February is Black History Month in the United States–a month honoring the achievements, culture and history of Black people and the African diaspora. US Squash and the College Squash Association are celebrating by sharing stories and profiles of squash players and coaches in the U.S. squash community who have created a legacy and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.
At twenty-six years old, Makyla Kelley has already blazed her own trail in squash. The Chicago native picked up the sport as a middle schooler in the MetroSquash program, where she fell in love with the game and developed into a college-caliber player for St. Lawrence. Kelley, a Sociology major and Sports Studies & Exercise Science and Art/Art History minor, captained the Saints squad for two years, played in the top three and earned Rookie of the Year, All Liberty League, Liberty League Honor Roll and CSA Scholar-Athlete honors.
For the last four years, Kelley has served as the first Director of Squash at First State Squash–Wilmington, Delaware’s Squash and Education Alliance program founded in 2016–where she works with nearly 100 kids.
Kelley spoke with US Squash about her journey from student to coach, the importance of Black History Month and setting the example for her students.
When did you first learn about squash?
I was introduced to the sport in 2010. My middle school was partnering with Metro Squash and had a field trip opportunity for everyone to go to in downtown Chicago [at the U.S. Open in Millenium Park]. I just wanted to miss school, who doesn’t want to miss school and then go on a field trip? We went to the venue and they had a glass squash court outside. One of the players was Jonathon Power. I was like ‘I am so sold’.
I tried out my first year and didn’t make the team, but did the following year. As I grew through the sport, I had hand-eye coordination because of basketball and the fitness was there. But I wondered if there was a different level of squash. Is it professional? Is there a higher level? I didn’t see it at the beginning until I had my first female coach, Emma Charlton. She impacted me a lot in squash because she’s an amazing player. She was the first person that helped me get to know the sport and to build courage in myself in the sport. She was basically my mentor the whole time and took me everywhere with her.
What were your early years like at MetroSquash and how did it influence you?
I went to Cartagena, Colombia with MetroSquash and I never thought in the world that I would go there. My mom got involved, my family got involved, my grandfather came to one of the matches. He didn’t know what squash was, he thought it was tennis and called me ‘Mini Serena’ the whole time in one of my tournaments. It was just the whole family aspect about the sport and the community that it wasn’t just being competitive. It was about the camaraderie regardless of skill level. It was just a big family. And that’s really why I continued in the sport because their encouragement. My family, my coaches and my friends made me want to improve and see what the next level is—not just middle school but bronze, silver, gold tournaments, college, career-wise to see what it looks like for the future. I can still picture seeing that glass court for the first time.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month means a lot to me. We have twelve months a year, but this one month we celebrate Black excellence. It’s recognition and appreciation for all the work that I and others have put in. I am one of the people that represents Black excellence by what I’m doing in a field that’s not very common for Black people generally, or Black women.
Every time Black History Month comes around, I think of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, I think of anybody in Black history in general. They’ve led this path so people can look up to them and follow their example. I see myself in them now, and I’m still growing. It’s just amazing.
Why is Black History Month important?
I am proud to be Black and to know that I can search up a lot of things about Black History Month that connects to me, not only just in sports but in the social realm. We can learn that ‘this was why this person made these steps because we weren’t able to have these rights.’ Or ‘We weren’t able to accomplish this, but now here’s the pathway of opportunities that are possible because this one person or this group of people have made this impact on a lot of people.’
I definitely wouldn’t have had a lot of the opportunities I have today back then. I can look back at history and say ‘I can vote for this’ or ‘we have this style because of this.’ I learn stuff every day, but around this month you really treasure and cherish those moments and think back on how far we’ve come.
Who are some of your Black role models, either within squash or outside of squash?
As I got older and learned more about what SEA was about and went to SEA tournaments, you’d see a lot of different people. I’d see some of the older girls, the high school girls and the top five and top ten players. Mawa Ballo looked just like me–she wore a hijab and dove all over the court. I remember seeing her first college match–she played at Conn College– when I was still in high school and she was an amazing squash player. To see her and older SEA girls and realize that I can actually go to college to play this sport. I watched them and thought ‘they’re moving, they’re playing faster.’
I went to camps with Khadijah Muhammad and she was five or six years older than me but was a really good player. I thought ‘wow, these girls are going to college to play squash, I can go to college to play squash.’ They made a big impact on me. Mawa was the coach at one of the camps I went to at Williams, the Beyond Walls camp. I remember to this day taking a picture with her because she was a celebrity in my eyes.
I remember being at my first CSA individuals and seeing players like Melissa Alves. I was stunned when I saw her play and the fact that she was a Black girl from France. There’s not a lot of Black professional U.S. players and I wanted to watch and learn from players like Melissa. I wanted to see someone that looked like me so that I could see myself achieving that as well.
How would you reflect on your college squash experience?
Freshman year I played number one. I was not expecting that at all. My coaches and I had a realistic conversation that some of these matches were going to be tough. I wasn’t going into it defeated, it was more going into it with the mindset of ‘I’m going to play my best; I’m going to give it my all’. I didn’t want to be the first one on my team to leave the court. Out of all my teammates playing, I wanted to be the last one to leave the court regardless of if I lose. I’ll walk home with the ice pack on my shoulder or, you know, I just want to be the last person off the court.
What was it like being a leader of the team?
If you ask anybody on the team, I’m known as the mother of the team, or mama bear as the boys would call me, because there were only four seniors and it was twelve freshman boys and I was the mother figure. For college squash, my expectations were high and they still was high till I finished it. I knew the work that it would take to be better and push yourself. It wasn’t that one-on-one training, it was that group setting. How do I individually make myself better for my team? I was always, always thinking about that, not just on court but mentally how do I connect with the players and my teammates and keep us motivated.
I know I had a great captain my freshman year, she kept us all in the loop. There were always team dinners and I felt like I wanted to be there. There wasn’t one moment I felt like my voice was not heard or my opinion didn’t matter to them. I felt really, really included. Covid gave us more opportunity to stay connected, over Zoom, over the phone.
I became a mother figure during COVID years because a lot of the girls and the boys never been a part of a team. Thanks to MetroSquash, I had already experienced being on a team and being a part of the family. So how do I bring that onto this team at St. Lawrence? And a lot of international students, they don’t get to go home for break, they’re on their own. So I wanted to bring some of my family and comfort to the team. I would have everybody over at my house. I would like bring the team over for meals or we would plan a group dinner or celebrate someone’s birthday. That’s around the time I got to be a captain and I just wanted to do whatever would help build team camaraderie and bring us together. Sure, we may have our up and downs, there were challenge match Fridays, we might not see eye to eye on challenge match Fridays, but can we leave this building and still be friends and teammates. I just wanted to make the atmosphere more comfortable for everybody. And I think I achieved that. I know we had some up and downs, but our St. Lawrence team almost broke the top 20 my junior and senior years.
We all knew we were there for each other. The SEA girls that came after me knew that we built the team culture and helped carry it on. I was the mama bear, I was a mentor, but I wanted to make sure everybody felt comfortable and everyone felt like they were part of a team. If we’re on track and one person falls, we all fall, let’s pick them up and let’s keep going as a team.
How did your role at First State Come together? What was your journey like after graduating?
I knew I wanted to come back and coach, but I never knew where. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Chicago; Chicago’s not for everyone. I knew I loved to travel, I love to explore. Squash brought that to me, so I wanted to continue that.
Owen [Butler] reached out to me in the spring of my senior year and was like ‘Hey we have a new SEA program and we’re looking for a coach, would you want to come out to Wilmington, Delaware?’. I was like ‘sure I’m playing a tournament in Philly, so I might as well just stop by to meet the kids.’ I didn’t even know where Wilmington was. I came out that summer when I was playing a tournament in Philly and the kids grasped me. The way that their eyes opened wide up when I got on court or they saw me play.
I met a group of girls and they were like ‘you play squash?’. I said yes, I play squash. The kids really got me because I saw myself in them. I always wanted a coach that looked like me and to see their faces and how they looked up to me—I had to stay. I came back to visit a second time during the summer and I worked temporarily at MetroSquash as an intern squash director to help them out, but I knew I didn’t want to stay in Chicago.
I wouldn’t have thought this would be the place that I would settle in for the last four years, but it has become a special place in my heart, especially the connections I’ve made with families and the kids and to see how their experience in the program can make a big impact on someone.
A lot of the families and students we work with, this is the first sport they’ve ever played. So to be that person and see that lightbulb twitch in their head that they can actually be good at this while they’re on court, or at that match/ball point, seeing the satisfaction on their faces—that really made me want to stay.
What has your experience at First State Squash been like?
It’s been amazing. I joined the team as the first squash director, so I had the option to start everything on my own. I’ve known Owen since I was 13 or 14 years old. He and I had that history in the squash world. I get advice from him and see what works and what doesn’t work for the kids. He gave me a lot of free range so I implemented a lot of stuff, extra squash, so the kids get more one-on-one time. Summer camps, staying late, holidays…if I’m here, I’m here with them and to help them throughout that process.
In my third and fourth year the kids started to see improvement. It’s amazing that you have kids that have never heard of the sport and when they get on the court, don’t want to leave the court. As a coach, you want to create those opportunities where they don’t have to leave or they have multiple days they can come here as an outlet. It makes me feel like I’m doing what I need to do and you have a bunch of kids that are dedicated in a sport they’ve never heard of before and want to play at a higher level. It’s been an amazing three-and-a-half years, going into four. I can’t wait to see what’s coming up for some of our students playing at a higher level and it’s a big ballpark with the JCTs and Gold tournaments. I have some kids in that arena and it’s pretty cool.
How many students do you work with?
In total in the program, we have around 85-90. I work with every student from fourth through twelfth grade. They are usually grouped together; fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are together (20-25 kids). Seventh and eighth grade are our biggest cohorts with 15-18 kids, and high schoolers are grouped together. For the most part, I am the one leading everything. Student workers work with our younger kids in fourth through seventh grade on court one-on-one with students helping them with their technique. For the majority of the high schoolers and eighth graders, I’m leading that by myself.
Can you speak more to being the coaching figure you wish you had?
Growing up, my coach Emma and I traveled a lot. When you get into these spaces, I was the only Black person in the space. I’m glad squash is one of the sports that when you look at somebody, it’s not based on their looks, it’s based on what’s on the court, can they actually move? I gained a lot of friends there, but I also wish there was someone that looked like me that I could have the connection with on a deeper level, have those deeper conversations and see mentally what’s going on. My students are comfortable with that and coming to me with their issues. I tell them ‘you can do this. I will be outside your court, you can look at me. I’ll be here every step of the way.’
I wish I had that person to say that and create that comfort in me instead of instilling that myself.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your current role and what you do?
To see them get to a point in their academic or squash career, around eleventh or twelfth grade where they make their own decisions. A lot of the kids look up to people and value advice from others, but for them to calculate and make big decisions for their future, that takes a weight off my shoulders.
We have nine students graduating this year. I started with them when they were in eighth grade. I just want to be with them every step of the way. I try to be there if I can. I’m just like goodness you were just 12 a week ago and now you’re 18, about to go to college and you want to major in what and you want to play squash? You go for it, and just know that you can always text, call, and lean back on us.
