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USA, HERE I COME…
 The
Big John White has left Nottingham, you must know that… So I didn’t
have the chance to chat with the Man for too long… Why the move, the
settling down, the future, etc… Here is what the Australian/Scot/American
had to say…
When did you take the decision to move to the US?
It all started quite a while ago, before Suzy and I thought about having
another child (we didn’t know we were going to be blessed by twins). I
immediately knew that with three kids, Suzy would need the support of her
family or mine, to which we are both very close. And as for my career I
couldn’t go back to Australia, we thought that a move to America, where
she’s got all her siblings, could be a solution to be looked at.
So, when did you have the “click”?
 It
was just after Qatar, when I lost in the first round of the World Open,
and I was supposed to go to Pakistan the next week, which meant so many
days doing nothing but away from home, and I just knew that I had to do
something to change our lives. I just couldn’t let Suzy look after the
kids on her own anymore, because, although she would never admit it, she
needed help, she needed a bit of time to herself, that my life away, with
her expatriated in the UK, was depriving her of.
And that was eating you, wasn’t it?
Yes, I was just too worried, feeling too guilty to perform well on a court
when I was away, and when I was home, I just wanted to spend all my time
with my kids, so I wouldn’t train enough… What would Suzy do if one of the
kids needed to go to hospital? She would have to put all the other three
in the car, how would she manage, what if it was something happening to
her, etc… All those kind of worries that I had in the back of my mind…
So, now, better?
So much better… For the price we have sold our Nottingham house, we’ve now
a great home, with a piece of land totally fenced off, with an outside
pool, at about 30 minutes from Philadelphia, close to Suzy’s family, mum
and dad, brothers and sisters, who all have kids of their own, and who can
help her with baby sitting, with whom she stays sometimes when I’m away…
I’m not worried anymore, I’m not feeling guilty anymore…
And how are your children then?
 Well,
Kyra is growing up, and I know that I will have a lot of trouble soon …
That’s why I’ve got a shot gun in the house now, and I pity the first fool
of a young boy who will want and take her out for a date… No, Kyra and
Tyler are doing great, they are quite independent now, they need their
space, and what’s great is that they can have their friends around, they
can be outside the house, totally secure, they don’t risk anything, it’s
such a relief for us all…
And the twins?
They are changing constantly. At the
moment, Max has got a bit of a temper, whereas Sam is a bit more mellow.
They are also always aware of each other, and can spend ten minutes taking
a toy one from the other, just for the sake of it… It’s quite fascinating…
 Let’s
look at the squash side of things now… What about training?
In Exton, where we live, we’ve got a YMCA with all the sports facilities
you can dream of, with a crèche where we can leave our children, a few
minutes walk from the house. It allows me to train as much as I was doing
with Vaughn in the UK.
Don’t you miss the match opportunity that you had in Nottingham?
Yes, of course, but what is squash all about? Speed, agility, strength and
flexibility. I work on the three first in the gym, I know the exercises I
need to do, and I do a session a day for about 1h30, 2 hours where I get
my heart rate up and down, like I would do in a match. Then I go home, and
I do my stretching for another hour, playing with the kids, wrestling with
them… That’s my second session. And that way, I can follow a tight
schedule, with four kids, you cannot improvise, and I can organise my life
around my kids, because after all, my first job is a family man, and
second, a squash player.
Yes, but what about match practice?
Well, I was using the League matches to get a bit of income, obviously,
but also to get some matches. But it was extremely tiring as well, as most
of the time, I would just be back from the big event, and would have to
drive a long way, still jetlagged. Now, I will get my match practice when
I go to the UK before flying to a big event, like Hong Kong, Qatar,
Pakistan. I will have to come over a bit earlier, and I’ll be able to play
with some top guys over here. Like I did for this tournament, I came a bit
earlier, and I played with Peter Nicol, Nick Matthew, Ben Garner … It
allows you to keep the eyes on the ball, and have a check up of your
fitness level. Then, it’s a question of getting used to the glass court
and adjusting the timing, but we all have to do that…
 So
this kind of setting suits you really…
Yes, that’s my way of training, and I like it. Every individual trains
their own way. And it hasn’t changed much from when I was in the UK…
Let’s talk about your ambitions
for the next season…
Obviously the Team Event and a medal
at the Commonwealth are a priority, and all the tournaments that we have
before Christmas, if I can keep my fitness and my body injury free, of
course. I also need to get my ranking up, because at the moment, in the
first rounds, I get the top guys, like in St Louis, where I get Lincou
first round, which is the worst draw you can have.
So, back up then is the aim?
Yes, first top 8, then hopefully top 4, and ultimately, I would like to
re-conquer the top spot, keeping in mind that they all want it! Also, I
was a rally away from the title of World Champion, that’s one title I
really want as well…
A word to conclude?
I’m a happy man…
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