Squash Foes Freaked Out As Girl Invades 'B' League

In last Wednesday's intramural "B" team squash match between Dunster and Eliot. Danster's Janet Edwards beat her Eliot opponent, 3-0. "I felt sorry for him, but I was in a hurry," she said.

Dunster is on its way to the "B" league championship, and Edwards' contribution against Eliot brought her individual season record to 7-2. All of her other wins have come from forfeits. "I guess they must have been afraid of me," she said.

But being the only woman in the previously all male intramural league has psychological disadvantages for a woman. "When I started to play against boys I was afraid they would get upset if they lost, so I had to overcome the natural inclination to let them win," she explained.

Edwards said she participates in sports mainly for the enjoyment she gets from exercise. A basketball and volleyball player in high school, she found those sports too competitive at Radcliffe, and turned to squash because it is more individual and allows her to play as much or as little as she wants.

According to Dunster athletic secretary Ken Bollin, Edwards is better than half the squash players in the House. But teammate Mark Kaplan said that while she had improved incredibly in the past month, her effectiveness is still based on the fact that she "really freaks them out."

This attitude disturbs Edwards. "I think that there shouldn't be any social mores against women participating in a sport like squash. Most people who watch me play consider me some kind of freak," she said.

Last Fall Edwards entered the intramural cross country race in another effort to break the prejudice against women in intramural sports. Since the Athletic Department had barred women from entering, her participation was unofficial.