The National Interscholastic Team Squash Championships returns for its second edition this weekend, January 29-30, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center, and welcomes two new high school programs from North Atlanta and Houston as a part of the event’s innovative format.
Follow results and live streaming throughout the weekend on the National Interscholastics tournament page and daily Youtube playlists below:
The inaugural Interscholastics, held in 2020, focused on creating competitive opportunities for programs with junior varsity, B or C teams. The 2022 event will expanded on this model by offering players who may not have enough players at their own school, or limited competitive outlets in their area, to form a team with players from other schools. Squash continues to rapidly develop outside of its tradition geographic homes, and these emerging areas—as well as new teams in major squash regions—are interested in participating in a national team event. However, many do not have enough players from the same school to form a team, and they may not have other school teams to compete against.
The Interscholastics will provide competitive opportunities for these players and teams to assist in their development and sustainability in the sport. New programs from Houston and North Atlanta have formed to compete on the national stage this weekend for the first time.
“We’re so excited to be here at this amazing facility and to be together as a team,” said Alireza Sanaei, North Atlanta Schools coach. “It’s been a team effort all around, from the parents and volunteers who helped organize this trip, to the kids committing to each other as teammates. Many of these kids have played in US Squash tournaments before, but this will be the first time any of them have competed on a team. So it’s been special to have team training sessions over the past two months preparing for this event and building our team spirit and camaraderie. Our squash community has been invigorated by this new initiative and opportunity from US Squash and know that it will help the future leaders of Georgia squash on this team. We can’t wait to get on court and have fun this weekend.”