Temple University Campus Recreation<\/a>, the club is open to all students interested in the fast-paced racket sport.\u00a0<\/p>\nIt is the result of more than two years of collaboration between Temple students and staff, Campus Recreation, and SquashSmarts, a nonprofit academic and athletic mentoring program based in Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a squash player myself, I am delighted that squash enthusiasts at Temple now have an official club to bring them together,\u201d said Temple President John Fry. \u201cSquash is not just a game; it teaches lifelong skills like resilience, patience and discipline. The club\u2019s partnership with SquashSmarts makes this even more meaningful. I look forward to seeing the squash community grow at Temple and hopefully grow into an intercollegiate program for our women and men to compete at a national level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In July, Temple and SquashSmarts finalized an agreement establishing the club and its home at the Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships, located at 3890 N. 10th St., where members will have access to eight regulation squash courts during the academic year at one of the city\u2019s premier community squash facilities. Operated by North 10, and the home and headquarters for SquashSmarts, the Lenfest Center serves as a hub for youth development, education and squash programming throughout Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to see this vision become a reality,\u201d said John Doman, senior director of campus recreation at Temple University. \u201cThe Temple Squash Club represents more than the addition of a new sport. SquashSmarts has built an outstanding organization centered on mentorship, academic success and the power of sport to transform lives, and we are excited to bring that model to Temple through this partnership. Together, we are creating new opportunities for students to build community, develop leadership skills and find a sense of belonging. Those experiences strengthen student success, support well-being and enrich the overall Temple experience.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
More than 25 students have already expressed interest in the club, according to McCormick, who runs the club with three other student leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love about squash is that all ages can play,\u201d added McCormick. \u201cI started playing in seventh grade, but I know people in their 70s who play. Squash is also just a welcoming sport. Philadelphia is a huge squash city, and I knew people would be drawn toward this idea of a club if we had a plan.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
The new club also reflects the strong and long-standing relationship between Temple and Philadelphia\u2019s squash community. Currently, 20 students from SquashSmarts and other Squash and Education Alliance programs are currently enrolled at Temple, creating a natural foundation for the sport\u2019s continued growth on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTemple University has long been an important destination for many of our students after graduation,\u201d said Stephen Gregg, executive director of SquashSmarts. \u201cCreating an on-campus collegiate squash pathway strengthens that connection and provides another opportunity for young people to remain engaged in the sport while continuing their education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Temple Squash Club welcomes players of all experience levels, from beginners interested in learning the game to experienced players seeking collegiate competition. The club is expected to compete in College Squash Association club events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe creation of the Temple Squash Club is exactly the kind of collaboration that continues to move collegiate squash forward,\u201d said Lovey Roundtree, director of expansion for the College Squash Association. \u201cTemple University, SquashSmarts and their student leaders have invested tremendous time and energy into making this vision a reality. We are excited to support the club as it grows and to welcome Temple into the expanding community of collegiate squash.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
McCormick is eager to get out on the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to get started and help the club grow,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goal is to create a collective community of students here at Temple who like squash and want to play the game together.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When avid squash player Quincy McCormick arrived at Temple two years ago, he struggled to find people to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[69,71,70],"class_list":["post-274660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}