Nestled in the heart of New Orleans just steps from the Mississippi river resides a small-but-mighty squash community led by Academy Award-nominated director and filmmaker Benh Zeitlin and electrician Jeremiah Johnson. Squash enthusiasts of various levels gather nearly daily after work at the Health Club by Hilton on the only softball squash courts in New Orleans proper, and this weekend will compete in the 2026 Mardi Gras Open.
Made up of just three converted racquetball singles squash courts–two of which have both hardball and softball markings–and a small viewing area, the Health Club squash scene is intimate.
“It’s a tiny community. We have twelve active players, but with it being so small, it’s extremely close-knit,” said Zeitlin, who plays at least three times a week. “You can always play; there’s always a court.”
Johnson, a Harvard graduate, started playing squash in college after discovering Lowell House had hard courts in his dormitory basement. What started as a convenient discovery eventually turned into a hobby and community, as Johnson often brings his two young sons with him on weekends. He and Zeitlin share leadership responsibilities, with Zeitlin spearheading communication in their active WhatsApp group and Johnson maintaining tournament oversight and box league organization.
“It’s a good community with passionate players you can develop relationships with long-term,” Johnson said. “The community stems from beyond the court.”
For teacher-turned-macaron-salesman Sylvain Lanaspéze, the energy of the group is what keeps him coming back.
“I push myself to get better and don’t want to lose the reason to keep playing,” he said. “I know if I need to take a break, I can come back and play with these guys.”
Club play consists of seasonal box leagues, with the opportunity for each player to play everyone. Skill level and experience vary across the board, with some players learning how to play squash on the unforgiving springless courts at the Health Club and moving to the Big Easy with experience elsewhere.
The biggest challenge the New Orleans squash scene faces is a lack of visibility, both physically and metaphorically. The Health Club is located deep in the maze of Hilton New Orleans Riverside, an upscale convention hotel, accessible by a separate elevator near the hotel’s garage. Squash as a whole lacks the same level of involvement down south than further up the Eastern Seaboard, and the New Orleans community has relied almost exclusively on word-of-mouth to try to gain visibility.
“People just don’t know that there are courts here. If people want to play, they don’t know how to find us,” Zeitlin said. “The best and worst thing about New Orleans is that anything you really want to see, you have to do it yourself.”
In terms of the future of southern squash, Zeitlin hopes New Orleans can host two tournaments per season, one in the fall and one during Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras Open returned to New Orleans after a nearly 20-year hiatus after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2024. The eclectic, vibrant energy of a city in celebration provides an entertaining backdrop for the tournament.
“You’re surrounded by the parades while the tournament’s going on,” Zeitlin explained. “You basically play a match and then can walk outside and fully experience all the bands and mayhem of Mardi Gras.”
What better way to celebrate a squash win than with a parade of thousands? The 2026 Mardi Gras Open kicks off on Saturday, February 7.
“New Orleans is a very hospitality-forward, generous, warm place and I think people will find that in the squash too,” Zeitlin said.
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Interested in learning more about the New Orleans squash community? Contact Jeremiah Johnson at neworleanssquashclub@gmail.com.
Want to get the word out about your local squash community? Contact the US Squash development team at development@ussquash.org
