Last weekend, CitySquash held the first annual CitySquash Closed Tournament for its elementary and middle school students. 58 CitySquash students competed in the two day tournament which culminated Sunday evening in four tough fought finals. CitySquash’s founder, Sanford Schwartz, was at hand to watch the finals and present the awards. Director of Squash, Bryan Patterson, noted “it’s amazing that this is the first year we have held a closed championships but it surely wont be the last.” All of the competitors should be proud of the work they put in training for the tournament and the results they achieved last weekend. Results of the finals are below. Congratulations to all!

Boys elementary school: Hugo Barroso def. Axel Michaca (3-0)

Girls elementary school: Xitlali Zuniga def. Karla Dominguez (3-0)

Boys middle school: Billy Fleurima def. Jeremy Carrasquillo (3-1)

Girls middle school: Maria Serrano def. Alexandra Limas (3-2)

CitySquash’s local eighth, ninth, and tenth graders spent their mid-winter break studying Immigration in New York City. The week began as our students watched the 2002 Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York, introducing us to a very chaotic time period in American history. Afterwards, our students had a fruitful discussion on the major themes we would be encountering over the week: the tension between nativists and foreigners, the challenges and opportunities facing immigrants in the 19th century and beyond, and the chaotic building of democracy across ethnic, political, and socioeconomic lines. On Tuesday, our students headed down to the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side for an interactive tour of a preserved tenement building. After our students grappled with the question of “What is an American?”, we had the chance for a little role playing: we took on the part of an immigrant Russian Jewish family seeking a place to live in the 1916 New York City. On Wednesday, the Bronx Historical Society came by the learning center to present on the history of immigration in the Bronx, with a specific focus on the movements of Hispanic people in the 20th Century. Our week culminated with an in-class writing assignment in which our students were asked to write on two essay questions, reflecting on the lessons they learned.

CitySquash 5th graders spent their mid-winter break visiting several different types of museums around Manhattan. On Monday, they toured the Museum of Jewish Heritage, to supplement their completion of the book, Number The Stars. After the guided tour, students met an elderly husband and wife, both of whom survived the Holocaust in Poland. On Tuesday, CitySquashers had a fun-filled though tiresome day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their favorite section of the museum was the New American Wing, because they had studied Emanuel Leutze’s piece Washington Crossing the Delaware in school earlier in the month. On Wednesday, students toured the Museum of Art and Design with artist Manuel Acevedo. After the tour he guided them in a hands-on art-making workshop. Finally, on Thursday, students visited El Museo del Barrio in Harlem, and had a guided tour of their newest exhibition, entitled “VOCES Y VISIONES: Gran Caribe.”

For the second straight year, CitySquash won four titles at the Urban Team Nationals which were held last weekend at our home courts at Fordham University and the StreetSquash Center in Harlem. CitySquash won the boys and girls under 13 divisions as well as the girls under 15 division. CitySquash high schooler, Marisela Palafox, won the girls under 19 essay competition for her essay on perseverance.

The tournament was a huge success in general, bringing together over 300 participants from ten NUSEA member organizations. The tournament was also the first time CitySquash hosted a tournament in its new facility at Fordham University. Congratulations to the CitySquash teams and all the competitors for a great weekend of squash!

William Pantle and Darrius Campbell won their first tournament of the season at the Vassar College Junior Classic. Traveling to the tournament from their respective boarding schools, The Hill School and Blair Academy, William and Darrius proved that they were already in top form for the coming season. William stormed through the boys under 15 division winning the title without dropping a game. Darrius went down to the wire, winning the finals of the boys under 17 in five games. We wish Darrius and William all the best for the coming season!

Over the weekend of October 1, CitySquash held its 1st Annual Black & Orange Day. The day was a huge success, bringing together over 100 members of the CitySquash family – students, parents, supporters, volunteers, staff and Board members – to participate in a fun-filled day of friendly competitions. The 100 participants were split into fourteen teams – seven black and seven orange – and competed in events such as squash, basketball, relay races and moccer (soccer with an inflatable exercise ball), to name a few.
 
The goal of the day was simple, bring together as many members of the CitySquash family as possible and have fun. After seeing first-time volunteers mingling with Board members and students playing squash against mentors, it was apparent this goal had been reached. CitySquash would like to thank all those who participated in the 1st Annual Black & Orange Day and helped make the event such a success. We look forward to a bigger and better Black & Orange Day next year.

Over the weekend of October 8th, four CitySquash team members made the trip from the Bronx to Hanover, NH for the 2011 Fall Foliage Squash Tournament at Dartmouth College. Robert Williams, Billy Fleurima, Andrew Cadienhead and Katiria Sanchez represented themselves and the organization well on and off the court, showing a fierce competitive spirit and ideal sportsmanship.
 
The highlight of the tournament came from Andrew Cadienhead as he won the boys under 17 age division. Having gone into the tournament as an unknown threat, the unseeded Cadienhead fought off two top-20 nationally ranked players to win the title. Andrew’s skill was matched only by his humility and sportsmanship. All of our competitors can be proud of their performances. We are looking forward to more success as the season continues.

On Monday, October 10th, local CitySquash high schoolers enjoyed a cultural outing to the High Line Park in Manhattan. The students met earlier in the day to talk about the history of the park–which is built on an old elevated railway along the west side of the island–as well as the importance of public space in an urban environment. After a self-guided walking tour that checked out the various sights and public art installations on the park, the students broke off to write on the key question of the day: As a citizen of New York City, why is public space important to you? As one CitySquasher put it, “Without public spaces, people would be isolated and prohibited from places where they can learn and explore.”

Peter Feldman, CitySquash’s Director of High School Academics and College Prep, reports on his visits with a few of CitySquash’s college students:
 
The three CitySquasher’s at St. Lawrence are settling into their Freshman year. Seetreeon Torres ’15 and Chris Fernandez ’15 completed the rigorous HEOP Summer Program that has prepared them well for their first semester. Seetreeon in particular has been working hard on his writing and reports that he loves his Gender and Society class. Alija Hogans ’15 is his usual energetic self and was proud of a paper he reworked into his best grade of the semester so far. Chris is juggling preparing for the squash season with baseball workouts as well-he made the team and hopes to see some time as a freshman. All three will be part of a strong Men’s Squash Team that has aspirations to finish in the Top 10 in the country.
 
Over at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Jose Alvarez ’13 and Edgardo Gonzales ’13 continue to enjoy college life in Geneva, NY. Jose, a History major, is excited to be taking a class on Post-1945 Europe, while Edgardo, a Psychology major, is focused on gearing up for the squash season. He recounted a recent training run with the team that ended in a swim in Lake Seneca. Both boys are members of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity as well as on the board for the Latin American Students Association.
 
Finally, Jesse Pacheco ’14 continues to flourish at Cornell University. She is excited to be taking both Marketing and Visual Arts classes, eyeing a possible career in advertising. She was also busy with preseason training and is excited about a Big Read team that will be adding some considerable Freshman talent to an already strong squad.

CitySquashers, Santiago Moran, Billy Fleurima, Robert Williams, Axel Michaca, and Hugo Barroso had a weekend full of squash at the Bare Hills Gold Tournament in Baltimore, MD. Over the weekend of September 9-11, CitySquash coach Esteban Espinal headed south with 5 team members in tow to taste the first of the season’s competition in Baltimore. Seventh grader Billy Fleurima won the BU 13 Consolations, while Axel, Hugo, and Santiago earned their own victories by virtue of competing in their first Gold tournament ever. In addition to the tournament itself, CitySquashers had the chance to spend time with other urban squashers from CitySquash’s sister program in Baltimore, SquashWise. The 5 boys, along with Esteban, were graciously hosted by the family of SquashWise staff member, Matt Skarzynski. Also included in the weekend was a visit to the SquashWise facility and a hit-around with that team’s players. All in all, the CitySquash team is off to an exciting start to what is sure to be a busy and exciting season!