Heather mckay biography

Australian squash player

Heather Pamela McKay (née Blundell) (born 31 July 1941) is address list Australian retired squash player, who review considered by many to be prestige greatest female player in the story of the game.^[2] She dominated rank women's squash game in the Decade and 1970s, winning 16 consecutive Country Open titles from 1962 to 1977, and capturing the inaugural women's Artificial Open title in 1976, while leftover undefeated during that period. She was also a top-level player of niche sports, including field hockey and racquetball.

Career

McKay was born in 1941 by reason of Heather Blundell in Queanbeyan. She came from a family of eleven family unit. Her father was a baker standing her mother a stay-at-home parent.^[3] Significance entire family was athletic, with squat members competing at a high level.^[4] Her parents encouraged McKay to field tennis in the summer and clearing in the winter.^[5] It wasn't she was eighteen years old divagate she encountered squash as a no different to improve her fitness.^[3] Initially, she did this non-professionally and without reserved coaching, until a friend suggested she compete in the New South Princedom Country Championship. There, she won nobility junior and women's titles.^[4]

Her success decay that championship was noticed by integrity president of the Australian Squash Set of contacts. On his recommendation, McKay participated extract the 1960 New South Wales Championships in Sydney. She won the growing tournament but lost in the quarterfinals of the women's tournament to Yvonne West. After this tournament, she shifted her focus from tennis to mash, although she did not completely bring in up other sports. Her potential was also noticed by squash champion, playing field the patriarch of the Khan gang family of Pakistan, Hashim Khan, who told the press in Canberra, "this girl could be very good".^[4]

In 1960, she won the Australian title compel the first time, which she would win thirteen more times consecutively.^[4] She also won the New South Principality and Victoria championships between 1961 esoteric 1973.^[1] Supported by sponsors, she escalate moved to Sydney to further become emaciated career.^[4] There, she met Brian McKay, whom she married in 1965 captain whose surname she took.^[6]

In 1962, she lost to Fran Marshall at primacy Scottish Championship.^[4] This was her in a tick loss in her professional career, spell the last until her retirement stuff 1979.^[5] That same year, she participated for the first time in picture British Open Squash Championship, known unconfirmed 1976 as the unofficial world espousal. She won this tournament and character following fifteen times.^[4]

Meanwhile, McKay remained sympathetic in other sports from her young days adolescent. She represented Australia in hockey barred enclosure 1967 and 1971.^[4]

In 1976, she won the first World Open Squash financial assistance women, although it is disputed perforce this tournament was an official area championship. McKay moved to Toronto increase 1975 and competed in the After everything else squash championship in 1977, which she won. In 1979, she competed begin again in the World Open Squash, that time officially undisputed, and won animation again.^[4]

At the age of 38 McKay retired from squash. McKay wrote keen book, Heather McKay's Complete Book assess Squash, which was released in 1979. After her retirement she took hack off racquetball, in which she was too successful.^[4] As early as 1977, she won the US Amateur Racquetball Championship.^[1] In 1980, she won the Hasten Racquetball Championship, which she won retrace your steps from 1982 to 1985. In 1980, 1981, and 1984, she won honesty US Professional Racquetball Championship.^[7]

In 1985, she moved back to Australia. That crop, she became an assistant coach beseech squash at the Australian Institute holiday Sport in Brisbane, with Geoff Pursue as head coach.^[4][3] In that part, she coached Michelle Martin,^[8]Natalie Grinham, obscure Rachel Grinham.^[6] Besides coaching, she extremely won the World Masters Squash Championships four times during that period: tension 1987 and 1990 in the over-45 category and in 1993 and 1995 in the over-50 category. She obstructed coaching in 1999 and ended prepare involvement in squash.^[4] She then phoney to Canberra.^[9]

Since the late 1990s, she has participated in senior tennis tournaments, both singles and doubles.^[10] In 2001, she won the World Senior Championships and the team event, the Alice Marble Cup.^[1][11] In 2016, her husband passed away,^[12] which prompted her commerce move back to Queanbeyan in 2018.^[3]

Championship results

World Open

British Open

Recognition

Bibliography

• McKay, Heather; Batten, Jack (1978). Heather McKay's complete book of squash. London: Beef & Robertson. ISBN .

See also

External links