“Rob Dinerman has been fantastic from start
to finish, researching extensively the voluminous historical record ---
written and oral --- of Princeton tennis, and crafting an
engaging narrative of teams, players and coaches over the span of two
centuries. I have greatly enjoyed collaborating with Rob on our book
project, and I know that I am speaking for hundreds of Princeton tennis
alums and my fellow Princeton coaches in expressing our appreciation of
his thoughtful and colorful renderings of their experiences and
insights.”
--David Benjamin,
long-time Director of Racquet Sports at Princeton University and
Executive Director of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
"I have known Rob for at least 30 years and
have known of him for even longer. Rob was a standout squash
professional but his greatest contribution to the sport has been his
ability to document various aspects of the game through his magical
writings. Rob will go down in squash history as one of our great
contributors.”
--Paul Assaiante, Head
Coach of Trinity College’s 17-time national champion men’s squash team
"Dinerman's insightful chronicle and
commentary brought back many memories from my own prep-school
experience. This is a must-read for anyone interested in getting a
better understanding of prep-school life in our era, as well as
today."
--Bob Fisher, former
Chair and CEO of GAP Inc., commenting on Chasing The Lion
Rob Dinerman has been devoted to playing
and writing about squash for nearly 50 years. His writings on private
school and college squash are unique, inspirational and informative. I
can attest to his thoroughness and work ethic. Rob and I talked every
day for nine months until we completed the book on Brunswick squash. In
fact, we often talked four or five times per day to make sure the facts
were accurate.
Rob is a brilliant squash historian. The
integrity of Rob’s work is illuminated on every page of the History of
Brunswick Squash. Whenever I was in doubt about the choice of a word or
the structure of a sentence or the placement of a picture, I would turn
to Rob for edification. Working with Rob can be summed up in two words:
“He cares.” With patience, good humor, humility and honesty, Rob did
extensive research to write a narrative that is accurate and exciting
to read.
--Jim
Stephens, 2014 U. S. Squash nominee for USOC National Coach of the Year
and Head Coach of the Brunswick School team that won the U. S. National
High School Championship a record five times
"It is hard to find the right words to
comment on this book, but I will try with one -- WOW! You have a way
with words that brought me back to those moments from 7,8 years ago, as
if they were happening this very second. As I read, I find myself
wishing that I could be 18 years old again and playing those Ivy league
matches. The excitement and potential of my first year on the team -
2012-2013 - is really captured in your words. I forgot about how
exciting it was for Siow to clinch that match against Brown, and of
course, the devastation from the final loss to Columbia. If only
we could have won that match, with Harvard losing to Dartmouth, it
would have been so sweet to have shared the Ivy title. Rob, this is
such an incredible book, and I am so grateful to you for the time,
effort, blood, sweat and tears you poured into it. I am so happy for
you and the Princeton tennis family!"
--Jonathan
Carcione, 2017 winner of the George Myers Church Trophy as the player
who 'has done the most to advance the interests of tennis at Princeton'
and the David A Benjamin Academic and Athletic Achievement Award
"It was a pleasure working with Rob to
produce A History of Princeton Squash. It was a challenging assignment,
involving a century of historical research, along with hundreds of
interviews with players and coaches and opponents. The result was a
factually precise, entertaining story of the efforts and achievements
of the individuals involved, as well as the evolution of the team and
the sport. I can't say enough about Rob's talents as a sports writer.
He is thorough, meticulous, and driven to get the facts and figures
right. In addition, he is a pleasure to work with - driven, efficient,
collaborative, meeting his deadlines - a true partner in the project
management of producing a book."
--Wistar Wood, co-president of Friends of Princeton Squash
"Hi Rob- I am down in Florida with my dad and yesterday he gave me the best Christmas gift I ever could have asked for- A History of Princeton Squash!
"I am absolutely loving it (neither of us
can put it down!) and simply astounded at the level of care and detail
you put into it. I can't think of anyone else who would be better fit
to the task of writing such a fascinating tome, and I'm so grateful
that you took such a monumental task upon yourself, because without
you, I don't think anyone would have done it or at least done nearly as
thorough a job as you did. "I mostly am writing to say not only 'job
well done' but also thank you from the bottom of my heart for capturing
so many important memories so beautifully and doing so much research to
educate me of all the details of the many classes prior to my time.
"This book will sit on my coffee table for many years to come!"
--Clay Blackiston, Member of Princeton’s National-Championship 2012 Squash Team
"A History of Harvard SquashDuring The Mike Way Coaching Era
was an amazing mix of learning new stories about the players who
preceded me and feeling nostalgia for all of the moments of my Harvard
Squash experience that I had forgotten. The way you were able to
capture not only the results, but also the emotional and narrative arcs
of each season, was truly incredible. Every word describing my years
rang true, describing the mental state of the team with uncanny
accuracy as if you were in the pre-match chats and locker room with us.
"Just as Coach Way always focuses on taking
care of the “little-little” things, the “little-little” details you
captured are what make this book special: the individual points and
calls that turn a match, team result and then the arc of a season, the
specific words used in a Mike Way mental session and so much more. I am
so grateful that all of these details and stories have been preserved
not only for my own and my teammates’ memories, but for anyone who
wants a definitive look into how the coaches and players made the last
10 years of Harvard Squash so special, as well as the broader mood and
spirit of this era of college squash."
--Sam Scherl, Harvard Class of ’22 and Captain of Harvard’s 2021-22 National Championship Men’s Team
"Rob, all of us appreciate the tremendous
effort it took to produce a document that will be shared with
generations of Princetonians to come. And the best part is, you did it
all with a big smile.Thankful for your passion and energy to put it all
together.Your zest for Princeton tennis has resonated with us all.
Thank you once again. You da man! Go Tigers!"
--Matija Pecotic, Princeton Class of 2013 and recipient all four years
of Princeton men's tennis's Leon Lapidus Memorial Award, given annually
"to that member of the Princeton's men's varsity tennis team who has
achieved the highest degree of excellence and demonstrated the greatest
amount of dedication throughout the entire season."
"I have known Rob Dinerman now for almost
15 years. Since I moved from London, England, in September 2001 my
Squash journey in America has covered pretty much every facet of the
game and I can honestly say Rob Dinerman is ubiquitous!! "Whether I was competing as a singles
player on the PSA pro tour, a doubles player on the SDA pro tour, or
coaching Juniors and Adults of all levels, or working with the Hackley
Girls Varsity Team or as National Coach in charge of the US Women’s and
Men’s Team, Rob has always been there in search of the story. Always
demanding facts and detailed recall of matches and situations that only
someone of journalistic mind would ask for.
"His love of the game is second to none. I
had the immense pleasure of playing alongside Rob at the Briggs Cup to
witness this first hand – not only from his preparation and approach to
our matches but also to his unique ability to remember, in a computer
like fashion, every single point and shot from those matches that, to
me, were often a flurry of rallies in the blur of competition.
"If I want to find out a fact from the
history of Squash, whether about a player, a match or some obscure
stat, Rob is the Wikipedia of Squash and the first person I would call
on.
"With that said, I can think of no one
better to compile this mouthwatering anthology that spans decades, is
full of legends from different eras, crosses the divide of hardball to
softball and catalogues some stories that may have otherwise been
forgotten in the depth of history.
"I think anyone who has ever crossed their
palm with a squash racket of some kind in the last 40 years (whether it
be wood, graphite or carbon fiber) will feel some nostalgia as they
travel through the pages of this collection of stories. They have been
written with a passion that will intoxicate the reader and perhaps give
them a glimpse into the soul of Rob Dinerman which is spread through
the pages of this book as it is on the Squash courts of America."
--Chris Walker, Singles World #4, Doubles World #1, 4 x World Team Champion, US Men’s National Coach 2005-2013
Rob,
I just wanted to congratulate you on what a superb book Brothers & Champions is. I enjoyed every moment of it as I just finished reading it. Thanks again and congratulations.
-- Michael Pierce, U. S. Squash Hall of Fame Inductee and a three-time
World Doubles and three-time North American Open Doubles Champion
