It's A Small World:

The college squash season may be over, but its golden age is just dawning.

For that, we can thank the world.

The individual national championships held at Barnaby Courts this past weekend revealed the rich diversity of players, coaches, and fans that are involved with squash. For a sport that often conjures images of elitism and homogeneity, nothing could be farther from the truth.

This year's top players hailed from such places as India, Botswana, Israel, England, Bermuda, and South Africa. They chose to attend American universities so they could receive a high-quality education, and in return, they are increasing the level of education that everyone around them receives.

Let's look at the events that transpired at one o'clock this past Sunday: Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa announces to a packed gallery that he is pleased to introduce this year's national finalists. First, he introduces Lefika Ragontse of Trinity, a native of Botswana who has wowed the crowd all weekend with his lightning speed and electric personality.

"For those of you who have seen Lefika play, I am sure that you are pleased to see him in the finals," Bajwa said to the acquiescent crowd.

Indeed, we have all learned something by watching him play with grace and levity, by watching him stick out his tongue in mock disbelief and give a thumbs-up to his opponent for hitting a nice drop shot. We have all realized that winning is important, but that playing the game and having fun are paramount.

Next, Mr. Bajwa introduces Princeton's David Yik, a British Columbia native who will try to follow in his brother Peter's footsteps by winning a national title.

But the match can't start without officials, and since there are no professional paid judges for collegiate squash events, Harvard's Shondip Ghosh and Williams' Zafrir Levy will do the honors. This will be a physical contest with lots of bumps and bruises, and the judges will have difficult decisions to make. But the Indian Ghosh and Israeli Levy, who compete for rival schools, will nevertheless call a fair match.

Yik went on to beat Lefika in four games, but by now the moral of the story should be clear. Beyond being immensely entertaining, college squash teaches valuable lessons about cooperation and unity, respect and class.

Rivals join forces to officiate their teammates' matches. With every reason not to be friends, including different national identities and different university affiliations, players overcome artificial boundaries that seem so insurmountable in other walks of life. Barnaby Courts or Yale's Brady Center are places for everyone.

In addition to cooperation, players and fans benefit from the diversity of experiences and attitudes that players draw upon. Lefika, having played two years on the pro tour, brings a calm exuberance, a relaxed enthusiasm that conveys an important message: win or lose, everything is going to be OK.

If Lefika is the innocent prankster on the court, Harvard co-captain Deepak Abraham is the consummate professional. He is stoic and focused, and he is determined to make every shot count. He's also got a lot to teach his fellow opponents because he too has played throughout the world and knows what it means to excel.

Players in every sport deliver stock phrases about respecting their opponents and valuing their competition. But when squash players from various teams and countries sit next to each other and compare cuts on their legs, when they joke with each other and when they exhibit camaraderie off the court, you really get the feeling that they mean it.

Harvard sophomore Dylan Patterson put things in perspective soon after losing a marathon match on Saturday to his teammate, Abraham.

"If there is anyone I would have liked to lose to, it would have been Deepak," Patterson said. "[He] is a great captain and plays with a lot of class."

In a narrow sense, this was the ultimate tribute to a respected teammate. In a broader sense, however, this was a summation of everything that is wholesome about today's college squash tour.

Players respect each other and genuinely get along. They interact well with opposing coaches and they value the family-like atmosphere that has come to characterize the ever-expanding circuit.

Praise for the internationalization of American collegiate squash should not be construed as a criticism of the homegrown talent. If anything, the cooperation and camaraderie among all players, foreign or domestic, is truly remarkable.

The college experience is often perceived as a time to branch out, experience new walks of life and learn how things are done in other parts of the world.

All this and more routinely happens at college squash tournaments and this should give us hope that it can happen in other domains as well.