Dear Friend of Squash,
These last few months represent the heart of the season. Just after the new year, our juniors arrived in numbers at the storied British Junior Open and made history. Eighteen quarterfinalists, a BU15 champion and BU19 finalist demonstrated that US Squash has game.
For the first time in the modern era the CSA Individual Championships were hosted in the season, and at a magnificent location: the iconic Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Terminal. The competition highlighted just how central college squash is to the sport across the country.
Junior squash this season hit participation milestones across major tournaments, including the U.S. Junior Open, Interscholastic Championships, Middle School Championships and High School Championships. The High School Girls D1 title celebrated its twentieth year and recognized Bryan Patterson for his inspirational role in starting it.
Team USA continues to inspire. Olivia Weaver recently earned a PSA Gold title at the Australia Open and Amanda Sobhy reclaimed her place in the world’s Top 10 ranked women after winning her first professional title, the German Open, since returning from a major injury. We recently announced the Player Development Pathway and National Squash Academy to spell out the opportunities for players of all ages to tap into the coaching talent in the U.S. to help them realize their full potential as athletes and strive for these goals.
People are realizing that involvement in sports fosters community and fellowship during a time when these are proving harder to find. Our recent presence at the second-ever RacquetX conference in Miami showed that there is traction to integrate racquet and paddle sports such as padel, pickleball and squash. The modular court prototype US Squash developed and debuted at RacquetX with Access Courts will help squash gain an even more solid footing in this developing sports landscape.
As the impact of squash’s inclusion in the Olympic Games takes hold, we are proud to continue earning the support of valued sponsors, including a continuing contract with Penn Medicine and the announcement of US Squash’s official school partner Aeon. This is the most visible aspect of our efforts to leverage squash’s profile; however, much more is taking place behind-the-scenes to lay the groundwork to dramatically increase awareness in the U.S. and continue making exciting developments.
It has been nothing short of a tremendous season, though we still have some highlights coming. Please join us in-person for the 2025 U.S. Women’s and S. L. Green U.S. Men’s Championships June 16 – 20 or watch online as we crown this season’s best American players and launch the Drive to LA28 Campaign on June 19. That weekend we’ll host our first-ever Super JCT, double the size of the regular tour events. While we remain committed to the belief that kids’ physical development benefits from being multi-sport athletes at least until their early teens, offering more competitive opportunities like the Super JCT signal an acknowledgement that for some, squash is a year-round pursuit.
As always, we appreciate the support of the squash community. Many recognize the impact squash has had on their life and that the sport’s growth and development depends on a healthy and thriving governing body at the center of the community to coordinate our collective efforts. If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution to continue this positive growth, please consider donating to the U.S. Squash Foundation Annual Fund here.
See you on the court,
Kevin D. Klipstein
President & CEO
