Fall Update From The Coaches

What a time we live in. The last six months have been a rollercoaster for everyone. We hope all of you are safe and healthy.

Before we share some updates, we want to thank you all for your continued support. We are so humbled not only to have hit our last year’s fundraising goal ($81,000) but to have raised a total of $125,867! In the middle of a pandemic at a time when several college athletic programs are under scrutiny, your generosity is invaluable to the program. Thank you.

While we were lucky to finish our season in the spring, this coming year looks to be quite a bit more challenging. As you probably have heard, the Ivy League has cancelled fall competition. Only our four American first-years will be on campus this fall and many upperclassmen are taking a leave of absence this year. There is still, however, a chance of a condensed winter / spring season; we’ll see.

Welcome Class Of 2024!

Despite the circumstances, we are excited to welcome our Class of 2024: Ido Burstein, Serena Daniel, Binney Huffman, Marina Stefanoni and Conner Stolz.

This is an incredibly accomplished class with interesting stories. You can get to know our first-years by clicking on their names above and accessing their GoCrimson bios. They will have an unprecedented first semester at Harvard but we are committed to making their experiences as meaningful and valuable as possible.

Will There Be A Season? What’s Happening With College Squash?

These are all questions we’d love to have an answer for.

The CSA is still hopeful that we will have a season that would start in early 2021. We will let you know as soon as we know more.

Another concern in the past few months has been the number of cancelled varsity programs across the country. Brown’s, Stanford’s and George Washington’s varsity squash programs have all been eliminated.

The reasons vary from school to school and we hope that there will not be any more bad news on this front. The entire squash community is concerned and is doing everything it can to avoid further damage. You can read more about CSA’s, US Squash’s & SEA’s coordinated efforts on CSA’s website.

While squash and athletics feel quite insignificant in relation to everything the world is going through at the moment, we are actively participating on different boards & committees and trying to help the sport and our student-athletes in every way we can. The coaches will participate in a new DHA initiative called “Grow, Play, Achieve”. This effort will engage the entire undergraduate population in recreational sports and wellness activities during the fall semester. Some coaches will offer introductory classes on sports, fitness and life-skills. Coaches will also connect directly with students to form relationships and encourage them to take advantage of these resources. The squash coaches will meet with 100+ students and will offer several programs ranging from introductory squash lessons (once the courts open up) to mental skills training and more. The department has also formed a Task Force on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, and Asst. Coach Luke Hammond will co-chair the Recruiting Subcommittee within it. We are trying to make the most out of this difficult situation.

We wish all of you the best this fall. We’ll keep you updated about the upcoming year and potential squash season.

Be safe & stay healthy!

Best,
Mike, Hameed, Luke & Beth