An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking in an indoor gym in front of a set of bleachers. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a white head band, orange shirt, black shorts, and blue shoes.

Nykeem says HEY GANG,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN
SPORTS AND SCIENCE
IS BUILT WITH FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem sits on the bleachers in the gym and says MY NAME IS NYKEEM,
AND TODAY WE'RE PLAYING
WHAT SOME CALL,
THE HEALTHIEST
GAME IN THE WORLD.
IT'S CALLED SQUASH,
BUT THERE ARE NO
VEGGIES INVOLVED.
JUST A RACKET,
A BALL, AND A COURT.

Nykeem catches a racket and a ball and walks onto the court.

(music plays)
(Fanfare)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Squash."

Nykeem stands on the squash court and a caption reads "Whiteoaks Club, Niagara Falls, Ontario."

Nykeem says SQUASH IS SURVIVAL
OF THE QUICKEST,
IT'S YOU VERSUS
AN OPPONENT,
AND THE FIRST
TO 11 WINS.
TO TAKE THE GOLD,
YOUR SHOTS NEED TO BE
DOWNRIGHT SCIENTIFIC.
ISN'T THAT RIGHT DOC?

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair and wears gray shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

In the Sports Lab, Dr. Heather says RIGHT, NYKEEM.
REACTION TIMES IN
SQUASH ARE MUCH QUICKER
THAN THEY ARE IN OTHER
RACKET SPORTS, LIKE TENNIS.
YOU'LL NEED AGILITY
AND SPEED
TO KEEP FROM GETTING
SQUASHED ON THE COURT.

Back on the squash court, Nykeem says RACKETS UP, PEOPLE.
SPORTS LAB IS
WORKING THE ANGLES.

Noah appears on screen with a caption that reads "Noah." Noah has short, straight, side-parted brown hair and wears a beige T-shirt.

Noah says HI, I'M NOAH.
I'M 11 YEARS OLD
AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING
SQUASH FOR FOUR YEARS.

Clips of Noah playing Squash appear on screen.

Noah says I FIRST PLAYED SQUASH
AT SUMMER CAMP,
AND I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH
I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR YEARS.
I LOVE SQUASH BECAUSE
IT'S INCREDIBLE EXERCISE
AND IT'S A GREAT
WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS.

Nykeem walks up to Noah on the squash court.

Nykeem says HEY NOAH,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

Noah says HEY NYKEEM.

Nykeem says OKAY, I HAVE A FEW
SQUASH QUESTIONS FOR YOU.

Noah says YEAH, SURE.

Nykeem says THE FIRST TO 11 WINS,
BUT HOW DO YOU SCORE A POINT?

Noah says YOU SCORE A POINT
BY FORCING THE OTHER PLAYER
TO HIT IT OUT,
OR BY DOING
A GOOD ENOUGH SHOT,
SO HE HAS TO
RUN VERY FAR.
IF HE HITS IT OFF OF TWO
BOUNCES, IT'S YOUR POINT.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE BOUNCE
TO GET TO THE BALL IN SQUASH.

Nykeem says HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO PLAY
IN SUCH A SMALL COURT
WITHOUT BUMPING INTO
THE OTHER PLAYER?

Noah says WELL, IN SQUASH YOU'VE
GOT TO HAVE AGILITY,
YOU'VE GOT TO BE FAST,
AND YOU'VE GOT TO
BE VERY FLEXIBLE,
OR YOU WON'T HAVE GOOD
MOVEMENT AROUND THE COURT.

Nykeem says IS THAT WHY SQUASH
IS SUCH GOOD EXERCISE?

Noah says YEAH, SQUASH,
YOU MOVE BACK AND FORTH,
BACK AND FORTH,
NON-STOP, IT'S CRAZY.
YOU KEEP MOVING AND YOU
GET FASTER AND FASTER,
IT'S SUCH A GOOD EXERCISE.

Nykeem says THAT SOUNDS AWESOME NOAH.
NOW, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN
SOME MORE ABOUT THIS GREAT GAME?

Noah says YEAH, I'D LOVE TO.

Nykeem says WELL, LET'S BOUNCE INTO
THE STORY OF SQUASH.
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Squash."

Nykeem says SQUASH ORIGINATED IN ENGLAND
FROM A BRITISH GAME
CALLED RACQUETS.
RACQUETS WAS PLAYED IN
18TH CENTURY BRITISH PRISONS,
AGAINST THE WALL
IN THE PRISON YARD.
MODERN SQUASH WAS
INVENTED AROUND 1830,
IN A BRITISH BOARDING
SCHOOL CALLED HARROW,
LOCATED IN LONDON.
THE FIRST SQUASH COURTS
WERE CRAMPED,
WITH LOW HANGING WATER PIPES,
AND LEDGES THAT COULD
BE FALLEN OFF OF.
MAKE YOU EXTRA THANKFUL
FOR TODAY'S COURTS.
STUDENTS DISCOVERED
THAT WHEN THEY USE A NATURAL
RUBBER BALL IT WOULD,
YOU GUESSED IT,
SQUASH AGAINST THE WALL.

Back on the squash court, Nykeem says OKAY NOAH,
YOU GOT A RACKET?

Noah says YEAH.

Nykeem says GOOD, CAUSE
I GOT A BALL.
NOW LET'S PLAY
SOME SQUASH.

Noah says YEAH.

Noah and Nykeem play squash with several other kids.

Nykeem says COOL SHOT.
VERY NICE.

The coach says REMEMBER WHAT
OUR TARGET IS GUYS.
HIT IT, THEN BACK
PEDAL DOWN THE SIDE.

After the game, Nykeem and Noah sit together on the bleachers.

Nykeem says YOU WEREN'T KIDDING,
THAT IS
AMAZING EXERCISE.
TELL ME, IS THERE
SOMETHING ABOUT SQUASH
YOU WOULD LIKE TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT?

Noah says YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NICK.

Nykeem says WHAT'S THE NICK?

Noah says WELL, THE NICK IS WHEN
THE WALL MEETS THE FLOOR,
WHICH IS KIND OF
LIKE AN L,
AND WHEN YOU HIT IT,
IT KILLS THE BOUNCE,
WHICH MEANS IT GOES LOWER.
SOMETIMES YOU
HIT IT JUST PERFECTLY,
IT'LL START ROLLING.

Nykeem says THAT SOUNDS PRETTY COOL.
YOU KNOW WHAT?

Nykeem looks at his phone and says LET'S PUT A CALL INTO THE LAB
AND SEE WHAT THEY THINK.
NYKEEM TO THE LAB.

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HI GUYS.
NOAH IS RIGHT,
THAT'S A COOL SHOT.
IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING
TO DO WITH ANGLES,
BUT LET'S SEE IT
IN ACTION FIRST.
HEAD BACK TO THE COURT,
SOMEONE IS WAITING TO HELP OUT.
OKAY, RACE YA.
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says LOOK OUT, POP QUIZ.
WHAT ELEMENT IN A SQUASH BALL
MAKES IT EXTRA SQUISHY?
A.) WATER
B.) JUICE,
OR C.) METAL.

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS A.
WATER.

Nykeem says EACH SQUASH BALL HAS
A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER IN IT.
AS THE WATER HEATS UP
FROM BEING HIT,
IT TURNS TO STEAM,
MAKING THE BALL SQUISHIER.

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Now Maria appears on screen with a caption that reads "Maria." Maria has short, straight black hair, wears a black head band, and wears a gray and yellow jersey.

Maria says HI, MY NAME IS MARIA,
AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING
SQUASH FOR 12 YEARS.

Clips of Maria playing squash appear on screen.

Maria says SQUASH IS A VERY POPULAR
GAME IN PAKISTAN
WHERE I GREW UP.
IT IS AN ACTIVE CHESS,
IT IS NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY TOUGH,
BUT VERY MENTALLY.
SQUASH IS PLAYED
ALL OVER THE WORLD,
AND I WANT TO BECOME
A WORLD CHAMPION.

Nykeem and Noah walk over to Maria on the court and Nykeem says HEY MARIA.

Maria says HEY NYKEEM,

Nykeem says HOW ARE YOU?

Maria says I'M GOOD,
HOW ARE YOU?

Nykeem says GOOD.
NOAH THIS IS MARIA.
OKAY MARIA,
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE
FOR YOUNG SQUASH
PLAYERS LIKE NOAH HERE?

Maria says WELL, STAY FOCUSED
AND DETERMINED,
WORK HARD,
AND WIN OR LOSE,
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT
AND LEARN FROM IT.

Nykeem says DO YOU TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD
TO PLAY TOURNAMENTS?

Maria says OH YES, I COME FROM PAKISTAN,
AND NOW I'M IN CANADA.
I PLAY TOURNAMENTS HERE,
I PLAY TOURNAMENTS IN EUROPE.
ALSO, I'VE BEEN
PLAYING ALL OVER ASIA.
TRAVELING
IS SO MUCH FUN.

Nykeem says NOAH WHY DON'T YOU TELL
MARIA WHAT WE NEED.

Noah says CAN YOU HIT A NICK FOR US?

Maria says OH YES,
THAT'S MY FAVORITE SHOT.
CAN YOU GUYS
BACK UP PLEASE?

Nykeem says SURE.

Maria says WELL, TO HIT A NICK
YOU HAVE TO AIM
THE BALL INTO THAT CORNER.
YOU HAVE TO BE
WELL PREPARED,
WRIST UP HIGH, AND-
HERE WE GO.

Maria hits the ball.

Nykeem says NOW I SEE
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
WHEN THE BALL HITS
THE NICK THERE'S NO BOUNCE.

Noah says YEAH, NO WAY YOU COULD
RETURN THAT SHOT.

Nykeem says COULD WE SEE
ANOTHER ONE?

Maria says YES, SURE.

Nykeem looks at his watch and says WOW.
DOCTOR,
WHAT DO YOU GOT?

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HEY GUYS, WHEN WATCHING
MARIA HIT THE BALL,
I DISCOVERED
SOMETHING SURPRISING.
IT TURNS OUT
A PROPER NICK SHOT,
ISN'T ABOUT THE ANGLE
THAT THE BALL IS IT,
IT'S ALL ABOUT
BALL DEFORMATION.
DEFORMATION IS WHEN
AN OBJECT IS CHANGED,
EITHER FOR A SHORT TIME
OR PERMANENTLY.
WHEN YOU BREAK A TWIG,
IT CAN'T RETURN TO
ITS ORIGINAL FORM,
BUT WHEN YOU SQUEEZE
A SQUASH BALL,
IT BOUNCES BACK
TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE.
IN THIS CASE,
DEFORMATION OCCURS
WHEN THE SQUASH BALL
COMES INTO CONTACT
WITH TWO OBJECTS
BACK TO BACK,
THE WALL
AND THE FLOOR.
AS THE BALL HITS THE WALL
IT'S DEFORMED VERTICALLY,
THAT MEANS UP AND DOWN.
AS YOU CAN SEE IT GOES
FROM ROUND, TO SQUISHED.
SINCE RUBBER IS ELASTIC,
IT BOUNCES BACK,
BUT IT'S ALREADY LOST
SOME OF IT'S SPEED.
THEN WHEN THE BALL
HITS THE FLOOR,
IT'S DEFORMED HORIZONTALLY,
THAT'S SIDE TO SIDE.
THE BALL ONCE
AGAIN BOUNCES BACK,
BUT THE TWO FORCES
WORK SO CLOSELY
THAT THE BALL LOSES
MUCH OF ITS SPEED
AND IS HARD TO HIT.
NEITHER THE ANGLE,
OR THE SPEED OF THE SHOT
ARE AS IMPORTANT AS USING
THE WALL AND FLOOR TOGETHER.
IN THE NICK OF TIME.
THE NICK IS ALL ABOUT
BALL DEFORMATION.

Back on the court, Nykeem says MARIA,
DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Maria says I DIDN'T KNOW THAT,
BUT THAT'S PRETTY COOL.

Nykeem says OKAY, NOAH ARE YOU
READY FOR A TURN?

Noah says YEAH.

Nykeem says OKAY, MARIA YOU
COME OVER HERE,
AND LET'S SEE
WHAT YOU GOT.

Noah says OKAY.

Noah gives it a shot and hits the ball.

Noah says GUYS THIS MIGHT TAKE
A COUPLE OF TRIES.
COCKED WRIST,
PREPARATION.
(CHEERING)

Noah hits the ball again.

Maria says OH! THAT'S A NICK,
GOOD JOB.
WHOO!
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says SQUASH HAS BEEN CALLED
ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST
GAMES IN THE WORLD.
THAT'S IN PART BECAUSE
PLAYERS IN SQUASH
BURN MORE CALORIES
THAN PLAYERS IN TENNIS,
SOCCER, AND BASKETBALL.
WHERE DO ALL THOSE
CALORIES COME FROM?
WELL, FROM HERE
AND HERE.

Nykeem catches an orange and a banana.

Nykeem continues A CALORIE IS A UNIT OF ENERGY
AND WE NEED THEM TO SURVIVE.
WHEN WE EXERCISE
WE USE THOSE CALORIES,
BUT NOT JUST
WHEN WE EXERCISE,
WE USE CALORIES WHEN WE WRITE,
SING, OR EVEN THINK.
HMM...
SEE?
OKAY, I'M GOING TO USE
SOME CALORIES NOW.

Back with Noah, Nykeem says OKAY NOAH, YOU'VE SHOWN
US YOUR SKILLS ALL DAY,
AND I DID LEARN
A LOT FROM YOU,
BUT HOW ABOUT
ONE MORE GAME?

Noah says YOU BET.

Nykeem says LET'S DO IT.

Nykeem and Noah put on their glasses and start playing.

Nykeem says HERE WE GO.

Noah says AH.

Nykeem says NICK!
I GOT A NICK.

Noah says YEAH.

Nykeem says GOOD JOB BUDDY.

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Maria appears on screen and says THE FAMOUS SAYING BY
THE SQUASH LEGEND HASHIM KAHN
WAS TO KEEP YOUR
EYE ON THE BALL.
IT IS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE WHEN YOU KEEP
YOUR EYE ON THE BALL,
YOU ANTICIPATE BETTER,
YOU GET TO THE BALL SOONER,
WHICH WILL GIVE YOU MORE TIME
TO HIT THE BEST POSSIBLE SHOT.
I'M MARIA,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.
ALL RIGHT GUYS KEEP PLAYING.

Nykeem appears on screen and says IT WAS A GREAT DAY IN THE LAB.
TODAY WE LEARNED THAT
THE SQUISH OF A SQUASH BALL
CAN HELP IN THE NICK OF TIME,
AND WHY SPORTS
CAN BE SO POWERFUL.
I BID YOU FAREWELL,
BUT NOT FOR LONG
BECAUSE IN THE SPORTS LAB,
IF THE GAME IS FAIR,
WE'LL BE THERE.

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.