By Jennifer Gabler
Jeanne Blasberg
Jeanne Blasberg, who recently finished her term as the first woman Board Chair of US SQUASH, came to the game relatively late in life and blossomed as a player in her mid-thirties. She has focused her leadership on making sure that U.S. SQUASH is “owned” by the 12,000 squash players at all levels; that club players, as well as elite players, get the focus of the organization. She has been instrumental in ushering U.S. SQUASH through a period of great change and is a great supporter of women in the sport. And, if you are ever passing by Rhode Island in the summer and need a game, she is the one to call.
Jeanne is a great sportswoman. She played tennis as a junior, captained the varsity field hockey team and played varsity lacrosse at Smith. Encouraged by a squash player in her dorm, she learned to play squash in a physical education class during her sophomore year. She decided to try out for the team during her senior year, made the team and played at the Collegiate Howe Cup for Smith. Jeanne met her husband, John Blasberg, an Amherst squash player, in college. Their time spent together early on was, and continues to be, “squash and dinner” dates. Her three children have also taken up the game and play both singles and doubles.
In 1990, right after they were married, Jeanne and John moved to Cincinnati where they knew no one. However, they were both soon completely absorbed into that city’s squash community. After having her third child, Jeanne stopped working and stayed home with the children while John was in a very intense period of his career. As with many other adult women playing squash, squash filled a void when Jeanne stopped working. She says, “The best thing I ever did was to keep my babysitter coming several evenings a week so I could get out and play squash, hang out at our club and see my friends.” When they had moved to Boston, she added a routine of lessons with the pro at the Harvard Club, Sharon Bradey. Her game significantly improved and she began playing in A-level draws.
Jeanne is also fortunate to be able to include squash in her summer vacations. She is very grateful that her father built a squash court at their summer home in Watch Hill (RI). He built the court in the hope of drawing his squash playing family together more often. They have created a community of friends, hosted pros (including Sara Fitz-Gerald), play regularly together as a family and host an annual Thanksgiving tournament. The court has become part of the “glue” of the Blasberg family.
Jeanne began her squash leadership career by running the women’s leagues in Boston for the Massachusetts Squash Racquets Association (MSRA) in 1997. She also joined the MSRA board and became its president, focusing on building the membership, starting summer leagues and building up the women’s leagues and junior tournaments. In 2003, the MSRA was involved in the US Open which was held in Boston that year. During the event, Jeanne met many of the U.S. SQUASH Racquets Association (USSRA) board members and was asked to join the search for a new CEO. Shortly after, she was asked to join the board as Treasurer, the timing of which paralleled an effort to modernize the management structure, in order to increase the accountability, transparency and effectiveness of the organization. U.S. SQUASH wanted to move away from what had always been a large operational board of 36, relying on volunteers to run the events and programs toward a new structure with a professional staff running the operations receiving strategic guidance from a board of 10 people.
In 2006, she was asked to be Board Chair. She felt honored and a great sense of responsibility to bring a new perspective of women’s leadership to the 105-year-old organization. During her three year leadership, a “new era” was ushered in which included moving the organization’s headquarters to New York City, establishing new branding as “U.S. SQUASH,” focusing on strategic planning, making a technology transition including bringing a new website online and developing partnerships with the New England Interscholastic Squash Association and the College Squash Association. There was a new feel to the organization, and Jeanne, along with the rest of the board, felt a great sense of pride ushering the organization through this time of great change. Jeanne really enjoyed working with Kevin Klipstein, communicating frequently and meshing in complimentary ways. Evidence of the success of this “new era” is that U.S. SQUASH membership revenue increased by 66% during Jeanne’s tenure as Board Chair. As she ends her term, Jeanne feels confident she is leaving U.S. SQUASH in a strong position and feels proud to have been part of its leadership.
Jeanne is now considering what other areas she should spend her energy on. Of course she’ll still be playing squash; you’ll see her at Masters, Skill Levels and Howe Cup. She’ll also be continuing to chair the Women’s Committee for U.S. SQUASH, which is focused on attracting and keeping women involved in the game at all levels. And she’ll continue her support of SquashBusters, the Boston and flagship NUSEA program. In addition, she also has a passion for writing and still has a full-time job as a mother to three busy teenagers.
Jeanne has embraced the sport of squash and loves introducing new people to the game. She has also been instrumental in encouraging women to continue to play after college, telling new graduates, “Remember, when the complexities of being an adult start coming at you, keep your squash flame at least flickering through those tough years. I would argue that if you can do that, this game will only get better for you. Don’t think that you are close to the peak of your squash careers in college, nothing could be further from the truth.” Jeanne Blasberg’s own squash career is an excellent example of this, and her drive and determination on the squash court has been mirrored in the leadership she has brought to US SQUASH.
