Each year, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) recognizes squash coaches at all levels for contributions to the sport. Three U.S. SQUASH coaches were awarded Coach of the Year honors for 2008: Adam Hamill (National Coach of the Year), Cameron Hopkins (Developmental Coach of the Year), and Maureen Burke (Volunteer Coach of the Year).
Hamill, the assistant squash professional at the Germantown Cricket Club in Pennsylvania, personally coached all four of the players who competed on the 2008 U.S. Junior Men’s Team that finished in tenth place, three places higher than 2006. Hamill also served as a coach to the U.S. Junior Team that competed at the 2008 Ontario-American Challenge.
Hopkins is in his second year as coach of the Irish Road Squash Club (Conestoga Public High School) in
Berwyn, PA. Because of Coach Hopkins’ dedication to the sport and his belief in the collateral benefits of playing a team sport in a public school setting, he has essentially developed three new squash teams (Boys Varsity, Boys Junior Varsity and Girls Varsity) at Conestoga.
Burke has been Squash Haven’s (an urban squash and education program based in New Haven, CT) most reliable and enthusiastic volunteer. She travels with the team, coaches at tournaments, and helps run practices. Burke has made it possible for Squash Haven students to grow their love of squash, especially when it comes to the competitive aspects of the sport.
