Schools on Mission to grow squash
By Squash Mad Reporter
The inaugural NorCal High School Team Championships took place at Bay Club Santa Clara in Northern California. Twelve school teams participated in an action-packed weekend of squash culminating in a final that was very closely fought between teams from Los Gatos Squash Club and Mission High School. Mission HS won by four matches to three.
It has been a long road to put together a school-based event in Northern California. No school in NorCal has their own squash courts and so school teams rely on private clubs to support their school program initiatives. Eight of the teams comprised players from one school, while four teams were club-based.
Nueva School was the standout pure High School Team, finishing fourth of 12. Nueva team captain, Juliette Love, explained that to get from a group of mostly just curious beginners who had never seen a squash court before to a successful squash team in just two years has been an interesting and rewarding experience.
Nueva is the only school in Northern California to incorporate squash into their school program and they were excited to see the rewards as they finished first of the true High School Teams.
Mission High School (right), who are the first winners of the event, are also excited as thy are not normally associated with sporting success.
They are now hoping that this championship will breed a full High School team next season.
Seniors Palak and Purvi Goel, both of whom will attend Brown next year, are proud that they can leave the school knowing that the success of this weekend will mean that a squash club is now viable at their school.
Next season NorCal squash hope to grow the School Program and create a fully sanctioned HS League with a view to sending school teams to the HS Nationals. This is a very real possibility if the participation and enthusiasm of this weekend can be harnessed.
Thanks to Bay Club Squash Directors, Jon Perry, Gareth Webber and Kim Clearkin for organizing this event and to NorCal Squash for sponsoring.
We are now looking forward to building on this success and to making 2015 even better.