Dear Friend of Squash,
As we approach the holiday season, I am reminded that our time together in squash anchors our lives—with camaraderie, exercise, exaltation and at times, even disappointment! The sport and community can feel like another home and family to us, and the experiences nourish our soul and lift our spirits.
This December will mark the beginning of my twentieth year leading ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. During this time ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has achieved some significant milestones including the doubling of participation and advancing equal prize money for women globally, developing the Club Locker platform, building the largest community squash center in the world in the Arlen Specter ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Center, and most recently leading the international collaboration to achieve our long-sought goal of Olympic inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Each of these milestones will positively impact our squash community for years to come.
I am humbled by and have immense appreciation for those who have served the sport selflessly, including dozens of members of the Board of Directors, the nearly one hundred staff members who have worked tirelessly on squash’s behalf, the hundreds of volunteers all over the country and those that anchor our District affiliates, the hundreds of extremely generous donors who make our progress even possible, and the more than 1,000 coaches, teaching pros and officials who move the sport forward on a daily basis.
I also admire the dedication of tens of thousands of junior squash players and parents, collegiate players and adults who have competed at their local club, on teams, and in tournaments at every level, in singles and in doubles. I have an especially deep appreciation for our high-performance athletes who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of excellence and who represent ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and Team USA internationally.
However, while extremely proud of what the squash community and ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has achieved, what I am most proud of and feel the most gratitude for, is the culture of our vast and diverse national community—one that values honesty, integrity, courtesy and respect, and prioritizes fairness, personal accountability and sportsmanship. While we may individually fall short at times, it is our collective effort in trying to live up to these values that define us.
It is because of this culture and these shared values which anchor the sport and ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ that I am extremely optimistic about our ability to unite the community to make the very most of squash’s Olympic moment.
With very best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.
Warm regards,
Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ
