BERMUDA?S number one squash player, Nick Kyme, flies out next week to compete in a series of tournaments from Canada to the United States and then Malaysia to get ready for, first, the Commonwealth Games in Australia in March and then the Bermuda Masters tournament featuring the best in the world in April.

Kyme, who turned 25-years-old yesterday, said: ?I did a similar tour last year. On Tuesday I fly out to Vancouver and then on January 16th I go to play in Calgary and on the 23rd I play in a tournament in Dayton, Ohio and then it is back to Canada on the 30th for a tournament in Winnipeg.?

He returns to Bermuda in early February to defend his title in the National Championships ? a title he has won for the last couple of years. ?Then I fly to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for a big tournament there and then it is back to Bermuda before flying out with the team to Melbourne, Australia for the Commonwealth Games. After that it is back to Bermuda for the (Virtual Spectator) Bermuda Masters.?

Right now the Bermuda pro is ranked 74th in the world but he wants to get into the top 50 by the summer. The Bermuda Masters will be his toughest tournament since it has the best players in the world competing for the top prize.

Last year in the first round he was picked to play the mighty Thierry Lincou, the world champion and world number one. He went down 11-3, 11-7, 13-11 in 35 minutes but he could be proud of the way he played and conducted himself.

Before the Masters he spent a month in training but this year he will be competing with top players at the Commonwealth Games.

?There is no doubt that will be a lot better preparation,? said Kyme this week. ?It is real match preparation instead of just training.?

This will be his third Commonwealth Games having competed previously in Manchester, England and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

?There are always some of the top players in the world at the Commonwealth Games so it is going to be very tough ? but I am certainly looking forward to it. I have never competed in Australia but the Aussies are very into squash ? and sport as a whole.?

While he will be playing singles at the Games in Melbourne, Kyme will also team up with James Stout to represent Bermuda in the doubles. The two won the gold medal last summer at the Island Games in Shetland.

In preparation for the tournaments he will be playing in over the next few months, Kyle has been in the gym and also playing training matches. ?I have tried to play a lot before the holidays here but there are only a few people I can hit with ? Ross Triffitt and (pro) Patrick Foster. I really need to be playing and training with world class players. There is a big difference. The pace is so much faster and crisper and the weight of the ball is much heavier.

?I have been going to the gym every day and in the summer I do go running. I do a lot of cross training. I do some heavier weights in the off season and during the season, like right now, I do more toning and maintaining the strength I developed over the summer. I don?t want to bulk up.?

Although he receives no money from Government to fly off and compete around the world, Kyme does have a couple of local sponsors and his equipment is sponsored by Dunlop.

Of last year?s Bermuda Masters when he played Lincou, he said: ?It was brilliant. It is not every day that 600 people come down and cheer you on. It was unbelievable. It is something I am very lucky to have here.?

The young pro is also looking forward to the Commonwealth Games for another reason ? being around athletes who are not squash players.

?It is a lot of fun because you get to see other sports and cheer on your (Bermuda) teammates. Usually all I see are other squash players. Many people don?t understand why I don?t like watching squash but that is all I see and do. Also in Australia I will be around other Bermudians ? on the tour I am the only Bermudian.?

Kyme does expect to see more local youngsters come to the forefront of the game soon. ?There is a big group of 12 and 13 year olds who are playing very well now ? there are about eight of them and they are looking pretty good. And because there is a bunch of them they will be pushing each other on. When I was coming up I didn?t have that ? I was by myself most of the time. Our future looks good with that group. It is just a matter of trying to keep them interested ? especially when they get 16 years old and get their bike and discover girls. They do look up to me and are constantly nagging me but it does make me feel nice ? they are a good bunch of kids.?