During the 2013-14 season 20 students between the ages of 8 to 17 from 12 towns in the Greater Boston area participated in 21 hours of instructional squash clinics at the Murr Squash Center at Harvard University. Majority of the students were beginners who were new to the game and eager to learn a new sport.
The 9th season of Kidsquash season ran from October to March and covered various squash shots, etiquette, refereeing, marking, match play and concluded with an end of year tournament. Students made significant progress with their game, as demonstrated in the end of year tournament where they were divided into 2 round robin groups and some had long rallies – which they could not do at the start of the season. All 10 students in the tournament were able to receive prizes courtesy of Head, leaving them motivated for next season.
2014 Kidsquash Tournament Players and Coaches
Making Kidsquash happen is a team effort so, many thanks to Coach Bajwa, Founder of Kidsquash – though not visible at clinics his guidance and presence was much appreciated; Coaches – Hameed, Luke and Liam – thanks for your teaching and coaching throughout the season; Parents – many thanks for your generosity and bringing your children to the Murr Squash Center almost every week and Sponors – US Squash, Mass Squash, Harvard University, Head and Whole Foods Market.
For transparency and sustainability purposes here are some important figures to consider from the 2013-14 season. For the 21 hours of instruction provided to 20 students, Kidsquash raised $3,144. At approximately $150 per Kidsquash student, parents received $2100 of coaching value (had they received private, commercial instruction the average hourly rate would be $100 from qualified coaches). Hopefully, the value created through the Kidsquash program, will be sustained in the future by sponsors, donors and friends.
Explorations in Sport for Development and Peace 