CitySquash sent four juniors to these Championships, Myriam Kelly, GU19, Darrius Campbell, BU15, and Robert Williams, and Noel Ortega BU11.

 

These Championships were played at Williams College in the beautiful hills of the Berkshires. We were fortunate to have Rebecca Martin find us accommodation in a beautiful timeshare resort 20 minutes from the College. Many thanks especially from Darrius who enjoyed the Jacuzzi bathtub in the bathroom!

 

For Robert and Noel this was a huge learning experience. They had both been to the US Gold Closed National Championships and had a really tough time. Once again they had a tough tournament, but they both played some good squash and they will have learnt how to take their game to the next level.

 

For Darrius and Myriam, this was a terrific tournament. Myriam was seeded 3rd with Darrius being 5-8th seed. What a joy to watch Darrius, he never stops smiling and congratulating his opponent on good shots. He played some great squash, never giving up, always trying hard and chasing the ball down. He does play some risky shots, but when they come off they are spectacular and his cross court drop from the back left hand corner of the court is amazing! Darrius ended up finishing 3rd in the BU-15 and Myriam won the GU-19 event. A great Silvers and wonderful squash and WELL DONE CITYSQUASH.

Once again it was time for the Spring Break CitySquash Tour. Last year we went on a tour round the Western side of Lake Ontario. This year was the Eastern shore of the Lake.

 

Five juniors, Stacy Maceda, Alexandra Limas, , Bryson Grant, William Pantle and Cristian Escalona, went with BP to Ottawa, where BP had coached and made many friends in the 70s.

 

A long journey, on the Saturday, but we arrived into Ottawa where we were hosted by Penny Glover. A brave lady to look after all of us!

 

Sunday we toured Ottawa and visited the Canadian Houses of Parliament. A terrific tour through the corridors of power and a wonderful building, very old and full of history. On to the Ottawa Athletic Club, where Johnny Wilson, who used to coach at the Merion Cricket Club in Phila, had organized a match with his juniors. The all played well and won most of their matches. Food next!

 

Monday saw us training back at the OAC and then swimming. The different styles of swimming was interesting, but BP at least didn’t have to save anyone. A visit to the old market place was followed by a match against the RA, where Jeff Watts – Mr. Karakal – had got his juniors out. Again we all played well and won this match too. Some of the adults at the Club played against us too and Warren was impressed by the talent on show from the Bronx.

 

Tuesday we were on the road to Montreal, to the Atwater Club, a very prestigious Club in Montreal. Glen Wilson is the coach there and his team had some tough players. We ended losing this match, but playing some great squash. Here the Bronx Squash Bombers were hosted by families and BP was given a hotel room in walking distance of the Club. A nice respite from the kids !!

 

Wednesday we all met at the Atwater Club, played some squash, met Joelle King World #23 from New Zealand. Then we headed off to the Montreal Science Museum. What a terrific place, William and Alexandra rode the high wire – Oh and no insurance either !!! Everyone did the experiment where you moved the small ball along a tunnel using mind control. I think that Alexandra, once she got the hang of this was the best. Sorry boys !! Back to Ottawa.

 

Thursday - April Fools day!!! And boy did BP fall for two April Fools tricks!! You have to ask the kids about these! A visit to the Peace Tower which is part of the Parliament buildings. What a view from the top. We were up by the clock face and had a 360 view of Ottawa. On our way out we all signed the book of condolences for the last Canadian who fought in the 1st World War. A little piece of info – the flag on the Peace Tower is changed every day and given to various associations. Opposite the Parliament buildings is the statue of Terry Fox a photo op and a reminder of just who we run for. Then over the bridge to Gattineau, to the Sportique Club, and another match against local juniors. This Club is owned by Larry Greene whom BP had not seen for, well a long time. This match was organized by Steve Wren and there were more girls this time, but some tough matches. Probably came out of this match with a tie and some terrific squash.

 

Finally Friday and we said our goodbyes. I think that Penny had enjoyed our stay she certainly said that we could go and stay again! Which we may do. The long haul back to NYC, mostly all the kids slept while BP drank coffee and kept his eyes on the road. Another wonderful Spring Break Tour, which should be remembered for a long time.

CitySquashers had a great weekend at the CityView Silver tourney. In the BU-17/19, Andrew came in 2nd place and Seetreeon came in 4th place; Kingsley won the BU-15 event; in the BU-13, William finished 4th, Jeremy finished 5th and Markel finished 6th. On the girls side, in the GU-17/19, Andreina finished 3rd place and in the GU-15, Jocelyn finished 3rd place. Congratulations to all on a great performance!

CitySquash students, staff and mentors participated in a community service event through Project Sunshine this past weekend. Project Sunshine is a nonprofit organization that provides free educational, recreational, and social programs to children and families living with medical challenges. Our team had a great morning, putting together more than 100 journals and "sunnygrams" for children with medical illnesses. Many thanks to our mentors who attended this event!

Congratulations to Jesse Pacheco for finishing 9th place in the US Open this past weekend!

CitySquash gratefully acknowlegdes Evan Squash Vision for donating dozens of squash goggles to our program. Evan Squash Vision is a charitable organization that strives to unite the youth squash community by supporting and fostering commitment to squash among juniors. To learn more, visit http://www.evansquashvision.com

Katiria Sanchez returned from a year in Puerto Rico fired up to get back on the squash court. Katiria attended practices (and extra practices!) with great enthusiasm, and got back into the swing of things quickly. This past weekend, she secured herself a spot on CitySquash's Wall of Fame by winning the Pyramid Bronze tourney GU-17 draw. Other highschoolers also had a successful tournament, with Frank winning the BU-17 consols and Cristina finishing consol runner up. Congratulations!

CitySquashers had an incredible presence at the New England Squash Championships this past weekend. Myriam won at #1 (B division); Chris won at #2 (B division); Jesse finished 2nd at #2 (A division); Freddy finished 2nd at #1 (B division); Seetreeon finished 3rd at #2 (B division); Andrew finished 3rd at #6 (A division) and Kingsley finished 4th at #3 (B division). Congratulations all!

Several CitySquashers have been admitted early decision to college -- Jesse Pacheco at Cornell, Freddy Hernandez at Franklin & Marshall, Prince Mensah at Hamilton, and Diana Edwards at Wesleyan. Please join us in extending a big congratulations to our students on this great accomplishment!

CitySquash coaches took 16 students for a five-night tour of New England during their mid-winter break. The team spent each of the five nights at a different boarding school -- Taft, St. Paul's, Milton, St. Georges and Loomis Chaffee. The students played lots of squash, went on tours of the schools, and enjoyed meals in the school dining halls before doing their daily reading assignments. CitySquashers also enjoyed a trolley tour of Boston, visiting the Boston Science Museum, and touring the Newport Mansions. Many thanks to all the boarding schools, their admissions departments, and squash staff and teams for their generosity in hosting our group. We had a lovely visit!