By Corey Modeste, MSRA League Chair
Squash has never been stronger in the New York metropolitan area. With over 2,000 current and active members, the New York Metropolitan Squash Racquets Association (MRSA, www.msra.net) is the nation’s largest regional squash association and has been dedicated to the sport since 1925. The MSRA promotes the game of squash in the Greater New York area and has a membership base covering portions of Long Island, Westchester County, northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut.
The MSRA is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization run by a nine-member Board of Governors and one Executive Director. Through the organization and sponsorship of leagues, tournaments and social events for squash players in the region, we aim to develop the game and culture of squash in the region for new and experienced players alike.
The members of the nine-person Board, led by President Andrew Linder and Vice-President Lianne Ritchie, are each heavily involved as players in the NYC area and come from a variety of competitive backgrounds. Additionally, given the size of the membership base and the complexity of running a sports and volunteer organization in New York, the MSRA is the nation’s only squash racquets association with a paid Executive Director. For the past 20 years we have been fortunate to have Kenny Scher on board as Executive Director and have benefited from his vast experience in the NYC squash scene.
The Board organizes a wide variety of activities throughout the course of the year. The tournament calendar is highlighted by three large tournaments and several smaller competitive and non-competitive events. The Season Opener in September, the Grand Open in January and the Hyder Invitational in May form the backbone of our tournament schedule. The Grand Open is held in conjunction with the Tournament of Champions in Grand Central, giving all Grand Open participants the opportunity to interact with the world’s top pros and see squash of the highest caliber. The Hyder Invitational caps the end to the season and in 2008, on the 40th anniversary of the tournament, we featured a pro draw that included top players such as John White, Shahier Razik, Julian Illingworth and Yasser el Halaby. The amateur draws for each of these tournaments fill up fast, so please check our website regularly for registration information for the 2008-2009 season.
The MSRA introduced several new initiatives this past season that will be expanded in 2008 and 2009. Board members Jessica Green and Emily Stieff have made significant strides in the development of a women’s squash program in New York consisting of tournaments, informal round robins, clinics and social events. As a result, the participation of women in tournaments more than doubled year over year. We plan on significantly expanding our women’s events in the coming season. Given the significance of NYC as a destination for college graduates entering the workforce, we will also increase our outreach to recent grads. As always, the cornerstone of our work will continue to focus on competitive leagues. Over the past year, League Chair Corey Modeste, and other Board members, took steps to increase the participation, competitiveness and efficiency of our leagues. We appreciate all member feedback and will continue to make strides in the coming season.
Whether it be at a tournament, a league match, a round-robin, a teaching clinic or a party, the MSRA looks forward to seeing you in the 2008-2009 season.
