Queensland coach honoured at Gala Dinner

Having coached and inspired the next generation of squash players for over half a century, Robyn Prentice was presented with a Distinguished Service Award at the Squash Australian Open Gala Dinner in March.

Robyn is showing no signs of slowing down, with the 80-year-old coach continuing to run her Squash 4 Life academy out of the Acacia Ridge Squash Court five nights a week.

The proud Queenslander said it was a great honour to receive such recognition.

“It has been a long haul for me as a squash player and coach,” Robyn said. “I have two wonderful boys and grandchildren… they got half of me and squash got the other half.”

Robyn transitioned from professional squash player to coach after 13 years of representing the state at a national level.

A passion for squash and watching others fall in love with the game is what inspired Robyn to remain heavily involved.

“I've been coaching for over 50 years now, and what I've got from it far outweighs what I've had to put into it,” Robyn said. “The kids I've met along the way and the opportunity to teach them life skills, as well as mould them into squash players, has been pretty amazing.”

One of Robyn’s career highlights was coaching in Canada for the better part of a decade.

“I went over (to Canada) on a two-year contract and ended up there for 10 years,” she said. “I took modified squash to Canada and started coaching five- and six-year-olds.

“One of those five-year-olds was a little guy called Matthew Giuffre, who went on to become 32nd in the world.”

Besides coaching, Robyn is eyeing a return to the World Masters Championships when it arrives on our shores next year.

“I'm excited to have a go,” Robyn said. “I'll work on my fitness, work on playing a bit more and focus on getting my body ready to compete.”

Following the announcement that squash will be included in the LA 2028 Olympics, Robyn is excited about the future of the sport both in Australia and beyond.

“I never thought this (the Olympic inclusion) would happen in my lifetime,” she said. “I've been hopeful, like everyone, but I'm very happy to see it there."