by James Zug

Kevin D. Klipstein steps down this week from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of 黑料不打烊. His twenty-one-year and two-month tenure has been marked by watershed changes throughout the organization and in the game both nationally and globally.

Klipstein grew up playing squash in Rochester, NY. He played varsity squash at Cornell University, serving as a captain his senior year when he was recognized as an All-American. Working in a variety of roles after college, first in Seattle, Washington, D.C. and finally the San Francisco Bay Area, he did corporate consulting at the sports marketing firm ProServ, including working at the America鈥檚 Cup in New Zealand and then marketing for Sun Microsystems, managing sponsorships with Formula 1, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.

He became the organization鈥檚 fourth executive director in December 2004, just two months after the association had celebrated its centennial. Since then, Klipstein led wholesale changes. In 2006, after thirty-two years in Philadelphia, the United States Squash Racquets Association (USSRA) headquarters moved to 38th and Eighth Avenue in New York.

鈥淲hen Kevin started, it was a bit of a mom-and-pop operation,鈥� said Gilly Lane, a former Team USA player and the men鈥檚 coach at Penn. 鈥淗e turned it into a professional organization. He had a belief that we needed to be a world-class governing body. His skill set was perfect for focusing on that growth.鈥�

A year later, the name of organization went from the USSRA to 黑料不打烊 and the logo evolved. These were symbolic and tangible gestures. Klipstein modernized the brand and took the organization out of its comfortable home in the Philadelphia suburbs and transplanted it in the biggest city in the country; 黑料不打烊 was the first national governing body to be headquartered in Manhattan. He also quadrupled staff; at one point two dozen employees worked full-time in New York.

Klipstein initiated a thorough governance restructuring. He changed the board from a regionalized system where each local district chose its own representative to a national board that selected itself. His title evolved from Executive Director to Chief Executive Officer, adding the title of President a decade later, given the international aspects of his work.

鈥淚 met Kevin twenty years ago when he asked for help with governance,鈥� said Carey Anderson, a long-time 黑料不打烊 board member. 鈥淜evin was wise beyond his years, calm under pressure and creative without needing the spotlight. He was like Wayne Gretsky鈥攈e could see the whole thing, the entire ice rink, the outcomes. His fingerprints today are on everything that matters.鈥�

Instead of outsourcing digital tournament and ranking technology, Klipstein started Club Locker in 2014. A proprietary sports management software system, Club Locker is an all-in-one platform designed to power every aspect of the racquet sports experience. From player ratings and tournament management to membership integration, facility operations, live streaming, and payment processing, Club Locker today provides a connected ecosystem that supports over 4,000 facilities and hundreds of thousands of players, coaches, parents and administrators across the squash world. In 2025, 黑料不打烊 spun Club Locker off, selling a majority stake to Artisan Ventures to ensure it has the resources and focus required to thrive and grow as a software company, all to the benefit of 黑料不打烊.

Bringing the game in-house was a constant theme under Klipstein鈥檚 leadership. “Always on the podium” was a motto of Klipstein鈥檚. Instead of hoping Americans get there, with funds raised from a 2008 gala dedicated to the national team, he initiated the Elite Athlete Program鈥攖he precursor to today鈥檚 High Performance Program鈥攚hich supports Team USA鈥檚 professional athletes. The first two athletes who started to receive direct financial support were Todd Harrity and Amanda Sobhy.

鈥淚 was concerned they wouldn鈥檛 be able to afford to compete professionally without this crucial support,鈥� Klipstein said.

As early as 2008, Klipstein made the decision to fully fund the junior national teams competing in World Championships. Previously each team member had to pay their way, with some having to conduct their own fundraising campaigns to cover the costs. In the same year, he also brought on Paul Assaiante, the winningest college coach of all-time, to serve as the first Ganek Family 黑料不打烊 Head National Coach; Assaiante served in the role for thirteen years.

In 2013, 黑料不打烊 purchased the national monthly Squash Magazine, based in Seattle, and incorporated its staff, including editor Jay Prince, into the operations in New York. 黑料不打烊 began to directly run all national championships, everything from the U.S. Junior Open to the National High Schools Championships, now the world鈥檚 largest team event. It took over the United States Open and in 2011 brought it back to Philadelphia when John Fry, the president of Drexel, helped stage it in Drexel鈥檚 basketball arena. The Open spent nine straight years at Drexel, the longest it had ever been staged at one place. It again became one of the world鈥檚 Grand Slam events, with top prize money, attention and event production. The 2011 prize money of $175,000 ($115,000 to the men, $60,000 to the women) was the largest purse in Open history and only the second time that the men and women had played side-by-side in the Open, after the 1993 event hosted at Cynwyd Club. The U.S. Open at Drexel again changed the squash landscape. It became the most saturated pro event, with nearly a fortnight of adjacent tournaments, award celebrations, panel discussions, Hall of Fame inductions, meetings, clinics and film festivals.

The Open led directly to the fulfillment of the long-held dream of a national headquarters for the national governing body. 鈥淲e had met in 2006 when Kevin came out to Lancaster to talk about a national headquarters,鈥� said John Fry, who was at the time the president of Franklin & Marshall. 鈥淜evin鈥檚 like a dog with a bone鈥攊f it is a good bone, he won鈥檛 let go.鈥�

Across 33rd Street from the basketball arena was the Philadelphia Armory, a historic 1916 building. In 2017, Klipstein partnered with Ned Edwards, a U.S. Squash Hall of Famer, to jumpstart the fundraising required to get the board鈥檚 green light for the project. Edwards was then hired as the first Executive Director of the Arlen Specter 黑料不打烊 Center and by November 2019 construction began at the Armory to build the $40 million facility. The Specter Center opened in October 2021 as the world鈥檚 largest community squash center. It features 75,000 square feet of office space, a conference room, locker rooms, classrooms, displays, kitchens, gathering spaces, gym and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 archive. A highlight was the Pierce Family U.S. Squash Hall of Fame, the mezzanine鈥檚 centerpiece. The heart of the Specter Center is eighteen singles courts and two doubles courts; two of the singles courts are all-glass exhibition show courts. Because of Drexel鈥檚 seven courts and Penn鈥檚 twelve courts, there are now thirty-seven singles courts within a five-minute walking radius鈥攖he largest squash district in the world, with 33rd Street officially designated 鈥淪quash Way鈥� by the City of Philadelphia in 2022.

When 黑料不打烊 hosted the 2021 U.S. Open in the Specter Center, it was the first time a public squash club had ever hosted the venerable tournament. It also had prize-money parity. That was automatic because of a decision eight years earlier. Led by Klipstein, the 2013 U.S. Open offered the same amount of money to women and men, becoming the first major annual squash tournament to ensure equality.

Like with many decisions that Klipstein made, prize-money parity had global ramifications. Within two years, all major pro squash events had prize money parity. Perhaps the most symbolic moment of the new era of parity came on a Saturday in 2017 when Nour El Tayeb and Ali Farag won their U.S. Open draws in back-to-back finals. It was the first time in squash history that a married couple won the same title on the same day. Parity directly led the way for the women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 tours to merge in January 2015. It was the first time two gendered tours had combined in a leading professional sport. Ninety years after the PSA tour was originally founded in Boston in 1925, pro squash was now grounded in equality. The merger led to tremendous growth, especially in the U.S.; by the end of Klipstein鈥檚 tenure, more than a third of all pro singles tournaments and prize money was in America.

黑料不打烊 in turn became a global leader. It hosted the World Squash Federation鈥檚 Annual General Meeting in Philadelphia in 2014 and helped stage numerous world championships, including the World Juniors in Boston in 2011 and Houston in 2024, the World Masters in Charlottesville in 2018; and the World Championships, for men in Seattle in 2015 and for both women and men in Chicago in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025; and the Men鈥檚 World Team Championships in 2019. In addition, the U.S. hosted several international multi-sport events that featured squash: the Gay Games in Chicago in 2006 and Cleveland in 2014; the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama; and the 2024 Pan American Masters Games in Cleveland. All these events were galvanic for American squash, garnering media attention and exposing the country to the highest level of squash excellence.

Klipstein also focused on synergies and collaborations to maximize efficiencies. 黑料不打烊 directly partnered with dozens of organizations including the World Squash Federation (WSF), Pan American Squash Federation, Professional Squash Association (PSA), the Squash Doubles Association and the U.S. Jesters.

Two important partnerships, with urban squash and college squash, helped define Klipstein鈥檚 tenure. In 2006, Klipstein was at the table when the then-National Urban Squash and Education Association (NUSEA) was formed, formally titled 鈥淣USEA in partnership with 黑料不打烊鈥� due to the $100,000 in seed funding 黑料不打烊 provided to the new entity for grants to new programs. NUSEA later changed its name to the Squash + Education Alliance (SEA). For nearly two decades, Klipstein has served on the SEA board as it has scaled from a network of four programs to more than twenty nationally and a half dozen international partners.

With college squash, Klipstein initiated a joint task force with what was then the separate women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 college associations, each self-governed by their respective coaches. This effort led to a reconstitution of the organizations in 2017 as a single combined women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 College Squash Association with a majority independent board on which he served for nine years, and to the hiring of its first full-time executive director a year later. Today, the CSA鈥檚 three full-time employees work in close partnership with 黑料不打烊.

鈥淪ome CEOs want to be liked,鈥� Gilly Lane said. 鈥淜evin had to make unpopular decisions; he had to make the tough calls. A lot of people didn鈥檛 see the work behind the scenes that led to all the changes.鈥�

Metrics demonstrate significant growth in all areas in the past twenty-one years. Revenue increased 570% and program revenue increased by 10x. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 annual budget went from $800,000 to $8 million today. Participation in squash increased 130% and scholastic participation by 450%. 黑料不打烊 went from not running a single tournament to running sixteen national championships, including the largest annual individual tournament in the world, the U.S. Junior Open. The first National High School Championship was hosted in 2004 with sixteen teams, and only one public school participated. Today, the event includes 200 teams from more than twenty states, with nearly a quarter of the teams representing public schools. Over the last decade, 黑料不打烊 has seeded dozens of new scholastic programs with early grant funding. The U.S. Middle School Team Championships has seen similar uptake by juniors nationally, so much so that the majority of kids playing today compete scholastically rather than in the continually expanding individual Gold-Silver-Bronze junior tournament scene. Increasing the opportunities for student-athletes to compete while in college, the number of college varsity and club teams has dramatically expanded, with club teams competing in the newly established CSA National Club Team Championships.

The High Performance Program for Team USA now provides a quarter of a million dollars annually in direct financial stipends to American athletes, along with access to the Specter Center as their training center, a full-time national coach, strength and conditioning, physio, nutrition and other support on a centralized basis. Team USA is now always on the podium. Team USA women have been finalists in the World Team Championships twice. In the past decade, Team USA has dominated the quadrennial Pan American Games. The junior women are now perennial top-three contenders, having finished second four times since 2011, and the junior men finished second in 2025, completing a long, steady ascent from twelfth in 2010. Today two American women are ranked in the top ten in the world.

Perhaps Klipstein鈥檚 greatest legacy is squash鈥檚 historic acceptance into the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. After forty years of concerted effort鈥攕quash鈥檚 first tangible campaign came in the 1980s for the 1992 Barcelona Games鈥擪lipstein played a central role in squash joining the Olympic movement. Leaning into a close collaboration with the WSF and PSA, the triad coordinated throughout the LA28 Games process culminating in a presentation by representatives from all three organizations that finally cleared this highest of hurdles to put squash on the brightest stage in sports.

On the heels of the October 2023 announcement of squash鈥檚 Olympic inclusion, 黑料不打烊 launched the U.S. Squash Foundation. One of the foundation鈥檚 first initiatives included support for the first indoor and outdoor modular squash court that can be installed quickly and easily.

鈥淚 knew that to really scale squash we needed to dramatically reduce the cost to build infrastructure鈥攎ainly courts,鈥� said Klipstein. 鈥淥ur north star was 鈥楿p in a day for less than $50k鈥� and we did it.鈥�

Partnering with the PSA Foundation鈥檚 Project Beacon, led by its president Arnie Dratt, the first outdoor court went up in Chicago鈥檚 Union Park; the indoor prototype made its debut two months earlier at the 2025 RacquetX conference in Miami.

鈥淚t has been incredible working with Kevin,鈥� said Ned Edwards, the Executive Director of the U.S. Squash Foundation. 鈥淥ur motto is a lifelong positive engagement in squash and that has been Kevin to a T.鈥�

With increasingly available courts, more scholastic programs created and the biggest promotional opportunity of Olympic inclusion in play, Klipstein worked with Edwards over the course of several months to secure a long-term relationship with perhaps the world鈥檚 most prolific Olympic sports agent: Peter Carlisle at Octagon. Carlisle represents, among others, Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, two of the most decorated Olympians of all time. In a first-of-its-kind arrangement Octagon now represents the top four U.S. athletes as well as 黑料不打烊, maximizing collaboration to break squash into the mainstream.

鈥淎t ProServ we had a mug that asked, 鈥榃hat happens if you don鈥檛 promote?鈥欌�� Klipstein said. 鈥淥n the other side it said, 鈥樷�othing.鈥� It鈥檚 now squash鈥檚 time to promote.鈥�

This winter, when a dozen leaders of the game were asked what words they鈥檇 use to describe Kevin Klipstein, they used the same key words: strategic, committed, diligent, intense, impactful, focused, determined. When the parade of athletes begins at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and squash players finally walk into the stadium, there will be no one more responsible in the audience than Kevin Klipstein.

More images from the last 20 years (click the > arrow to advance to next image)

Klipstein with Team USA athletes (l-r) Michelle Quibell, Meredeth Quick, Ivy Pochoda and Latasha Khan in 2007.

Board Chair Jeannie Blasberg (left) with President鈥檚 Cup recipient David Barrett, himself a Board member with early influence on the organization鈥檚 new direction as Vice Chair.

Squash legend Jahangir Khan, George Kellner and Klipstein at the 2008 National Team Gala held at the Pierre Hotel in NYC.

Board Chair Peter Lasusa with Board member Eric Fast at his final meeting in 2010. Lasusa led the Governance Task Force to re-tool 黑料不打烊, served as Board Chair for four years and as a Vice Chair of World Squash. Fast served as 黑料不打烊 Vice Chair, chaired 黑料不打烊鈥檚 first Junior Development Campaign and later served as the first Chair of the newly re-formed CSA in 2017.

Talking through things with Dent Wilkens and Kimberly (Palterman) Leightner at the 2011 World Junior Squash Championships held at Harvard University.

Klipstein addresses the men鈥檚 draw at the first U.S. Open hosted at Drexel鈥檚 Daskalakis Athletic Center in 2011.

The first three Team USA athletes to receive Elite Athlete Program funding (l-r) Chris Gordon, Amanda Sobhy and Todd Harrity with Klipstein鈥檚 young kids.

Klipstein with then-Drexel Athletic Director Eric Zillmer and Drexel President John Fry at the conclusion of a successful U.S. Open.

At Bob Callahan鈥檚 黑料不打烊 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2012 with Paul Assaiante and Hall of Fame Committee Chair James Zug, Jr.

Thanking emcee Gilly Lane and 2013 U.S. Open Men鈥檚 Champion Gregory Gaultier.

With 3-time U.S. Open Women鈥檚 Champion Nicol David.

Klipstein thanking Ned Edwards in 2013 for serving as honorary U.S. Open Chair. Edwards would go on to play central roles at 黑料不打烊 beginning in 2017.

With (l-r) former World #1 Jonathan Power, Maria Toorpakai and Ashley Bernhardt to hear Toorpakai speak at the United Nations in 2016.

Presenting the President鈥檚 Cup in 2015 to Alicia McConnell (center) with Comcast鈥檚 Karen Dougherty Buchholz.

Klipstein in the process losing to Jai Asundi from India at the 2018 World Masters in Charlottesville, VA.

In Egypt for the 2018 World Squash Federation Annual General Meeting with federation colleagues from England and New Zealand.

During the 2021 opening of Access Youth Academy in San Diego with Detroit鈥檚 Racquet Up founder Derek Aguirre and Access Youth鈥檚 Renato Paiva.

With squash promoters John Flanigan and John Nimick, both President鈥檚 Cup honorees, in Chicago. Flanigan has overseen the Windy City Open and numerous World Championships in Chicago and Nimick owns and has operated the NYC Tournament of Champions for a quarter century.

With tennis legend Billie Jean King at 2017 Windy City Open Women's Leadership Lunch.

At the Tournament of Champions with Professional Squash Association CEO Alex Gough and World Squash Federation CEO William Louis-Marie.

Playing high-altitude doubles with the locals at Guillermo鈥檚 in Colorado Springs, CO, home of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Joined at the 2022 Pierce Family U.S. Squash Hall of Fame Grand Opening by past Board Chairs (l-r) Lenny Bernheimer, Peter Lasusa and Kevin Jernigan.

With teammates (l-r) John Musto, Marty Clark, Chase Lenfest, Ricky Weisskopf and Sunil Desai at the 2023 National Team Championships.

Speaking at the season-ending National Championships.

Serving as a RacquetX panelist in 2025 along with Access Youth Academy鈥檚 Renato Paiva.

黑料不打烊鈥檚 Vice President of Sport Innovation and Partnerships Preston Quick and Rik Zwikker, AccessCourts founder hitting the first ball on the indoor modular court prototype at the 2025 RacquetX in Miami.

Klipstein, Rik Zwikker of AccessCourts and then-President of the PSA Foundation Arnie Dratt at the 2025 Project Beacon opening in Chicago. Dratt led the charge to get Zwikker's outdoor design approved and installed at Union Park. Klipstein drove the initiative to make the modular indoor version.

The 2025 U.S. Open operations team ready for action meeting in the Kevin Klipstein Conference Room at the Specter Center.

The 2025 U.S. Open women鈥檚 semifinals at the Specter Center.

Presenting final Finals trophy at the 2025 U.S. Open Women鈥檚 Championship to Egypt鈥檚 Hania El Hammamy.

With Octagon鈥檚 Peter Carlisle at Portland Community Squash鈥檚 2025 fundraiser.

Honoring outgoing Board member Danny Dolan and Board Chair Sandy Tierney joined by Olympians Jordan Burroughs (far right), two-time Olympian and gold medal wrestler in the London 2012 Games, and Kassidy Cook, two-time Olympian and silver medal diver at the Paris 2024 Games. Both pledged to take up squash.

The Drexel Dragon at the corner of Market and 33rd Street, designated as 鈥淪quash Way鈥� in 2022 by the City of Philadelphia.

What do Eric Heiden, Big Bend National Park, Seattle鈥檚 Bumbershoot Festival and MLB.com have to do with each other? They are all part of the fascinating, roundabout squash journey of 黑料不打烊 President & CEO Kevin Klipstein. Listen here to a penetrating and revealing conversation about parenting, sportsmanship and the first time he learned the importance of the T.

I am pleased to share a few highlights of our accomplishments in 2024, reflecting the continued leadership and innovation we are demonstrating, and the growth and impact of our initiatives across multiple domains.

Coach Certification and Community Engagement

• Trained 97 coaches and certified 65 in ten courses, increasing total certified coaches in the U.S. to 546 and the number of known coaches in the U.S. by 208% since launching the Coach Pass program two years ago.
• Led community meetings in Los Angeles, clarifying the impact of Olympic inclusion and outlining plans to leverage opportunities for squash.
• Supported a record 66 Women鈥檚 Squash Week events nationwide.

Youth and Public Programming

• Expanded PlayLA! programming to four parks and launched public school programs in partnership with Access Youth Academy.
• Introduced the scholastic squash physical education training program with online materials, videos, and gear distribution.
• Supported the Houston public school program, introducing squash to nearly 300 third to fifth-grade students through gym classes.

Junior and Collegiate Milestones

• Drove record participation in both the Junior and Intercollegiate Squash Doubles Championships.
• Celebrated 100 years of college squash and successfully completed the CSA Commissioner transition with a 黑料不打烊 staff member.
• Resumed record-setting participation in the U.S. Junior Open, welcoming 1,007 competitors.
• Fielded for first time a Junior Team USA squad at the Egyptian Junior Open.

Excellence and Team USA Squash Achievements

• Secured a record 16 British Junior Open quarterfinalists and three top-3 finishes.
• Tied Junior Women鈥檚 and Men鈥檚 team highest-ever finishes at World Junior Championships.
• Tied the best-ever finish in the World Championship, with the Women鈥檚 Team securing 2nd place.
• Transitioned High Performance Program leadership to Ganek Family 黑料不打烊 Head National Coach Nick Taylor.

Event Partnerships and Promotion

• Hosted for the first time a combined junior women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 World Junior Squash Championships in partnership with Houston Squash.
• Partnered with the National Squash League (NSL) for its inaugural season and hosted the Finals at the Specter Center.
• Innovated championship structures by separating the Women鈥檚 Masters and combining the National Junior Silver/Bronze Championships.
• Launched the inaugural Masters Squash Series, hosting eight Masters events across the U.S. this season.
• Hosted the 2nd Women & Girls Summit at the Specter Center.

Sponsorship, Marketing, and Advancement

• Secured Comcast Business as the title sponsor of the U.S. Open and delivered a record-high prize purse.
• Conducted comprehensive demographic market research of the squash community to advance sponsorship sales.
• Formally launched the U.S. Squash Foundation, assembled a Board of Managers with more than 20 members.

Innovation in Infrastructure

• Developed the 鈥�up in a day, for less than $50k鈥� specification for a modular squash court prototype, directed its design and contracted for manufacturing.
• Partnered with the PSA Foundation U.S. to advance the Project Beacon outdoor squash project in Chicago.
• Launched revenue-generating initiatives in the Club Locker technology offering business-to-business tiers for facilities and a direct-to-consumer subscription model.

Governance and Leadership

• Successfully coordinated with the USOPC International Relations department, secured international federation support to elect Mark Pagon as a WSF Executive Board VP.
• Completed quadrennial USOPC audit review to maintain status as the certified national governing body member of the committee for squash.
• Continued leadership role in the tri-part collaborative (PSA-WSF-黑料不打烊) for LA28, including venue exploration, broadcast enhancements, and expanded distribution.

These achievements represent the results of the collective dedication of our staff, athletes, partners, and community. I look forward to continuing to lead this momentum into 2025 and beyond as we build on the strong foundation the organization has built over the last decade.

Sincerely,

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO

As our fiscal year, and 2023-2024 season, come to a close, I am excited to look back and report out on what was truly a historic year for our sport.

The clear highlight was October鈥檚 news about squash鈥檚 inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games. An effort decades in the making, I am proud of the critical role 黑料不打烊 played in this outcome as part of the collaborative bid with WSF and the PSA. Additionally, Olympic inclusion likely does not happen without the sport鈥檚 consistent growth and development in the U.S. over the last two decades, resulting in our athletes having a viable shot at medaling for Team USA in four years. But perhaps what moved the needle most towards inclusion for 2028 more than any other past bid was the physical manifestation of a sport that is thriving, well run and future-looking: the Arlen Specter 黑料不打烊 Center. We are so proud of our best-in-class national home.

This year at the Specter Center was also highlighted by the world鈥檚 largest individual tournament, the U.S. Junior Open, followed by the 20^th anniversary U.S. High School Team Championships with 1,421 players, the world鈥檚 largest squash tournament. Preceding both of these major events was the U.S. Open, which showcases the world鈥檚 best athletes in an arena unlike any other in the world. There is nowhere else in the world tens of thousands of passionate squash players, from middle school players in the Philadelphia Public League to the world鈥檚 greatest pros, play side-by-side.

Increasing women鈥檚 participation remains a focus and the results of the Women鈥檚 Committee鈥檚 hard work are pulling through. The major team event, the Howe Cup, had near record participation, a new way of hosting the Women鈥檚 Masters Championships showed promise, and overall participation in women鈥檚 national events increased 50% from last year, setting an all-time high. Next up is more female coaches to bring more girls into the sport!

Squash Doubles remains strong at the club and national levels. This year鈥檚 full schedule of six National Doubles Championships was punctuated by the Philadelphia community and the Cynwyd Club specifically hosting an outstanding U.S. Squash Doubles Championships. The Junior and Intercollegiate Doubles Championships had record participation which bodes very well for the future of the sport and the health of the SDA Tour which completed its 12 season this year.

Also in Philadelphia was the 2^nd full season of the first-ever urban public school team league, which has sparked interest in cities such as Houston, Los Angeles and Boston. An in-school physical education squash program is being finalized by 黑料不打烊 for rollout next season.

Sportsmanship and Character received proper attention this season too. In response to guidance from the Sportsmanship & Character Committee, new materials provide examples of conduct violations and outline expectations for behavior in the areas of safety, respect and fair play. QR codes posted at tournaments provide easy access to conduct reporting and encourage the community to also report exemplary behavior. 黑料不打烊 is also operating in coordination with the professional tour and college squash in order to provide and support a consistent message to the community.

For the first time in history, the Team USA women swept the podium in the individual championships and earned Gold in the team championships at the quadrennial Pan American Games. Olivia Weaver reached #4 in the world and won her first national title, Amanda Sobhy inspired on her way back from her second torn achilles, and two-time national champion Olivia Clyne retired as one of the most decorated athletes in U.S. squash history. On the men鈥檚 side, Timmy Brownell cracked the world鈥檚 top-30 and won his second S.L. Green U.S. Men鈥檚 Championship.

At the junior level, a record number of U.S. players reached the quarterfinals of the British Junior Open and the round of 16 at last summer鈥檚 World Juniors, where the girls team returned to the podium. Houston will host the World Junior Championships this summer which, for the first time, includes both the girls and the boys team and individual divisions.

The close collaboration between 黑料不打烊 and CSA continued as the CSA celebrated 100 years of college squash while ushering in a new National Championships format for the top teams. Congratulations to the University of Pennsylvania men鈥檚 team and Trinity College women鈥檚 team for their respective national championships.

The Olympic Games create a unique opportunity to leverage broader awareness of squash into the efficient expansion of our infrastructure and increase in participation. The growth and development of the sport in the U.S. is only limited by the community鈥檚 willingness to invest in it. 聽For these reasons, the U.S. Squash Foundation was launched in May.

If you believe, as I do, that squash has had a major impact on who you are as a person, then I strongly encourage you to consider prioritizing the in your philanthropy. 黑料不打烊 has a proven track record of providing an excellent return on modest investments, one which expands and enhances opportunities for you, your family, and your squash community.

Finally, the community also suffered losses this past season, several of whom were particularly close to the association and each had a major impact on the sport during their lives: President鈥檚 Cup recipients Eric Fast and Dave Talbott, past 黑料不打烊 Board Chairs Lenny Bernheimer and Alan Fox, and Hall of Famer Ann Wetzel.

As we look ahead towards a bright future for the sport we stand on their shoulders, and follow their example, and work hard every day to advance 黑料不打烊鈥檚 mission.

Thank you very much,
Kevin

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO
黑料不打烊

Dear Friend of Squash,

As we approach the holiday season, I am reminded that our time together in squash anchors our lives鈥攚ith camaraderie, exercise, exaltation and at times, even disappointment!聽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 黑料不打烊. During this time 黑料不打烊 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 黑料不打烊 Center,聽and聽most recently leading the international collaboration to achieve our long-sought goal of Olympic inclusion聽at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.聽Each of these milestones聽will聽positively impact our squash community for years to come.

I聽am humbled by and聽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鈥檚 behalf, the hundreds of volunteers all over the country and those that anchor our District affiliates,聽the hundreds of extremely generous donors who make our progress even possible,聽and the more than 1,000 coaches, teaching pros and officials who move the sport forward on a daily basis.

I also admire聽the dedication of tens of thousands of junior squash players and parents, collegiate players聽and adults who have competed at their local club, on teams,聽and in tournaments at every level, in singles and in doubles. I have an especially deep appreciation for聽our high-performance athletes who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of excellence and who represent 黑料不打烊 and Team USA internationally.

However, while extremely proud of what the squash community and 黑料不打烊 has achieved, what I am most proud of聽and feel the most gratitude for, is the culture聽of our vast and聽diverse national community鈥攐ne聽that values聽honesty, integrity, courtesy and respect,聽and prioritizes聽fairness,聽personal accountability and sportsmanship.聽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 黑料不打烊 that I am extremely optimistic about our ability to unite the community to make the very most of squash鈥檚 Olympic moment.

With very best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.

Warm regards,

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊

黑料不打烊 President & CEO Kevin Klipstein reflects on the magnitude of Squash joining the LA 2028 Olympic Games and what the sport can offer the Olympic Movement.

As the days grow shorter and fall is upon us, it鈥檚 our pleasure to welcome you to the 2023-2024 squash season.聽Whether you鈥檙e a player, parent, donor, member or volunteer, thank you for your support and involvement in squash–we can’t wait for you to be a part of the exciting plans we have in store.

What have we been up to?

with more than 50 events hosted across the country, bringing thousands of women back to the courts. Here is one example of what this looks like.

Of course, launching the season including programs, events and fielding our National Teams takes planning.

This weekend the kicks off a packed tournament and event schedule at the Arlen Specter 黑料不打烊 Center, including celebrating CSA@100, one hundred years of college squash and a look-ahead to its next century.

Team USA will travel to Santiago, Chile later in October to compete in the quadrennial Pan American Games to try to equal or exceed their remarkable medal haul four years ago. District, collegiate and scholastic squash leagues take flight in November, while the junior tournament scene is already in full swing.

Throughout all of this, whether it鈥檚 tournament play, team activities, or simply cheering on a friend or child of yours, we are increasingly focused on promoting the qualities of good sportsmanship, including fairness, courtesy and respect. Expectations have been set, and the standards are in place to promote fair play and create an enjoyable, healthy and safe environment at all levels of competition. You can read more on this on a new section of our .

Why is this so important?

I was recently reminded of the saying 鈥渋t鈥檚 never wrong to do the right thing鈥� while watching an episode of Ted Lasso, season 2 (yes, I鈥檓 a little behind on my TV binging). Playing squash provides us opportunities on nearly every point in one way or another to live, practice and embrace this. Whether it鈥檚 knowing that you made every effort to clear, or that you should be offering a stroke to your opponent without them asking, or calling balls down on yourself when you have any doubt about whether you got the ball before the second bounce.聽Put another way鈥� in life,聽people don鈥檛 remember the score, they remember how you made them feel and the quality of your character. So when we play squash as it鈥檚 meant to be played, we are reinforcing for ourselves the values of good character.

Each new season gives us the opportunity to become better players, coaches, parents and patrons, and better versions of ourselves. We鈥檙e fortunate to have squash to bring us together and we look forward to a fun and fulfilling season.

See you at the courts,

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊

Dear Players, Parents and Coaches,

As we head into the final weeks of the official squash season and our national championships, we thought this was an appropriate time to provide some reminders regarding the Rules of Squash, on-site and on-court conduct, roles and mutual expectations.

The Rules of Squash

Officials and players work together and have a shared responsibility to ensure matches are played fairly. Central to the training of officials at any level is the emphasis on encouraging players to make every effort to clear after striking the ball, to then provide an unobstructed path to the ball, and for players to take a direct line to the ball when it is their turn as striker.

Referees must determine when a player has not appropriately cleared鈥攐r when the striker is not taking a direct line and making his or her best effort to play the ball鈥攁nd penalize the offending player with a 鈥榮troke鈥� or 鈥榥o let鈥� call.

Officiating can often feel complicated, however the expectations for players are simple:

• make play as continuous as possible
• take a direct line to play your shot
• fully clear to allow your opponent to play
• call your own balls down, out or not up鈥攄on鈥檛 leave it up to the officials

Conduct

As a coach, fan or family member, the expectations are equally clear: cheer positively, let the players play, and allow the referees to perform their duties without interference.

Many parents have expressed support, even appreciation, for the unique part of junior squash in which players who just finished competing then immediately work together to referee their peers.

Unfortunately, the most challenging and corrupting part of the refereeing experience is not making the calls on the court, rather it is enduring the reaction of parents and coaches, and sometimes the players, to the calls made by the referees鈥攚hether they be fellow players or higher-level certified officials.

We encourage all parents and coaches to take the opportunity the sport provides to model for your children how we should all behave in the moment鈥攂y showing respect for others, and by taking personal responsibility.

We are of course not letting the players themselves off the hook in adhering to our Code of Conduct. In addition to sending conduct letters to coaches and parents, this season we have also sent dozens to junior players reminding them of our expectations and have suspended players for a periods of time due to their infractions.

A few other points of reference in the area of conduct for players to remember include:

• if there is contact, stop once you reach your opponent, refrain from using excessive force鈥攊t’s dangerous
• avoid arguing with the referee or officials, it鈥檚 against the rules and will likely result in conduct penalties
• celebrate on court鈥攈owever, at the right moment and with respect for your opponent鈥攆ist pumps and shouting after every point simply isn鈥檛 appropriate or welcome.

Roles and Expectations

You can expect 黑料不打烊 to establish and enforce the expectations for the squash community, including the Rules of Play and Code of Conduct. You can also expect us to act with integrity, in the best interests of safety and in support of the fair outcome of the competitions we manage.

My expectation of everyone involved in squash鈥攑layers, parents and coaches鈥攊s that you hold each other accountable to the standards we set and that we all value.

If you are a parent who can鈥檛 control your own behavior while watching your child, remove yourself.

If you are a coach who struggles to refrain from coaching during play, recognize you are violating the rules, and simply don鈥檛 do it.

If you are a player who consistently violates the rules, expect to be penalized for it.

We all鈥敽诹喜淮蜢�, players, parents and coaches鈥攈ave a joint responsibility to uphold the standards of sportsmanship that makes squash unique, and our experiences in the sport so valued.

Providing an enjoyable, healthy and safe environment at competitions remains our goal. With your help and support we are confident in our ability to achieve these worthy ambitions together.

Sincerely,
Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊

Now that I likely have your attention based on the title, there鈥檚 a note about pickleball at the end. Before that, however, I鈥檇 like to share some reflections on the last few years leading up to 2022 and look ahead to 2023 and beyond. And if all you really want to know is whether pickleball or squash wins, you can scroll down to the bottom!

During the eighteen years that I鈥檝e been fortunate enough to be President & CEO of 黑料不打烊, I鈥檝e often felt like the head coach of a major sports team. All squash players are like the fans of the team鈥擳eam Squash鈥攁nd are not shy in expressing strong opinions about what can be done better. The coach also needs to set the tone, culture and vision; working to inspire others to achieve their best while holding them accountable and leading them to a better way when they fall short. The greatest challenge is to balance the needs of many intersecting groups of constituents, in our case an entire community of those who are passionate about the sport across the nation, and to encourage those with sometimes competing interests to work together.

Like every nonprofit, consistently focusing on our mission is essential. Using our mission as the guide, by orienting all of our actions and investments towards squash鈥檚 growth and development, is our path to success.

In 2017, prior to embarking on the final push to make the Arlen Specter 黑料不打烊 Center a reality (the project had nearly died several times before then), the 黑料不打烊 Board had significant concerns that were considered, mitigated and addressed through a rigorous process. The priorities identified in this process remain at the core of our focus.

The four priorities, and based on limited resources to be addressed in order to support the others, were:

• build the world鈥檚 finest national center
• develop best in class technological infrastructure
• recruit, train and support outstanding teaching pros, coaches and program directors
• dramatically increase access to the sport.

Each of these priorities are roughly equal in how essential they are to the long-term health and development of the sport, as well as the effort and investment required to be successful. 黑料不打烊 has delivered on the first two priorities and continue to make improvements in those areas; much of our forward-looking focus and investment is centered around supporting the second two priorities.

The world鈥檚 finest center

The Specter Center has stepped confidently into its place as the leading facility of the sport worldwide. In its first full year of operation, this beautiful home for squash leaned into a full spectrum of programming from junior and adult play, major competitions and events, new school programs, expansion from our partners at SquashSmarts, and training for U.S. National Team members and other top professional players. Just a week ago it served as the anchor host for the nearly 1000 players from 42 nations at the U.S. Junior Open, and families of these players could watch the competition from anywhere with live streaming of every match from all 18 of the Specter Center鈥檚 singles courts.

It’s impossible to cover the breadth of activity that has occurred at the Specter Center in this short space, but I鈥檒l mention a few highlights. We formerly opened the new Peggy & Leo Pierce U.S. Squash Hall of Fame space in April, while we also revealed new exhibits highlighting the impact of scholastic and junior squash, our commitment to the Women & Girls Initiative, and soon, major displays featuring sportsmanship and community in squash. January will see the first teams from the inaugural Philadelphia Public League begin practices and competition, and we are kicking off a partnership with Girls Inc. that will pilot programming that will be expanded in the future to bring the sport to thousands of new girls nationally. National Championships are now back in full swing, with a full plate of junior and adult events coming up; we look forward to hosting thousands of you at the Specter Center in the coming months!

Best in class technological infrastructure

For technology, 黑料不打烊 has invested significantly in the Club Locker software, a SaaS system that supports 黑料不打烊, more than a hundred facilities and their professional coaching and program staffs, 70 live scoring venues and hundreds of thousands of participants involved in 黑料不打烊, USA Table Tennis, USA Badminton, and USA Pickleball. Squash Canada also fully leverages the system, bringing these two large and significant North American squash countries in even closer alignment.

Club Locker drives everything we do, from court inventory, database and membership management to all forms of competition and rankings. It allows families or fans to follow results in real time and watch streaming from venues across the country. Participants can self-score and track their progress and results over time. A decade ago, on average a teaching pro would need to invest 40-50 hours in lead up to running a single moderately sized tournament. Now, through Club Locker automation and direct support from 黑料不打烊 staff of registration, payments, draw seeding and scheduling, communications, score entry and more, tournament directors can focus their time instead on the experience of participants, families and friends.

Increasing access to squash and opportunity

Access means building more courts, which is critical. Though at 黑料不打烊, our aims are far broader: access also means the sport being welcoming to people of all ages and abilities: miniaturizing the sport for very young kids, embracing different balls for older players and beginners, and adapting the sport to athletes with disabilities.聽 Of course, it also means making the sport available to people who don鈥檛 currently play the sport.

After more than twenty-five years of significant support for squash and education programming by the entire community, the Community Squash model has emerged to addresses access, equity and integration for the entire community. There are 13 黑料不打烊 Community Affiliate Network member facilities, many of which include the narrow and deep wrap-around services that the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA) supports. What鈥檚 important is that all of these facilities and programs are accessible, in that they are public, affordable, and provide equal opportunities for players to benefit from squash. In facilitating the efforts of local squash communities to develop accessible squash centers that support themselves, we are laying the foundation for our future equitable growth as a sport.

Awareness is a critical first step in access. If you鈥檙e not aware of squash, then you鈥檙e probably not going to walk into the door even if it is open. So, if you鈥檙e wondering why you see pickleball on television all the time and not squash, we are too. Increasing awareness of squash is central to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 mission, and it is important for us to work more closely with the PSA Tour and to proactively ensure the U.S. media market is fully leveraged as we look to drive real growth.

What we mean by this is 10x growth: increasing the number of regular participants from 150,000 to 1.5 million, and casual participants from 1.4 million to 14 million. To do so we will need to reduce the cost to build courts, pioneer the construction of outdoor squash courts on public and private land, and make a significant push to add public middle and high school squash programs state by state.

Outstanding professionals and coaches

We have been inspired by the perseverance shown by the coaching community as they鈥檝e returned to their important role at the forefront of growing the sport after the broad disruptions caused by the pandemic. We are also fortunate to have so many teaching pros and coaches from dozens of countries from around the world come to the U.S. to practice their trade.

We now offer a myriad of training and certification programs, and additional important requirements are regularly added by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, particularly in the area of safety. The Safe Sport program has increased the awareness of child and sexual abuse, and provided valuable training and education to the entire community. Tournament directors also require training and support, as do officials to elevate the refereeing experience for everyone.

Ensuring a safe and quality experience for everyone in the sport, and that a consistent expectation is met or exceeded is a priority. All of these programs, requirements, training, education and certification are being consolidated into the Coach Pass program and managed centrally beginning in 2023. Along with our emphasis on recruiting more women into coaching and teaching roles, we believe continuing to elevate the capabilities of the professional community is critical to our long-term success.

In closing

The community we serve ranges across adult players, juniors, parents, coaches, teaching pros, officials, doubles, women, high school, college, emerging team programs, high performance athletes, board members, district committees and other volunteers, the singles and doubles professional leagues and squash and education programs.

At the Specter Center, we have a Mural Arts Project work painted along the east entrance wall, in which exists a coded message, 鈥淎 competitive space built on common ground.鈥� The artist Scott Albrecht brilliantly in his summation of all that happens at the center and within the squash community broadly. Squash requires us to occupy the same space, fairly, collaborating in our movement, while competing in the most severe way. It鈥檚 simply remarkable and absolutely unique to squash in its elegance, athleticism, endurance and severity.聽 The 鈥渃ommon ground鈥� in the artwork is literal in the center, and metaphorical, in our shared values, of courtesy, respect, fairness and personal accountability to name a few.

Finally, I can鈥檛 write a year-end message without mentioning the four exceptional women who represented the U.S. in Egypt this month at the WSF Women鈥檚 World Team Championships! Our previous best finishes were never higher than fifth; yet in 2022 they reached the final (pushing Egypt hard while doing so). Second place, with a realistic eye towards first in the near future; wow. To Amanda Sobhy, Olivia Fiechter, Sabrina Sobhy and Olivia Clyne鈥攖hank you for your commitment and hard work for so long that led to that inspiring performance.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you through the course of 2023!

With warm regards,

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊

p.s. 鈥� Oh right, I promised you we鈥檇 talk about pickleball. I am often asked what I think of pickleball and its surge in popularity (followed by the person telling me what they think of it). Any physical activity is good for people, and whether that鈥檚 surfing, skiing, soccer or squash, it really doesn鈥檛 matter. That includes pickleball 鈥� which is easy to learn and play, has a built-in court public and private inventory (tennis) and a few billionaires dueling it out to control the explosive growth. It鈥檚 a fun game, and has drawn in new people to racquet sports, and leverages the 15,000 trained and certified professional tennis coaches to drive it. While sports participation is not a zero-sum scenario, much of this is and will come at the cost of tennis. Please note, squash has not been mentioned yet, and that鈥檚 because pickleball does not compete with squash; it adds to the number of racquet sport enthusiasts (and as a bonus, those who associate racquet sports with vegetables).

What is applicable to squash is to see a takeover of an existing player base and existing court inventory (both from tennis). Racquetball once did the same thing to handball, and now squash to racquetball. 14,000 racquetballs courts (down from a peak of more than 30,000) are quickly disappearing or being repurposed. 黑料不打烊 one-third of our existing 3,500 squash courts are actually converted racquetball courts; moving quickly and aggressively on this front could be critical to our success.

I get the question a half dozen times a week, usually after exchanging the required pleasantries, 鈥測ou playing any squash?鈥� almost immediately followed by, 鈥渁ny dubs?鈥�. The answers to those questions, if you care to know, are 鈥渙nce a week鈥� and 鈥渟ometimes.鈥� It鈥檚 not entirely clear to me whether I actually connect with more doubles players than the average squash CEO or doubles players are just that much more committed to squash. I do know from experience though that squash doubles players have a level of commitment to the game that goes far beyond squash, truly another level, and I get why.

Growing up in Rochester, NY we had two doubles courts in town and were proud hosts of the Lapham-Grant on several occasions. Every holiday my two brothers, my dad and I would head out on a dark, cold, lake-effect-snowy afternoon to play squash. Being the most committed to the sport, I carried my dad every time. In fairness to my brothers, one of them literally never played other than during these outings. It didn鈥檛 matter; the experience of a single match carried us and provided fodder for our family jokes and teasing for a whole year. Doubles is fun, inclusive, fast, social and truly brings people together.

Squash doubles and its passionate community are core to 黑料不打烊, and we are anxious to return to developing the sport from the club level all the way to the pros. Credit to Graham Bassett who served as the Victor Elmaleh Director of Squash Doubles and managed our partnership with the SDA and therefore the pro tour for many years. Graham is a force of nature and we were sorry to see him leave 黑料不打烊 during the pandemic to further his career in technology. When good people like Graham move on, they leave a big gap, which we鈥檙e filling with several core employees including Charlotte Knaggs, who manages doubles support day-to-day, and two names we all know: many-time squash doubles national champions Preston Quick (who is officially in communications) and Narelle Krizek (officially our Director of Women & Girls Squash).

We鈥檙e grateful to the SDA, now merged with the WSDA, for their continued partnership and trust. 黑料不打烊 and SDA both realize that we鈥檙e stronger together and will continue to collaborate to develop the sport across the board. Kevin Luzak has done and continues to do an incredible job chairing the SDA and providing the tour leadership and stability during these last few years especially.

National Championships and boosting participation are our current areas of focus, and supporting teaching pros in developing activity in their clubs and locally will follow on. We鈥檙e thankful to the entire doubles community for their commitment and willingness to help advance and grow the sport. We appreciate all those who volunteer to be part of supporting every level of the game.聽 Along those lines, I encourage anyone willing to get involved to do so. We鈥檙e thankful for Josh Schwartz鈥檚 many years of service as 黑料不打烊 Doubles Committee chair and are very fortunate to now have Steve Scharff serving in the leadership role as we look towards the future. 聽That future involves more activity, on more courts, with club and league play, inter-club and inter-city matches with deep histories, nationals of course, and the women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 pro tours with the popular pro-ams as a highlight for so many. These are all parts of the fabric of doubles which makes our connection to each other and the sport that much stronger.

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊

Dear Junior Players, Parents and Coaches,

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve your family鈥檚 experience in squash, we have continued to listen and learn from you.

Parents often express support, even appreciation, for the unique aspect of junior squash in which players work together to referee their peers immediately after competing against each other.聽We understand this intentional feature also creates challenges, but the greatest of these is not making the correct calls. Rather, it is enduring the reaction of parents and coaches, and sometimes the players, to the calls made through the best efforts of the referees.

Just as the players need to know what is expected of them on court, coaches, parents, officials and spectators all have a role to play in creating and sustaining the culture we want in squash.聽In the education of players and officials, emphasis is being placed on players making every effort to clear and deliver an unobstructed path to the ball, and for the striker to take a direct line to the ball. Referees must determine when a player has not appropriately cleared鈥攐r when the striker is not making his or her best effort to play the ball鈥攁nd penalize the offending player with a 鈥榮troke鈥� or 鈥榥o let鈥� call.

Officiating can often feel complicated, but the expectations for players are simple:

• make play as continuous as possible
• take a direct line to play your shot
• fully clear to allow your opponent to play

For coaches, fans and family members, the expectations are equally clear: cheer positively, let the players play, and allow the referees to perform their duties without interference. 黑料不打烊 will continue its efforts in rules and officiating education, work with the community to communicate clear expectations, and support sportsmanship at all accredited events both on and off the court.聽Enforcement of the Code of Conduct will also remain a priority for us, as will recognition for those who exemplify the ideals of sportsmanship we all strive to meet.

We encourage all parents and coaches to take the opportunity to model for your children how we should all behave in the moment鈥攂y showing respect for others, and by taking personal responsibility.聽If you are a parent who can鈥檛 control your own behavior while watching your child, remove yourself. If you鈥檙e a coach who struggles to refrain from coaching during play, recognize you are violating the rules, and simply don鈥檛 do it.

We all鈥敽诹喜淮蜢�, players, parents and coaches鈥攈ave a joint responsibility to ensure fair play and a positive experience at events, and to uphold the standards of sportsmanship that makes squash unique. This can only be achieved when the squash community shares common expectations. It is important for officials, players and spectators to uphold the highest standards of conduct, and that the rules of squash are understood.

Providing an enjoyable, healthy and safe environment at competitions remains our goal. Through our communications, and our actions, we intend to make our expectations clear, and also to be clear to the entire community that violations to our Code of Conduct will not be overlooked.

I look forward to seeing many of you at tournaments throughout the season, and encourage you to share your thoughts and input with me directly.

Kevin Klipstein
President & CEO, 黑料不打烊