Last Thursday, CitySquash team members, families, and supporters came together for the 13th annual CitySquash talent show. The event was hosted by alumni Cris Margaret Frias (Franklin & Marshall ’16) and Lanique Rhyne (Lehman College ’16) and showcased talents included singing, dancing, drumming, and even some original songwriting. As always, the talent show also served as the official welcome ceremony for CitySquash’s new third and sixth grade team members. The night ended with the staff performing “Coach Bryan Patterson,” a riff on the song “Alexander Hamilton” and a singalong of “CitySquash Rock” with new lyrics by 4th graders Stephany, Berenisse, and Ashley. Below are those lyrics as well as some of our favorite pictures from the night!
CitySquash Rock
Lyrics by Stephany, Berenisse, and Ashley
CitySquash, CitySquash
CitySquash rock
CitySquash swing
And CitySquash king
Hitting and swinging
Up bounces the ball
Now the squash game
Has begun
CitySquash,
CitySquash
CitySquash rock
CitySquash sport
On the CitySquash court
Stepping and lunging
In Fordham’s courts
Above the line it goes
Parent squash night
It’s the right time
To swing the night away
CitySquash time
Is a sport time
To start boasting
On the backhand side
Hurry up everybody
Pick up your racket
Swinging around the court
Serve and return
And back to the T
That’s the CitySquash,
That’s the CitySquash,
That’s the CitySquash rock
Coach Bryan Patterson
Lyrics by Peter Feldman
How does a Brit bloke, Bryan, son of a May and a
Dougie, Dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the County Durham, England by providence foregone
Grow up to be the squash coach we all count on?
The coffee drinking, proud father and grandfather
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder
By being a lot smarter
By being a self starter,
By age 12, he started his long journey as a squasher
And every day while friends were playing footy, he started
To glance across the waves, at a former Brit colony
Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of
The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter
Then tournaments came, and competition reigned
Our man saw his future that could not be constrained
Put a racquet in his left hand, connected it to his brain
On court, a hurricane, or a runaway freight train
Well the word got around, they said “this kid is insane, man”
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland
“Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came,”
And the world’s gonna know your name. What’s your name, man?
Coach Bryan Patterson
My name is Coach Bryan Patterson
And there’s a million things I haven’t done
Just you wait…just you wait
As a U19, won the Drysdale Cup, the youngest ever
Years later, see BP in the Euro Cup, much better
Hittin’ balls, across four walls, he stood tall
Backhanded drop shots, his opponents would fall
Moved on to the professionals, reached as high as 16th in the world
But he had a mentor side, something new inside
A voice saying “BP you gotta fend for yourself”
He startin retreatin’ and readin’ the coaching books on the shelf
There would have been
Nothing left to do
For someone less astute
He would woulda been dead or
Destitute
Without a cent of restitution
Stared working, clerking
For the Brooklyn Heights Casino
Then to Philly in Chestnut Hill,
Coaching kids, watch him go
Scammin’ for every lesson he can get his hands on
Plannin’ for the future
See him now as he sits in the
Drivers seat of run down old van
In the Bronx you can be a new man
In the Bronx, you can be a new man
In the Bronx, you can be a new man
CitySquash really needs a new van!
CitySuqash…needs a new van!
Coach Bryan Patterson
Kids are waiting on the courts for you
You could never back down
You love to make them RUNNNN!
Coach Bryan Patterson
When CitySquash sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game?
The world will never be the same
The van is in the parking lot
See if you can spot him
Another immigrant comin’ up from the squash world
He took kids on trips across the world
No one was forgotten
LANIQUE AND CM: We played for him
CHRIS: Me? I coached with him
MICAH: Me? I fought with him
CALEB: Me? I annoyed him
PETER: And me? And I’m the friend who wrote this rap for him!
There’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait!
What’s your name man?
Coach Bryan Patterson!
