When Lisa Aitken was a kid, she loved all sports and wanted to grow up and become a P. E. teacher. But after just one day at university she decided that life in the school gym was not what she wanted. Now she is fulfilling another dream – to become a world-class squash player.

Now 21, Lisa made her mark when she played for Scotland at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.  Reaching the quarterfinals of the doubles in India proved to be the springboard to bigger and better things. 

Twelve months ago, she was No.187 in the world rankings.  Having made it to the final of last month’s Santiago Open, she has now jumped to No.80 and within sight of the top flight of the game. 

“My target was to be in the top 60 by the end of the year,” said the Montrose youngster. “Now I want to push even further up the rankings and try and get into the top 30 so that I qualify for all the major tournaments.

“The biggest goal is the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. By then, I’ll be 24 and I want to be going for a medal in both singles and doubles. At the 2018 Commonwealths I’ll be thinking about gold.”

Lisa took up squash as a nine-year-old when she joined the Montrose Club’s junior programme. All her mates drifted away, but she stuck to the task and was just ten when won her first junior tournament in Aberdeen.

Now based at Edinburgh and working with coach Roger Flynn at the Scottish Squash Academy at Heriot-Watt University, Lisa tops up her tournament earnings by competing in the Scottish (Aberdeen), Professional (Winchester) and Danish (Copenhagen) leagues and she also works at the leisure centre and coaches the pupils at Fettes College.

“Moving south has been a great move and it was last year’s Commonwealth Games that gave me the incentive to become a full-time player on the WISPA circuit,” she said. “It was after I came from India that I was let loose on the singles circuit.”

Lisa is supported by The sportscotland Institute of Sport as well as Scottish Squash and is recognised as sound investment. 

“Lisa has the speed and the movement needed to become a top squash player,” said Australian Flynn, the Scottish National Coach. “She also has the right attitude. She is training at 7am most days and it is maintaining the enthusiasm that is the key. 

“If we do the job right, then she should definitely be challenging for a medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.”

Lisa certainly aims to be among the poster girls for 2014 – and she is already looking forward to the 2018 Commonwealths, which taking place on Australia’ Gold Coast.

“I want to be chasing the medals in both singles and doubles,” she says. “These are the goals that make me get up in the morning and keep me working hard at my game.”

 

This summer, she enjoyed a two month and seven tournament trip to Australia –arranged by Flynn - and her rise up the rankings will guarantee an even more exotic schedule in 2012. 

“I love the traveling and the lifestyle,” she said. “I did always want to be a P. E. teacher, but on my first day at Edinburgh University I knew it wasn’t for me. This life is so much better.”

EB

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