere on the court once they have served. 

Freshman Nico Galindo, a student in the class, grew up in Colombia and started playing squash with his dad in his early teenage years. Galindo said he has enjoyed being able to continue improving his skills. 

“I competed in squash for a couple of years at home,” Galindo said. “Coming here, I was looking for a way to stay fit and found they had a class for it and it has been amazing being able to play again.” 

Moreno started teaching the class in 2021 and said he plans on holding the class in the fall semester in the future. Moreno has his students play one another, holding games up to nine points and then switches them out. Requirements for the class are that the students wear eye protection and put forth a genuine effort in each session.

Professor of Mathematics David Murphy joined the class for fun with no experience and said that he has appreciated learning a new sport. 

“I thought this would be a good way to stay active,” Murphy said. “I have been humbled by the skills of my opponents and have learned that chasing kids is one thing, but chasing after such a small ball is another.”