Juniors in Boston for Tournaments
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MSRANewww.ma-squash.orgMSRANewsws Spring 2004 MSRANeMSRANeMASSACHUSETTSMSRANe SQUASH RACQUETS ASSOCIATIONwswsws NEWSLETTER PRESIDENT’S LETTER This marks the beginning of my sec- Juniors in Boston for Tournaments ond term as president of the MSRA (and First Annual Urban Youth Squash Team Nationals Held in Boston at SquashBusters without any help from the Supreme Court, I am pleased to say). Looking back over April 17 and 18, 2004 marked the first Annual Urban Youth Squash Team Nation- the last year, I am struck first by how als, hosted at the brand new Badger and Rosen SquashBusters Center at Northeastern quickly it passed. It seems like only yester- University. The event brought together more than 100 middle school and high school day that patient and beleaguered MSRANews editor Sarah Lemaire was aged squash players from five dif- nudging me to submit my first president’s ferent urban squash programs from letter (perhaps because it was only yes- four different cities that together terday that she was nudging me to get my copy in for this one). are changing the perception of Assessing the year, although I am not squash and the lives of hundreds a doctor nor do I even play one on TV, I of urban youth along the East would like to think I fulfilled Hippocrates’s Coast. dictum “at least to do no harm.” (Appar- ently expressed somewhere other than in SquashBusters in Boston; the Hippocratic Oath, as popularly believed, e.g., by me until I looked it up; but I digress.) StreetSquash and CitySquash from This is a recipe for success because the New York City; SquashSmarts from people who do the heavy lifting, such as Philadelphia; and KidzSquash from league coordinators Eric Godes and Bry Roskoz and their respective league chairs, Poughkeepsie all entered multiple tournament coordinator Fran Donlan, Jun- teams of 5 players in 4 different di- ior Committee co-chairs Tom Poor and visions (High School Boys, High Jeannie Blasberg and their committee, The SquashBusters Middle School team at the Urban website/e-distribution guru Paul School Girls, Middle School Boys, Nationals (Counterclickwise from left): Mahmid Jalloh, Chastanet, treasurer Sam Magruder, Middle School Girls). 115 players Rodney Galvao, Eddie Gentle, SquashBusters Middle Yearbook producer-editor Simon Gra- played 37 head-to-head five-person School Director of Squash Chris Smith, Jesse Brache, and ham, and, of course, MSRANews editor Ronny Correla (with back facing camera) Sarah Lemaire, do such great jobs that team matches (185 individual the best thing the president can do is just matches in all) until the winning teams were decided on Sunday. CitySquash in New convince them to continue and stay out of York won the Middle School Girls and Middle School Boys flights. StreetSquash took the way. the High School Boys flight, and the SquashBusters High School Girls took their flight. But change is inevitable, of course, and healthy. As you’ll read elsewhere in The event was a highlight of the year for all those who were involved. The weekend the News, even Lew Holmes has de- marked high levels of solidarity, camaraderie, and rivalry but also raised the level of cided that 16 years as 50+ league chair symbolism around urban squash as a feels about right. We express our thanks for their service to Hope MacKay Cro- whole. zier, Doug Eng and Mike Loucks, who are departing the Executive Board (al- It’s appropriate that Boston though Mike will continue to be active with hosted this first national event, since the Junior Committee), and welcome the first squash-based after-school Sebastian Valdez, Paul Ansdell and Shona Kerr. program, SquashBusters, was started Looking ahead, we’re beginning an here in 1996 by Greg Zaff. MSRA archives project, cataloging, col- SquashBusters’ successful model of lecting, storing and perhaps displaying combining squash with academics, MSRA-related historical documents. We want to reach out more to players at local community service, and mentoring has schools and colleges (if we can negoti- been replicated in four different cities, ate the arcane rules of the NCAA). We and there are rumors there are many expect to be working with the USSRA to provide more web-based services such more to follow. The growth of urban as membership registration and informa- squash around the country is a true tes- tion, player ratings and tournament draws tament to the SquashBusters program and results, for its membership and ours. The U.S. Open is returning in September and all of its supporters, volunteers, (see page 15), and we’ll be helping there. Anyeifry Sanchez and SquashBusters founder Greg and staff. The Howe Cup is in New York in October, Zaff consult during the Urban Nationals in Boston. and we expect to support a large local As if the team event wasn’t contingent. The USSRA Nationals will be enough, the Second Annual Urban In- at Harvard in March, and we’ll be helping make it a great event. So we’ve made dividual National Championships takes place June 11–14, when the 100+ kids descend plenty of resolutions and, to paraphrase on Groton to crown champions in eight different flights. Volunteers and fans are wel- Mayor Menino, together we can get them come. done. Happy New Year! Carl Cummings (continued on page 2) MSRA President Spring 2004 MSRANews 1 (continued from page 1) For more information about the event, visit the drew them closer. This SquashBusters website at www.squashbusters.org. was to be their last tour- nament as juniors, as USSRA Junior Championships Come to the Murr Center each will go on to college When next year—Jon to Will- the squash iams and Chessin to tournament Harvard, inevitably to season begins face each other on their in the fall, thou- college teams. sands of jun- iors from all The draw for this over the coun- tournament showed that try, boys and Jon and Chessin would girls from U13 to meet in the semifinals if U19, dream of they won their first two the wins that matches. Chessin won will qualify them his first match in four for the USSRA games. Jon played the #5 National Junior seed; he won the first Mark Froot (BU17) gets ready for his next two games, but lost the match during the USSRA Junior Closed. Only Nationals. the top 32- next two. Both players ranked juniors Rodney Galvao and SquashBusters Middle School were tired. Jon prevailed and, like Chessin, advanced to the Academics Director Quaco Cloutterbuck take a quarterfinals. of each division break during the Urban Nationals. are invited to Chessin faced the #1 seed, Christopher Gordon from New enter the national championships. This year’s tournament was York. Gordon took the match in three. Jon faced the #4 seed, held March 12–14 at the 16-court Murr Center at Harvard Uni- Edward Cerullo, also from New York, and Jon lost in four. Gor- versity. don beat Cerullo 3-0 in the semi-final and won the final, beating 256 players entered the doors of the Murr Center. Eight the #2 seed, Gilly Lane from Pennsylvania, in a very spirited, would win. The excitement was palpable. Everything was on hard fought five-game match. the line. The USSRA had staff and referees from around the Chessin and Jon now both entered the quarterfinals of country to run the premier tournament the consolation draw. If both won of the junior season. they would face one another in the By its sophisticated computer semis, but Jon lost his match. Now program, the USSRA ranks players out of the tournament, Jon joined throughout the season. The analysis the spectators at Chessin’s used seeds the top 8 players in each matches. Between games, when division. The remaining 24 players Chessin would leave the court, Jon are unseeded. You’d expect that if the would walk with him, offering his seeding process was accurate, the fi- encouragement and counsel. nalists in each division would be the Chessin went on to win the conso- top-seeded players. When you exam- lation draw, in a very difficult, back- ine the results, the accuracy of the and-fourth five-game match against seedings is eerie. All the finalists were Verdi DiSesa II, from Pennsylvania, with Jon rooting for his friend. highly seeded, and the winners of Jon Barry (BU19) discusses strategy with Harvard squash each division were seeded either #1 coaches, Satinder Bajwa (l) and Mohammed Ayaz (r) during the Chessin finished fifth in his divi- or #2. But, that’s enough trolling by USSRA Nationals at the Murr Center. sion, ahead of those seeded #4 statistic wonks. through #8. Not that the top seeds don’t deserve their victories. Their Since the tournament season’s end, Chessin and Jon have talent, dedication, and preparation should be rewarded, but in been seen several times practicing together, in preparation of any sport, there are stories of human interest that don’t make the inevitable competition between them that will continue dur- the headlines but exemplify the bonds of friendship and cama- ing their college years. Competitors on court, yes, but above raderie. There are many, for sure, but this is simply one. all, friends. From the same town in Massachusetts (Weston) and As a final note, the USSRA’s final rankings for 2003–2004 friends since early childhood, both unseeded, Chessin Gertler list Chessin Gertler #1 and Jonathan Barry as #9 in the coun- and Jonathan Barry, qualified for the BU19 division. Their try. bond of friendship grew over the years through their participa- MSRA Juniors in the Nationals tion in junior squash. Both rose to play #1 for their respective Of interesting note, perhaps a first for the USSRA and schools and competed against each other a number of times in certainly a first for the MSRA, is the fact that three sets of school competitions and in junior tournaments.