The Jones (2011) reading is really hefty, and I feel there is quite a lot to gather from it. One of the things I gathered was a reading exploring the videoing practices of BASE jumpers, which “document and elongate the ephemeral experience of BASE jumping, and fix in… achievement which accompanies these experiences” (Ferrell et. al. 2001). To extrapolate this and supplant it into my overarching ideas around squash, I feel as if what I will be trying to do seeks directly to elongate the ephemeral experience of playing squash. Ferrell et al (2001) explore Lacan’s three moments in the production of the (centered) subject: an initial gaze, a moment of understanding, and a moment to conclude, with respect to how it is a process that plays itself out in an event such as a BASE jump.

I would say, here, that lingering on squash, on one’s quick movements, from the point that they serve, until the point ends, also fulfils these moments, in the Real, Imaginary and Symbolic. To take what Ferrell et al. (2001) take from Lacan’s philosophical field of work and place into BASE jumping context, and then to transfer that to the context of squash, I feel like it is just as fluid in a way. This is because, in the moment, I feel like there is something so visceral about the sensation of each point while playing squash, such that there have been points in which I’ve gotten carried away, far too easily, transcending the real and imagining boundaries that go beyond the geometrical confines, and getting hurt. It will be really interesting, not to see anyone get hurt, but perhaps to try to linger on those that get a bit too carried away in the moment, as these moments probably signify some of the strongest elements of the sport, at least for myself.

Sources –

Ferrell. J, Milovanovic. D, & Lyng, S (2001) Edgework, media practices, and the elongation of meaning: A theoretical ethnography of the Bridge Day event, Theoretical Criminology, vol.5 (2), 177-202, SAGE Publications

Rodney H. Jones (2011) Sport and re/creation: what skateboarders can teach us about learning, Sport, Education and Society, vol.16 (5), 593-611, DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2011.601139