URBAN SQUASH AND EDUCATION GOES NATIONAL

Little did SquashBusters know when it came to life ten years ago that the program would be used as a model for replication in many other cities. But this indeed is what is now happening across the country. StreetSquash in Harlem (est. 1999), SquashSmarts in Philadelphia (est. 2001), and CitySquash in the Bronx (est. 2002) are the three most prominent examples of this, but exciting young start-ups are also underway in Washington, D.C. with SquashEmpower and D.C. Squash Academy, Poughkeepsie, NY with KidzSquash and in Chicago with MetroSquash. Collectively, our programs touch the lives of between 300-400 young people, week in and week out. The potential is greater since more cities have both vacant squash courts and idle kids in close proximity to each other. San Francisco, Providence and New Haven are, to varying degrees, in conversation about starting programs.

Urban Squash is clearly riding a wave. The questions are 'how to keep riding it well?' and 'how to encourage and inspire others to hop on board?'. Last July the Executive Directors of the four most established programs,Greg Zaff (SquashBusters), George Polsky (StreetSquash), Tim Wyant (CitySquash) and Steve Gregg (SquashSmarts), met in New York City and decided it was time to more formally unify their programs under some type of association umbrella for the purposes of program learning, improvement and growth. Several meetings followed, new members Board Chair Bill Simon Jr. and Kevin Klipstein, US Squash CEO, joined the team, and the creation of the National Urban Squash and Education Association is now underway. The Association's mission is "to support and ensure excellence among existing programs and promote and initiate the growth of similar programs in new cities."

The Association's first initiative has been to create a member organization whereby programs, new and old, must satisfy 16 explicit criteria to join. The criteria, taken together, represent the Association's definition of an excellent urban squash/education youth program. They are born out of SquashBusters' 10 years of experience and evaluation as well as the almost 20 years of combined knowledge and learning of StreetSquash, CitySquash and SquashSmarts. Programs are approved for provisional membership by the new Association after they satisfy the criteria through a written proposal and by passing a two-day site visit. Provisional membership includes an initial $10,000 grant paid for by US Squash with funds raised during the Centennial Ball after the approval by the new Association. Membership also carries the benefit of technical support, US Squash endorsement and the invitation to compete in the Association's two national events, the Urban Team and Urban Individual Championships.

Beginning this fall, the Association will expand its focus to author a best practices white paper, convene learning forums for program staff and board members on topics such as evaluation, student selection, fundraising, academic curricula, college counseling, and board recruitment. Additionally, the Association will seek to identify new cities suitable to receive financial and technical support based on the requirements outlined in the application process such as requisite number of squash courts, available classroom space, and a demonstrated community and financial backing. After selection, the Association will work with people from a start-up city to find a passionate, skilled Executive Director to run the new program. The program and the Executive Director will then receive ongoing guidance and resources of the Association every step of the way. Stay tuned for more updates on the National Urban Squash and Education Association. For more information, visit www.us-squash.org and click on "Urban Squash & Education". Great things are to come!