By Trevor McGuinness
For the past three decades, the Philadelphia Squash Racquets Association [“PSRA”] has experienced a meteoric expansion, with a particularly successful 2007 year that included the addition of new programs, growth in membership and tournaments, and construction of several new courts and facilities. The year ended on a high note with the dedication of the 50,000 square foot Lenfest Community Center that boasts eight glass backed squash courts, a full gymnasium, classrooms and tech labs that house the region’s SquashSmarts urban squash program. Executive director Steve Gregg and SquashSmart’s Board President Lisa Stokes hosted a sold-out Gala fundraiser, co-chaired by squash enthusiasts Pete and Susan Prinsen and Andy and Danna Nehrbas, that honored benefactor Chase Lenfest who directed and coordinated the efforts to build the facility. SquashSmarts will continue programs at Drexel University which recently announced plans to build two or three international courts to augment the five at the Dasalakis Center.
The Drexel planned courts were just a few of those announced in the region, with proposals for additional courts at Philadelphia Cricket Club, The Cynwyd Club, Baldwin School and the University of Pennsylvania pending, These plans continue the wave of new construction in the area. In the fall, The Episcopal Academy will dedicate 10 new singles courts as it relocates to it’s new Newtown Square campus. Episcopal plans to open the facility to the community for use and training like the newly founded Friar Club which uses the facilities at Malvern Prep. New courts opened at Philadelphia Country Club [1 single, 1 hardball doubles], Berwyn Squash & Fitness [2 singles], Wm Penn Charter School [7 singles], The Racquet Club of Philadelphia [2 renovated singles], Haverford College [6 singles] and Springside Academy [4 singles]. The largest facility in the area was the Fairmount Athletic Club [“FAC”], built by Hall-of-Famer Demer Holleran, which features 12 singles and two hardball doubles courts. The new pros who work at these clubs have added an international flair to the squash community and hail from all over the globe, including the United Kingdom [Scotland, Wales and England], Egypt, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Spain, Germany, Zimbabwe and Canada, and join US pros Amy Milanek [Berwyn], Ed Chilton [Wilmington], Robbie Whitehouse [RCOP], Dent Wilkens [FAC] and Gilly Lane [CHA/SS].
The new facilities in the area attracted many tournaments with over 20 local, regional and national events hosted by PSRA member clubs. On the club front, new shared leagues and tournaments have become popular, including Frank Reidy’s “Czar Doubles” summer league, the Philly Country/Merion Cricket Women’s Novice Doubles league, the Berwyn Junior Ivy League Challenges, and the Philly Cricket/Racquet Club Stanley Pearson Hardball Singles tournament, to name a few. On the local front, junior tournaments are hosted nearly every weekend with a wide variety of Gold, Silver and Bronze events that cater to every level of play. For the novice junior player, Bill Lane has hosted a successful beginner, intermediate and advanced junior inter-club league for more than a decade, concluding each year with a team play-off and presentation of the organization’s coveted Junior Sportsmanship Award. Adult tournaments and Member/Guest events are held on most weekends from the fall to the spring, with Merion’s annual William White/McRory Tully Invitational always opening the New Year’s events. National tournaments also are held in the region. For the first time, the Urban Nationals will be played at the Lenfest Center over the weekend of April 11-15. Returning to Philadelphia in 2008 are six US Squash Championships: the U.S. Hardball [Merion]; Junior Gold [FAC]; Junior Bronze [Berwyn]; U.S. Doubles [FAC]; and Junior Doubles [Wilmington] in the spring, and the Howe Cup at FAC in the fall.
