After a year away from the action, Mangakahia's Sasha Pou-Tito has her sights set on the New Zealand squash national championships, more determined than ever to succeed on the courts.
When Pou-Tito became pregnant with son Jaydon, she took a year off from playing squash but returned to the courts to
contest last October's nationals.
"I placed seventh there in the under-19s. I had trained since June, and found it really hard to get fit again after having baby," the 17-year-old said.
Between looking after 11-month-old Jaydon, and starting a sport and recreation diploma at NorthTec, she did not have the time or motivation to put into squash following her nationals campaign. However, the break has reignited her passion.
She started with a dominant pre-season win at the recent Whangarei Squash Open and will contest the Black Knight Kerikeri Open, beginning tomorrow , at Kerikeri Squash Club.
"Kerikeri will be a bit more challenging, as there are a few players from Auckland who usually come up for it. If the women's open division is not competitive enough, they will put me in the men's open division, which is really hard to play in," she said.
Getting fit after the birth has not been easy for Pou-Tito, she said. It has taken a lot of effort, training under coach Neil Lewis at Mangakahia Squash Club once a week, plus hitting the gym several times a week. "I was training every day before nationals, but when I stopped after that, I lost all the fitness I had got back after having Jaydon. I know what I have to do to get fit, it's just a matter of doing it - and I want to."
Her first real test outside club tournaments will be next month at the New Zealand junior open. She also aims to upgrade her B1 status, ahead of the nationals in Whakatane in August, where she hopes to improve on last year's seventh place.
