Tournament participants, including Laila Sedky (fourth from left).
In early February, Plano, TX organization Brightpath Foundations created by teen squash players Shriya and Shruti Viswanathan hosted a grassroots PSA Challenger event at Lifetime Fitness Garland to draw attention to the local squash community and prevent Lifetime Fitness’ courts from being repurposed. The event gathered publicity from the local community accompanied by a visit from Garland mayor Scott LeMay.
The Viswanathan family founded Brightpath Foundations after they noticed a lack of squash presence in their local community, first starting with creating a squash club at their local public school. When it comes to expanding squash locally, sometimes it is as easy as spreading the word. Thanks to Brightpath and Lifetime’s dedication, squash pro Gerardo de Paul Garcia was able to join the Lifetime staff as the official squash pro.
“I am incredibly proud to see this squash tournament come to life so successfully,” said de Paul Garcia. “It has raised the profile of squash in our local community and brought in talented players from around the world and I look forward to seeing even more exciting events in the future.”
The amateur tournament had more than 30 local players of varying squash ratings alongside a 16-player PSA draw with over 100 spectators. Laila Sedky secured the women’s Challenger win in just 35 minutes, continuing a strong season after participating in the Tournament of Champions just a few days prior.
“This tournament was right after the Tournament of Champions qualifier, so it was back-to-back excitement,” Sedky said. “It means so much to be able to compete against top players from around the world while in your own country at the Tournament of Champions. This was my first title on a PSA Challenger tour and I was proud to have not dropped a game. It made me feel like all of my training paid off in that moment and I enjoyed everything.”
US Squash supports grassroots programming like this through continued communication and resources. The success of Brightpath’s recent event reflects the feasibility of grassroots squash organizations to grow squash beginning at the community level and expanding outward, serving as an inspirational model for local impact.
“This was our very first small-scale experimental test run that served as an opportunity to learn and refine our approach as we grow,” said Mai Viswanathan, Shriya and Shruti’s mother. “The funds we raise go directly toward our primary mission: empowering women and girls from underprivileged backgrounds.”
