Dear Friend of Squash,
From youth, junior, scholastic and Team USA programming to coach certification, community squash, the launch of the U.S. Squash Foundation and expansion of core growth initiatives, last year was a breakout year for US Squash. If you missed the summary, check it out here.
This year, however, has paid off dividends from a decade of work, including onboarding Octagon sports marketing agency to represent our top athletes and US Squash in the sponsorship and media marketplace, the debut of both an indoor and outdoor modular squash court and the spinout of the Club Locker software for accelerated growth as it expands its role as the digital foundation connecting and supporting various racquet sports.
Our top juniors continued to ascend world rankings, with the boys’ and girls’ World Junior teams placing second and third in the world respectively, and Team USA professionals earned career-high rankings. This year also saw the launch of the national High Performance Pathway to continue this momentum alongside the thriving college squash scene. The U.S. Junior Open just wrapped with 45 countries represented, demonstrating the U.S. is the future of squash as we look ahead toward LA28 and beyond.
Why such progress? Because we’ve invested in our future. We expanded the player pipeline; developed a culture of excellence with No. 2 ranked teams and Top 10 players; led the world to parity for women at the U.S. Open a decade ago and this year offered the largest purse ever; built a national center to anchor our sport; built best-in-class software to support clubs, coaches, competition and families; drove court infrastructure innovation to scale the sport; established the U.S. Squash Foundation for longterm sustainability; facilitated the Olympic inclusion push on home soil and are leveraging this opportunity through sponsorship marketing to build awareness and drive growth.
This coming year will see a passing of the leadership torch at US Squash after 21 years. A new CEO will be announced in early January to start February 1. I will stay in the role through the end of January to help ensure a smooth transition. My New Year’s wish for the squash community is for a happy and healthy one with family and friends, and for all of us to continue investing in our shared future: one that continues to expand the reach of the sport for the benefit of all. In the meantime, see you on the court!
Warm regards,
Kevin D. Klipstein
President & CEO
