Inaugural Tournament Honors Eve Bachman’s Legacy

By Sarah Bachman

The inaugural Eve Bachman Memorial Squash Tournament for women took place on Saturday, Feb. 3, and brought together players from across the West Coast. The first squash tournament in MAC’s 133 years to be named after a woman, the tournament honored Bachman’s legacy of championing women as lifelong athletes, especially in squash.

Bachman first picked up a squash racket in the mid-1970s and quickly ditched tennis (which she then called “that slow game”). Using her tennis volley, overhand, and short shots to great effect, she played weekly, participated in City League, and was a member of the Squash Committee, becoming a tireless supporter of women’s squash. During the 1998 Nike World Masters Games, Bachman won a gold medal in the 70+ women’s division. The only other entrant in that age category was a woman from Japan, and the two friendly competitors remained pen pals for years afterward — one of many friendships Bachman made through sports over the years.

Bachman kept working to bring more women of any age into squash competitions. Beginning in the mid-1990s, she began petitioning US Squash to allow women to play with people of the same age, regardless of gender. In 2005, at age 79, she was finally allowed to play in the Men’s 75+ Division at the US Squash Masters Championships, held at Harvard University, where she played all the way up through the consolation finals.

A few personal touches graced MAC’s first Eve Bachman Tournament. The poster announcing the tournament featured a cartoon that Bachman, a noted caricaturist, drew of herself. Her family and friends donated gifts for the players and volunteered during the event in the hope that the tournament will continue promoting women’s squash in years to come.

With squash being the latest sport to be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, squash interest in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Anyone interested in joining MAC women’s squash community is invited to contact squash@themac.com or bring court shoes and join these women’s groups on the squash courts.

Beginner Groups5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursdays9-10:30 a.m. on Saturdays

Advanced Groups5:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays10:30-noon on Saturdays