By Kevin Klipstein
By coincidence, two pieces from my past appear in this issue: Rochester, NY, and the boom in middle and high school squash. The cover photo says it all: High school squash has finally arrived in the United States. An update on the happenings in Rochester Squash is also in this issue as part of our ongoing series of District Association profiles.
Getting Started
In 1984, as a sophomore in high school, with the encouragement of Fred Weymuller and the Rochester chapter of U.S. SQUASH, I helped found a four team high school league. Each team had a roster of six players and we secured time at private clubs, declaring them our “home” courts. Teams played each other twice (“home” and “away”) and the winners were awarded trophies at the end of season dinner the association hosted (for you Rochestarians—yes, of course Sutherland won). We pulled in tennis players and other athletes onto the team, many of whom still play to this day. The league continued successfully into the next season, but ultimately wound down a year or two later as the initial participants moved on to college, teaching me the importance of an explicit succession plan!
You may not know that Fred Weymuller was also the one who, while on the U.S. SQUASH Junior Committee in the late 1990’s, proposed the “Future Stars” structure, to provide meaningful competition to more junior players. This has further evolved into our Silver and Bronze structure, which accommodates more juniors, in more tournaments than at any time in U.S. SQUASH history. With similar vision, Fred knew two things: That providing a younger and broader audience access to squash was the healthiest way to grow participation on a sustained basis, and that linking the sport to the same passions and rivalries that drive college basketball’s March Madness would ignite great interest. If the U.S. SQUASH support available now was in place then, Rochester high school squash might still be thriving.
A Plan and The Resources
There are a few things that make me incredibly optimistic about the direction junior squash is headed. As part of U.S. SQUASH’s three year strategic plan, we will develop and promote program templates for both middle and secondary schools, while seeding new middle and high school leagues with targeted and specific grants. We will continue to serve as a resource to coordinate regional high school leagues, providing support and infrastructure services in exchange for membership, similar to what we have already done with the New England Interscholastic Squash and College Squash Associations.
In addition, key elements of our strategy include actively seeding community programs, fostering collaboration between clubs and high schools, and coordinating our efforts with the urban squash and education movement. The U.S. SQUASH Junior Development Endowment Fund distributes the majority of the income to programs providing squash instruction to junior players in a structured manner, with the primary goal of providing affordable access to squash for those who wish to learn. Programs and new leagues may apply for grants on a rolling basis, and information on the process may be found in the Junior Squash section of our website.
Help Wanted!
As evidenced by the cover caption, we are off to a great start, but your continued support is needed. Please contact your district association or U.S. SQUASH directly to volunteer. Support doesn’t need to be financial, but instead can be your time helping run a tournament desk, or coordinating a league team. If you have children who play squash and attend a middle or high school with no squash program, you can get involved. Coordinate a team informally using a local club. Schedule some matches with school programs in your area. Apply for a U.S. SQUASH Junior Development Endowment Fund grant to help pay a local teaching professional to coach the team and coordinate a league and playoffs. Host a fundraiser to send the winning team to the U.S. High School Team Championships in 2009, sure to be the biggest ever.
With your help, we can create our own version of March Madness.
