Cardwell chasing another green and gold moment

There is nothing better to Sarah Cardwell than representing Australia. 

The feeling of pulling on the green and gold, of being part of something bigger than the individual sport she spends most of her year competing in.

That feeling will return later this year when Cardwell heads to Korea for her sixth World Squash Teams Championships appearance, a milestone that has placed her among Australia’s most capped female players at the event.

Cardwell will join Rachael Grinham and Donna Lobban as Australia’s second-most capped female player at the Women’s World Teams Championships, behind only legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald.

It is a record Cardwell admits she did not know she was approaching.

“I actually had no idea what the records were,” she said.

“Now I know I've got some kind of record. I want to keep it. I want to get more.”

The milestone is more than just a number for Cardwell, who says it is one of the rare occasions in her career where she allows herself to reflect on what she has achieved.

“A lot of the time athletes are pretty hard on themselves, but this is probably one of the rare times where I can really say I'm quite proud of myself,” she said.

“That's really cool.”

Cardwell’s first World Teams appearance came in France in 2012, when she was the young player learning from a team packed with experience.

More than a decade later, the roles have changed.

The nerves and excitement of earning her first cap have been replaced by the confidence and responsibility that comes with experience, with Cardwell now preparing to help guide a new generation of Australian players making their World Teams debuts.

“It was a bit more giddy and just excited, getting to play your first match, getting a cap,” she said.

“The team was really good to me. I was in a team of really experienced players and I was really fortunate to get to play on teams with the likes of Rachael Grinham.

“They were able to lead the way, not even purposely by verbally guiding me, but just by showing their actions, how they conducted themselves on court and around the courts. That was a really good way to teach me.”

Now Cardwell finds herself on the other side of that equation.

Sophie Fadaely and Erin Classen will make their World Teams debuts alongside her in the women’s team, while Thomas Scott and Oscar Curtis are also first-timers in the men’s squad.

Cardwell says the pair of young women have earned their opportunity after making significant strides over the past year.

“They've both worked really hard and they've made some really big improvements in this last year,” she said.

“I'm sure they were gunning for this. I'm sure this was their major goal for the year as well.

“They're going to enjoy it so much, just because it's a good group of girls. We've got a lovely team together, and the coaches are really experienced and we'll have plenty of support around them.

“They'll be able to enjoy it, but also be competitive and hopefully just soak it all up.”

The team environment is one of the reasons World Teams remains such a special event for Cardwell.

Squash is an individual sport for much of the year, with players accustomed to travelling, training and competing for themselves.

World Teams changes that.

“This is like the one time that we do get to play as a team and then obviously for the country as well,” Cardwell said.

“That's extra special. Playing for Australia is my favourite thing to do.

“Being the team event, playing on the world stage, that's just the most enjoyable thing as well as the thing to aim for.”

This year’s combined format, with the men’s and women’s competitions taking place together, adds another dimension.

Cardwell says having both Australian teams together creates a genuine feeling of one national team, rather than separate campaigns running alongside each other.

“Now we are one big team as well as just the women, which is really cool,” she said.

“When you do just play year on, year off, women's then men's on the year off, you're still watching the men and supporting them, but you're not really there.

“Whereas now you feel like you're a part of it as well. We have our own campaign, but we also have the men to follow and that's really nice to all be together supporting each other.”

Australia heads to Korea with a proud history in the event, but Cardwell knows the modern game presents a different challenge.

The depth of the international game has grown significantly, with more nations producing full-time professional players and the gap between countries continuing to narrow.

“The goal is usually to beat your seeding, or to at least match your seeding,” she said.

“But every match will be competitive. We've got such a strong history in the sport, and it's nothing to sneeze at now where we're currently competing.

“Of course, it's always better to be the best in the world, but we're also now competing in a time where far more countries are playing and the tour is so much deeper.

“Everyone is playing professionally, full-time. The depth is really impressive, which is great for the sport. It obviously just makes it a bit harder for us to chase the same kind of accolades as in previous history.”

For Cardwell, the chance to represent Australia in Korea also sits within a bigger ambition.

When she first started playing, the possibility of squash becoming an Olympic sport was little more than a dream. Now, with squash set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, the prospect of becoming an Olympian has changed the way she views the final years of her career.

“I always thought sort of around these kind of years would be when I'd be wrapping things up, but I feel physically fine,” she said.

“I've just got to listen to my body and if I'm motivated to keep going rather than sort of hear when previous people have retired and whatever, just do things on how my body feels.

“Once LA was announced, it was like a no-brainer that I would keep going and try for that.”

The pathway is difficult, but Cardwell believes the qualification system gives Australian squash players a genuine opportunity to make history.

And if she can make it to Los Angeles, it would represent the ultimate realisation of a dream that did not exist when she first started her career.

“That would be everything,” Cardwell said.

“Previously it was just Commonwealth Games was the pinnacle for us. But we were very much aware that Egyptians, Americans, some of the top players in the sport were not able to play the Commonwealth Games.

“The Olympics is far more representative of the world, the pinnacle.

“That would be absolutely everything, and considering my favourite thing to do is play for Australia, merging the two – Australia and Olympian – would be the absolute pinnacle.”

Before Los Angeles, though, there is Korea.

Another World Teams campaign. Another chance to pull on the green and gold.

And another opportunity for Cardwell to do what she has loved doing for more than a decade – play for Australia.

—ENDS—

QUOTES

“I'm very excited. My favourite thing to do is play for Australia. That's always a goal, and I've got a few more years in me still in my professional career, so that was definitely a big goal for this year – to play for Australia and Korea. I'm really excited.”

“I didn't know until Lachie messaged me your details. I actually had no idea what the records were. Now I know I've got some kind of record. I want to keep it. I want to get more.”

“A lot of the time athletes are pretty hard on themselves, but this is probably one of the rare times where I can really say I'm quite proud of myself. That's really cool.”

“I think what makes it special is that it is an individual sport and we're used to playing for ourselves year-round. This is like the one time that we do get to play as a team and then obviously for the country as well. That's extra special.

“Playing for Australia is my favourite thing to do. Being the team event, playing on the world stage, that's just the most enjoyable thing as well as the thing to aim for.

“Now we play men's and women's at the same time together, which we hadn't done in previous years. I love both formats, but that's been something fun and new as well, so that we are one big team as well as just the women's, which is really cool.

“When you do just play year on, year off, women's then men's on the year off, you're still watching the men and supporting them, and I'm sure they're doing the same for us, but you're not really there.

“Whereas now you feel like you're a part of it as well. We have our own campaign, but we also have the men to follow and that's really nice to all be together supporting each other.”

“The girls have both worked really hard and they've made some really big improvements in this last year. I'm sure they were gunning for this. I'm sure this was their major goal for the year as well.

“I know that they're going to enjoy it so much just because it's a good group of girls. We've got a lovely team together, and the coaches are really experienced and we'll have plenty of support around them.

“They'll be able to enjoy it, but also be competitive and hopefully just soak it all up.”

“I'll know more specifically, numbers-wise, what our goals are when we see the draw, who's playing and what other countries there are. I don't really have a number I can give you of where we're trying to get.

“If I had a specific goal, I'd say it, but we just literally don't know any of the entrants. I don't know any of the teams or where we'll be seeded.

“The goal is usually to beat your seeding, or to at least match your seeding. That would be first and foremost. I just don't know where that is yet.

“Every match will be competitive. We've got such a strong history in the sport, and it's nothing to sneeze at now where we're currently competing.

“Of course, it's always better to be the best in the world, but we're also now competing in a time where far more countries are playing and the tour is so much deeper.

“Everyone is playing professionally, full-time. The depth is really impressive, which is great for the sport. It obviously just makes it a bit harder for us to chase the same kind of accolades as in previous history.”

“My first one, unless I'm wrong, was 2012 in France.

“You say it's my favourite thing to do and nothing's more important than playing for Australia, so every time does feel equally as amazing, but there is something extra special about that first time.

“The first time was a bit more giddy and just excited – getting to play your first match, getting a cap.

“The team was really good to me. I was in a team of really experienced players and I was really fortunate to get to play on teams with the likes of Rachael Grinham.

“They were able to lead the way, not even purposely by verbally guiding me, but just by showing their actions – how they conducted themselves on court and around the courts. That was a really good way to teach me.

“I was able to ease in and be the young up-and-comer and learn. Now I don't feel like I've been thrust into the leadership senior role. It's just sort of happened as more people, as the older girls, have retired and everything.

“I don't feel any pressure, but I don't have that same feeling. You don't get giddy and nervous or anything. I'm more focused on what we're trying to do.

“You naturally get into a bit more of that leadership mindset, where you're focused on your goals rather than just being excited to be involved and be there.

“Now I want the younger girls to have that same feeling. I want them to be excited and enjoy being out there and competing.”

“It's honestly not a pressure. It's kind of a privilege.

“It just happens. If that does sort of go that way and you're comfortable with that, then it works well. If you do feel pressure from it, then it's probably not the right spot for you.

“I've played it enough, played enough times now that I'm not nervous or anything to play anymore.

“My thing is just always that we go out and try as hard as we can, and I think that's pretty innate in Australians, so I don't have too much to worry about with my teammates.”

“I grew up with it being more than – well, I suppose it was literally a dream because it wasn't possible. It was just something you dreamt about because it wasn't actually in the Games.

“I always thought sort of around these kind of years would be when I'd be wrapping things up, but I feel physically fine.

“I think I've just got to listen to my body and if I'm motivated to keep going rather than sort of hear when previous people have retired and whatever, just do things on how my body feels.

“Once LA was announced, it was like a no-brainer that I would keep going and try for that.

“With the way the qualification system goes, of course, it would be so much better if the draw was a 64 draw, 32 draw, 128 draw or whatever. But with the way it is, there are still continental spots.

“With the Pacific getting a spot, it really does make it possible for an Australian to get a spot to the Olympics, and so now it's very much a dream.”

“That would be everything.

“Previously it was just Commonwealth Games was the pinnacle for us. But we were very much aware that Egyptians, Americans, some of the top players in the sport were not able to play the Commonwealth Games.

“The Olympics is far more representative of the world, the pinnacle.

“That would be absolutely everything and, considering my favourite thing to do is play for Australia, merging the two – Australia and Olympian – would be the absolute pinnacle.”