Jonathon Power

For years Jonathon Power was the master of his trade. Some people consider him the best squash player to ever play the game. Anyone would agree he is the best squash player to emerge from Canada. His skill, technique, and trick shots left many people speechless. These are also the reasons he acquired his nickname - The Magician. Most importantly, he paved the way for Canadian squash players and put us on the map. That is why he is my hero.

Jonathon Tyler Power is a retired professional squash player from British Columbia, Canada. He started playing the sport at seven at a military base his father worked at. At the age of sixteen he joined the Professional Squash Association (PSA) where he excelled. In his career he appeared in 58 PSA finals and won 36 of them. He won almost every existing tournament; The British Open, The Super Series, The World Open, The Tournament of Champions, The PSA Masters, and the highlight of his career was winning the Gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He was the first North American to hold the number one in the world rankings and did so four separate times, 15 months in total. He also holds the record for the longest gap of time between being the number one ranking, which is four and a half years. Maintaining his ranking for so long shows true determination and commitment to keep up his skill, drive, and mindset for so long.

Squash is a very demanding sport that requires extreme strength in your core, arms, and legs. It also demands strong hand-eye coordination, anticipation, and the ability to make split-second decisions. Since squash is a challenging sport, Jonathan Power suffered some injuries. He broke his finger in 2003 and then injured his ankle later that year. Even after these setbacks, he still managed to become the world number one twice more. Coming back from an injury shows true passion and enthusiasm for the game. It is even more impressive that he could keep up his skill level for so long.

Jonathon Power was not only known for his skill, but also his emotional outbursts. Often, he had heated arguments with the referees on the court. However, like any great athlete, he used his emotion as a way to become more intense and more concentrated on a victory. This was never a good sign for his opponent. He was a very smart player too. If he felt a player was reading him, he would change the game plan up and surprise his opponent with a quick drop shot or boast. Not only was he smart on the court, he was smart off it too. He retired when he was at his prime and also world number one. This makes us remember him as the best.

He also prided himself on making squash a more popular sport in Canada. In 2001 he said "I'd like to play a role in helping North American become more prominent in squash" said Jonathon Power. Power also fulfills his promises. There are now four Canadians in the top one hundred in the world and many on the rise. Jonathon Power is not the complete reason North American are doing so well, but he may be part of it. He also runs squash camps just for North Americans as he truly believes in us and that it is our turn to lead, once again.

A hero, to me, is someone whom I respect because they have done something brave or accomplished something great. Jonathon Power has been important in my life, as he has been a squash player that I can watch and learn from. Jonathon Power has proven to me that I can be the best in the world if I try. I get on the court every chance I get and love to imitate Power's style. I often look at excerpts of his past matches to see his movement and shot selection. He was a truly remarkable athlete in an under-appreciated sport.