The U.S. SQUASH High School Team Championships, conceived in 2004, grew to a record 94 teams this year, making it the largest junior squash event in the world. With no individual ratings points at stake, the tournament has become one of the few national events where juniors can compete against the best competition in the country, with the focus off personal accomplishment, and on the more enjoyable team aspect of the sport. With no end to the growth of the High School Team Championships in sight, U.S. Squash introduced the Middle School Championships this season, giving younger players a taste of team competition. Add in the growing popularity of the college game, and it’s very apparent that team squash is flourishing.
Dave Talbott, the longtime Yale Squash Coach, fully understands the importance of exposing junior players to the benefits of team competition. “Athletes competing individually tend to have a myopic view of tournament competition. This is especially true on the junior squash level. With squash now becoming a year-round sport, many players and their parents are consumed by ratings and rankings,” said Talbott. “Every win and loss is calculated and deciphered, to the point that players won’t participate in some tournaments if they think the competition may be too difficult and a bad result would mean a drop in their rating. With the growing pressures to gain admission into an elite boarding school or college, the issue has become more prolific.”
Talbott sees tournaments such as the U.S. High School Team Championships as an excellent barometer for college coaches to see how a player reacts in a team dynamic. “The atmosphere of team competition is obviously healthy for the sport, and it’s a great opportunity for kids to improve their games by playing against unfamiliar opponents. A lot of these kids who don’t otherwise play team sports get a taste of what college squash is all about, so they are a bit more prepared when they move on to the university level. At Yale, we look for kids who play the best competition so they can raise their level of play. When you get to college, there isn’t an opportunity to pick and choose your opponents, so I always take the kid who has played against the toughest competition, win or lose, over someone who I see has been protecting a ranking by playing it safe. I’ve had a lot of highly ranked juniors come into the program who weren’t battle-tested, and if you’re not used to tough matches against opponents who are better than you, it’s going to be a very difficult transition”.
This year’s High School Championships saw schools from up and down the eastern seaboard descend on Yale University and Choate Rosemary Hall in southern Connecticut. Perennial powerhouses such as Penn Charter from Philadelphia and Greenwich Academy from Connecticut lined up alongside younger programs from Pingry (NJ) and Darien High School (CT).
The overflow crowds were treated to great action over the three days. With a record number of entries, the tournament was divided into 11 separate divisions, six for boys and five for girls. Five game individual matches and 4-3 team scores were the rule, rather than the exception, as teams fought to get through draws, often against squads they had never faced before.
Karen Schmidt Fellner, Head Coach at Greenwich Academy, whose Gators gained a measure of revenge by knocking off last year Girls’ Division A Champion Episcopal Academy (PA), 5-2 in the final, and a parent of a junior squash player, see’s the benefits of team competition from two perspectives. “Team play is incredibly beneficial to the individual player. When they go onto the court, they are not only playing for themselves, but playing for a squad. That means that, if you are on a team of ten, there are nine team players rooting for you through thick or thin. You know that you are doing it for not only yourself, but for the TEAM! Regardless of a win or a loss, you have their undivided support! Teammates are rooting for you, pumping you up and getting you through the match.”
“As a parent, I again prefer the team aspect”, Fellner continued. “My daughter does play individual tournaments but I feel that the team aspect is much more dynamic and fulfilling. She is more confident, happy and self assured that there is a team behind her. There is a team there to cheer, to coach and to support her every move…on and off the court.”
Talbott concurs with that sentiment, saying, “John McEnroe, one of the most gifted athletes to ever hold a racquet in his hand, will tell you that it’s his contributions to the United States Davis Cup teams, not the Wimbledon or U.S. Open titles, that he remembers most fondly.”
Penn Charter, who this year defended their Division 1 Boys’ title by steamrolling through the draw, including a convincing 5-2 victory over Brunswick in the final, is a private school in an area with a high concentration of top ranked juniors. Coach Geoff Shields, now in his 11th year at Penn Charter, says it’s a challenge every year to keep the team aspect of the sport on the top of his players minds. “The elite level players need to understand how important it is to be part of a team and that it’s something they can be proud of,” says Sheilds. With seven new courts at the Kline-Specter Arena, the players at Penn Charter know it’s their responsibility to nurture their younger teammates to keep the program strong in the years to come.
Pingry is one of the schools looking to emulate the success of Penn Charter. There was no squash at the private school in Short Hills, NJ, only six years ago. Students who played squash had to petition the school each year to be excused from participating in a winter school sport because they attended squash clinics and played in weekend tournaments. Although Pingry counted several nationally ranked juniors among its student body, squash was certainly not an integral part of the athletic department. Parents and students took matters into their own hands and a squash club was formed. With the local clubs already at capacity, the school turned to neighboring Drew University, which had two courts that saw minimal use. The program at Pingry proved so popular that it was granted Varsity status after only one season, and now five years later, they were able to finish second in the Boys’ Division 2 draw this year. With a new on-campus facility in the works, they are on track to become one of the elite scholastic squash programs in the country.
Pingry understands full well the growing pains that the new program at Darien High School is experiencing. Along with Rye High School (NY), Darien was one of only two public schools entered into the tournament. In their first year as a varsity sport, Manager Margie Hauer fielded co-ed squads at the event. Being a public school presents a challenge when it comes to scheduling as there is no public school league. While Darien is able to pick up valuable match experience against Brunswick, Rye High School and Greenwich Academy, high level opponents aren’t available on a regular basis.
The High School Nationals presents Darien with by far its most difficult competition. With only a handful of tournament tested players on their roster, junior Alex Hauer say’s it’s difficult to know what to expect. “These are the best players we face all year, and it’s tough to prepare for the unknown.” Despite that Hauer enjoys every aspect of team squash. “When you’re out there rooting for your teammate, it doesn’t matter whether you just lost to him in a ladder match at practice, he is your teammate, and you want him to win.” When facing top national competition, winning is often not the outcome right now for Darien, but that matters little to Hauer. “When playing at this level, you take something away from each match no matter what the outcome. Every loss is a win”.
2008 U.S. High School Team Championships results
Boys:
Division I: William Penn Charter (PA) def Brunswick School (CT) ,5-2
Division II: Haverford School (PA) def Pingry (NJ), 5-2
Division III: St. Lukes School (CT) def Mt Greylock Regional H.S.(MA), 4-3
Division IV: Germantown Friends School (PA) def ST Mark’s School(MA), 4-3
Division V: Brunswick School B (CT) def Harriton/Lower Merion(PA) , 4-3
Division VI: Nichols School(MA) def Portsmouth Abbey(RI), 6-1
Girls:
Division I: Greenwich Academy A (CT) def Episcopal Academy (PA), 5-2
Division II: Deerfield Academy (MA) def Milton Academy (MA), 5-2
Division III: Greenwich Academy B (CT) def Chapin School (MA), 5-2
Division IV: Taft School (CT) def Tabor Academy (MA), 4-3
Division V: Mercersburg Academy (PA) def Episcopal High School (VA), 4-3
