Squash brothers tackle education and sport

This National Careers Week (NCW), Squash Australia is celebrating the hard work athletes are doing off the court to pursue their dual careers. 

Tom and Nick Calvert were introduced to squash by their dad and have been playing squash tournaments since they were 13 and 12 respectively. 

“Our dad got us into it and it has been a nice family thing that we have been able to do, we would travel to tournaments around the country as a family,” Nick said. 

In 2020 Tom and Nick were recipients of the AIS Education Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to provide financial support to Australian high performance athletes who are committing themselves to their education while pursuing their sporting careers.  

The brothers both attend the University of Queensland (UQ), Tom is studying his Masters in Sports Coaching, while Nick is undertaking a Bachelor of Mathematics. Both are grateful for the scholarship as it makes balancing their time easier. 

“The AIS Scholarship helps take some of the stress off having to work more and means we can concentrate on getting our degrees done and our squash training,” Nick said. 

As tournaments start to return around the world, the brothers credit their time management skills for helping them keep the balance between training, work and study.

“We are both very lucky because we work at the squash centre so we are able to transition from work into training and that gives us more time for study in the evenings,” Tom said. 

Tom and Nick credit the support of their family, UQ and Squash Australia as they continue to pursue their dual careers. Both expressing the importance for them to prepare for life after their squash careers. 

They are both working towards the same goal of representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games but understand how important it is to have something in their back pockets if they get injured.

“If I am out for 12-18 months and I can’t play it is nice to know that I have my degree in my pocket to fall back on and to have once I have finished my squash career,” Nick said. 

 “I think it is also good to balance the squash out, it gives you something else to think about and a different kind of challenge,” Tom said.  

You will be able to catch both Tom and Nick in action at the Australian National Championships in Sydney 17-20 June.