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From July 28th to August 7th, Birmingham, England, will be the host city for the 22nd Commonwealth Games. Over 5,000 athletes will be in attendance, and for some athletes, this is the pinnacle of international athletic competition. This is the case for Hollie Naughton, the freshly crowned Canadian Women's Squash Champion.
While not a recognized Olympic sport, it's fair to say that almost everyone is familiar with this racquet game. Irrespective of this, it's a sport that has begun to permeate into the cultural zeitgeist on a level most would have never expected.
When Hollie graduated high school in 2012, she immediately jumped on a plane to Australia to begin her career on the Professional Squash Association's circuit. Coming in as the 35th ranked player at the time, she's clawed her way up as high as 16th seed this past January.
She's played all over the world, and the great thing about squash is its intimate playing venue is easily transported anywhere across the globe.
"Yeah, they can set up a glass court pretty much anywhere," Naughton chuckles, continuing to say, "I played in front of the pyramids of Giza. I played in Grand Central Station. We're going to be having a massive platinum event in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower."
The options for locations for the enclosed playing surface are endless.
While travelling the world, the game brings her immense joy. It's not exactly lucrative. She plays "for the love of the game"; however, Hollie hopes she will be clearing a path for the next generation of young women who want to pursue a professional squash career.
Like in many sports, there is a disparity in sponsorship money between male and female athletes. Naughton is expecting changes will come.
The 27-year-old notes, "the women's game is growing quite rapidly. It's reaching whole other levels that it hasn't in the past, so hopefully, along with that, companies and other sponsors will be involved with squash, and we'll see that".
The lack of financial support isn't enough to keep her from pursuing her passion. She has big expectations of herself and is solely focused on the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Hollie will be competing in women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles in Birmingham, where she'll be surrounded by many familiar faces.
This particular event will feel like it's on home soil for Naughton, whose family moved to Canada from England when she was 10. Her base is primarily in the UK throughout the season.
Hollie beams, "I've got loads of family there that will be coming over to watch. It'll be nice. I'm really excited."
The stands aren't the only place you will find Hollie's family. Her aunt will be one of the referees during the games, but she quickly points out, "not my matches, but she'll be there."
It means a lot to the Oakville Trafalgar grad, "I want to do well there. I want to try and medal, to have those family members in the crowd. To have those familiar voices there, I mean, it'll be great to help achieve that."
She's no stranger to the podium when it comes to international play, having won a Silver at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto, and two bronze medals and a silver at the 2019 Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru.
At the beginning of June, she was crowned champion at the Canadian Championships, where Hollie won the Open Women's Division.
After the Commonwealth Games, Hollie will be back on the professional tour. This season she has her sights set on reaching the top 10 and winning a few major titles.
While the first half of the year was a bit disappointing for Naughton, she seems to be rounding into form at just the right time to start the season with a bang, but first Birmingham.
You can tune in to watch the Commonwealth Games from home on the DAZN app. Women's singles begin to play on July 29th, mixed doubles start on the August 3rd, and women's doubles are on the 4th.