Nestled in the heart of New Orleans just steps from the Mississippi river听resides听a small-but-mighty听squash community听led by听Academy Award-nominated director听and filmmaker听Benh听Zeitlin and听electrician听Jeremiah Johnson.听Squash enthusiasts of various levels gather听nearly daily听after听work听at听the听听on the only听softball听squash courts in听New Orleans proper, and this weekend will compete听in the听2026 Mardi听Gras听Open.听
Made up of just three converted racquetball singles squash courts鈥搕wo of which have both hardball and softball markings鈥揳nd a small viewing area, the Health Club squash scene is intimate.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tiny community. We have twelve active players, but with it being so small, it鈥檚 extremely close-knit,鈥 said Zeitlin, who plays at least three times a week. 鈥淵ou can always play; there鈥檚 always a court.鈥听
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.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good community with passionate players you can develop relationships with long-term,鈥 Johnson said.听鈥淭he community stems from beyond the court.鈥听
For teacher-turned-macaron-salesman听Sylvain听Lanasp茅ze, the energy of the group is what keeps him coming back.听听
鈥淚 push myself to get better and don鈥檛 want to lose the reason to keep playing,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 know if I need to take a break, I can come back and play with these guys.鈥听
Club play consists of seasonal box leagues, with the opportunity for each player to听play听everyone. Skill level and experience听vary听across the board, with some players learning how to play squash on the听unforgiving听springless courts听at the Health Club and moving to the Big Easy with experience elsewhere.听听
The biggest challenge the New Orleans squash scene faces is a lack of visibility, both physically and metaphorically. The Health Club is听located听deep in the maze of听Hilton New Orleans Riverside, an upscale convention hotel,听accessible听by a听separate听elevator听near the hotel鈥檚 garage.听Squash听as a whole lacks听the same level of involvement down south than further up the Eastern Seaboard, and the New Orleans听community听has relied听almost exclusively听on word-of-mouth听to try to gain听visibility.听
鈥淧eople just听don鈥檛听know that there are courts here. If people want to play, they听don鈥檛听know how to find us,鈥澨齔eitlin听said.听鈥淭he best and worst thing about New Orleans is that anything you really want to see, you have to do it yourself.鈥听
In terms of the future of southern squash, Zeitlin hopes听New Orleans can host two tournaments per season,听one in the fall and one during Mardi Gras.听The Mardi Gras Open returned to New Orleans after a听nearly 20-year听hiatus after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina听in 2024.听The eclectic, vibrant energy of a city in celebration provides an entertaining backdrop for the tournament.听
鈥淵ou鈥檙e surrounded by the parades while the听tournament鈥檚听going on,鈥澨齔eitlin听explained. 鈥淵ou听basically play a match and then can walk outside and fully experience all the bands and mayhem of Mardi Gras.鈥听
What better way to celebrate a squash win than with a听parade of thousands?听The 2026 Mardi Gras Open听kicks off on Saturday, February 7.听
鈥淣ew Orleans is a very hospitality-forward, generous, warm听place听and I think people will find that in the squash too,鈥 Zeitlin said.听
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Interested in learning more about the New Orleans squash community? Contact Jeremiah Johnson at听[email protected].听
Want to get the word听out about your local squash community?听Contact the 黑料不打烊 development team at听[email protected]听听
