This past weekend, CitySquash competed in the Urban Team National Championships in New York City. Over 500 urban squash players from 21 national and international programs came together for the annual event that is put on by the Squash + Education Alliance. Despite the depth of competition, CitySquash prevailed in three out of the eight championship divisions at the tournament!

 

Congratulations to our CitySquash BU17, GU15, and BU13 teams for bringing home the hardware. CitySquash has now won a record 96 Urban National Titles in its 16-year history!

 

See below for the winning teams from the weekend:

 

 

The BU13 Team Champions were comprised of a mix of Brooklyn and Bronx team members: (L to R) Dominik, Randy, Jesus, Diego, and Alexis.

 

 

The BU17 team (L to R) of David, Jesse, Dylan, Yoskart, and Anthony.

 

 

The GU15 team (L to R) of Brianna, Dalia, Giselle, Kimberly, and Madelein edged out CitySquash’s “B” team for first place!

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 16^th 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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a snowy Saturday, energetic 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade students from our Bronx and Brooklyn sites entered the doors of the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company in Gowanus. After some time perusing the capes, masks, and “heroic gauntlet gloves,” our students opened a secret door to reveal the real reason for their visit: the 826 NYC Writing Center. One of six innovative “store”/writing center combinations founded by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari across the country, 826 NYC’s mission is to encourage the exploration of endless possibility through the power of writing.

 

 

CitySquash team members each helped to write the last few pages of a story about a kid named Black Vengeance who was searching for his/her missing parents. An artist followed along and even created illustrations for the books. Each student was able to take home a physical book that contributed their own creative ending. Many thank to our awesome program leader Nico and all the staff and students who traveled during the snowy weather for making it an afternoon to remember.

 

 

 

 

This past weekend’s Battle of Brooklyn was a smashing success. On Friday, the Heights Casino hosted the kickoff event with a fierce and fun Doubles Competition on the newly-renovated doubles court. Then on Sunday, over 70 competitors convened at Poly Prep for the final day of Singles Competition to decide which team would earn the title of Overall Squash Champion.

 

Several matches came down to the wire and were decided by a 5-4 score line. In the end, Team Doherty prevailed in the final against Founder’s Team.

 

On the fundraising side, the Brooklyn Beasts, captained by Mike & Christina Gantcher, defended their title from a year ago by raising $25K for their team, edging No Ball Left Behind, led by Silvia Campo & David Hermer, who raised $22K for the cause.

 

In total, $105K was raised by all teams, more than tripling the fundraising total from the inaugural event a year ago. These funds will help ensure that we are able to continue to grow our Brooklyn operations while pushing our team members to fulfill their full potential. As student speaker Giana McIntosh said, “CitySquash is far more than just an after-school program. It has given me a second chance, it has given me opportunities, and most importantly it has given me a second family.”

 

Special thanks to our wonderful facility hosts, The Heights Casino and Poly Prep, as well as our other incredible team captains–Jess & Peter Nicol, Laura Trevelyan & Toby Goldston, Peter Kelly, Buzz Doherty, Sanford Schwartz, Ambriel Bostic, and Sarah & Spencer Robertson.

 

See below for some of our favorite pictures from the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maria and Genesis at the college send-off dinner

 

 

 

With the school year underway and full programming ramping up in the Bronx and Brooklyn, we’d like to “shout-out” our incoming college and high school students as they step onto their new campuses. 

 

Incoming College Students:		School:
Carlen Basdeo		York College
Billy Fleurima		SUNY Buffalo State
Alexandra Limas		St. Lawrence University
Genesis Lara		Mt. Holyoke College
Nicole Lara		Mt. Holyoke College
Antonio Mendez		Canisius College
Joana Pacheco		Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Maria Serrano		Marist College
Bianca Troche		St. Lawrence University
Incoming High School Students:		School:
Elizabeth Barroso		Westover School
Carmela Carter		Tabor Academy
Maury Escalona		Eaglebrook School
Alexander Lorenzo		Mercersburg Academy
Leo Lucero		Rectory School
Anthony Cruz
Roberto Cruz
Jason Flores
Alexander Garces
Fatima Hernandez
Dalia Hipolito
Alan Lopez
Billy Mendez
Xitlaly Santos
Jesse Sarfo Brew

BP, William, and Felipe

    

 

In June, CitySquash Director of Squash, Bryan Patterson, embarked on his third biking trip with a group of CitySquash high school and college students. The group left on June 5^thand biked from Seattle to San Diego along the Pacific coast. In addition to Bryan, CitySquash students Karina Lazaro, Joana Pacheco, Darrius Campbell, Felipe Pantle, and William Pantle participated in the ride. Both Felipe and Karina are experienced riders, having gone on Bryan’s previous bike trips. Felipe biked from San Francisco to the Bronx in 2011 while Karina travelled from LA to Chicago along Route 66 in 2015.This year’s West Coast route contained terrific scenery, breathtaking views, and exciting chances to meet up with other urban squash programs. The group was hosted by SquashDrive in San Francisco, Santa Barbara School of Squash in Santa Barbara, and Access Youth Academy in San Diego. The group returned to the Bronx on June 30^th after biking more than 1400 miles. Thank you to all who supported and helped make this incredible experience possible! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hugo Barroso, one of CitySquash's newest Urban National Champions!

 

 

The CitySquash team spent the weekend of June 16th at the Urban Individual National Championships at Amherst and Williams Colleges, where nearly 500 urban squash players from 21 national and international programs took part. Despite the depth of competition, CitySquash won 4 out of the 8 championship divisions at the tournament!

 

Congratulations to Lizbeth Barroso, Caleb Boateng, Hugo Barroso and Joana Pacheco for bringing home the championship hardware. CitySquash has now won a record 93 Urban National Titles in its 15-year history! Additionally, Jesse Brew was the recipient of the Future Stars Award, which is given annually to one urban squash player in the 8th grade who best exemplifies the values of urban squash. Congratulations to all CitySquash team members who competed over the weekend!

 

Lizbeth Barroso – GU13 Urban National Champion
Caleb Boateng – BU15 Urban National Champion
Hugo Barroso – BU17 Urban National Champion
Joana Pacheco – GU19 Urban National Champion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This spring, over 50 team members traveled to Vermont, New Orleans, Boston, and Virginia as part of CitySquash’s annual Spring Enrichment Tours! They spent their trips hiking the mountains in Vermont, holding alligators in New Orleans, touring all of Boston, and visiting the home of Thomas Jefferson in Virginia. Our team members enjoyed exploring many new places and going on new adventures with memories that will last them forever. In total, CitySquash team members have now traveled to 13 countries and 31 states. Thank you to all who make these trips possible.

 

Please see student reflections detailing their unforgettable experiences below!

 

 

Elementary School Trip to Vermont:

“The fifth grade went to the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont. We got a really nice person to show us around. We saw the big tubes where they put the ice cream. Fun fact: the workers that try the ice cream eat about 1 whole tub of ice cream a day. We got to taste samples of the cookies and milk flavor. Finally, when that was over Micah and Al were so sweet and let us choose our own ice cream.”

-Ashley, 5^th Grade

 

 

Middle School Trip to New Orleans:

“We spent a lot of time on the road and we heard the country song ‘On the Road Again’ so many times on the trip. One day we were on the road for 19 hrs.  But we took breaks and we eventually made it to Tennessee where I built a tent for the first time. From there we traveled to many different states and learned about them all. We went lots of cool places, met lots of new people and tried lots of new food, like oysters. It was fun to watch everyone’s reactions as they tried them. We had such a great time; we laughed a lot, got to know each other much better, and experienced so many new things.”

-Celeste, 7^th Grade

 

 

High School Trip to Boston:

“As I reflect on the spring tour to Boston, I can’t believe how much I did in a short three days. Our first stop at the New Balance headquarters was amazing. I learned so much from how a shoe is designed, to how the company decides which shoes are released. The employees there were so nice and it was very generous of them to give us all a pair of sneakers. Our next stop on our whirlwind tour was Harvard University, where we meet our host Mr. Columbia. He made sure we had every opportunity to see and do as much as we could in Boston. We went on a duck boat tour, saw a Matisse exhibit, and went on a private tour of Fenway Park where I saw my first Red Sox game. We saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D, which is one of my absolute favorite memories of the trip. We took a water taxi ride and went to the aquarium where we got to touch stingrays. We also had very delicious meals. My favorite meal was breakfast at the Harvard Club. I’m still dreaming about those Nutella pancakes. Another unforgettable experience was going to MIT and meeting the former number one player Thierry Lincou. He told us about his way to the top and gave us great advice on how to be the best squash player. There is so much history in Boston and I felt like I really got to know the city well, and I can’t wait to return. I really appreciate CitySquash and Mr. Columbia for these opportunities.”
-Tita, 9^th Grade

 

 

CitySquash Brooklyn Trip to Charlottesville:

“My favorite part of the Spring Tour trip was learning about Thomas Jefferson when we visited Monticello, the house that he designed and lived in. Our tour did a good job of teaching us about the slavery there and I learned that Thomas Jefferson had children with a slave named Sally Hemings. Even though it’s a hard subject to talk about, it is important to remember all the good and bad parts of our founding fathers. As my coach said, ‘slavery happened and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it.’ That really stuck with me and this trip gave me a new perspective on this topic.”
-Judah, 5th Grade

 

 

 

 

Boarding school bound CitySquashers

 

 

 

The admissions season has brought with it exciting news that four more CitySquash team members have been admitted to private high schools! Below is the list of the team members and their school acceptances. Alex Lorenzo will be the first to attend Mercersburg Academy since current staff member and CitySquash alum, Lanique Rhyne, graduated from there in 2012. Leo Lucero and Carmelia Carter will be joining current CitySquash students Dainalee Velez and Tanya Mendoza at Rectory School and Tabor Academy, respectively. Maury Escalona will be the third CitySquasher to attend Eaglebrook School. It total, 67 CitySquash team members have been admitted to selective private high schools. Congratulations to our team members and thank you to all of our supporters for making it possible.
 

Carmelia Carter – Tabor Academy
Maury Escalona – Eaglebrook School
Alex Lorenzo – Mercersburg Academy
Leo Lucero – Rectory School

 

CitySquashers learning from George Ughetta in Chess Club

 

 

To further our “healthy bodies & healthy minds” philosophy, CitySquash recently launched a Chess Club for our middle school team members. Over 30 CitySquashers were introduced to the basics of the game through a six week workshop this winter. Since then, students who have shown particular interest have been able to learn more advanced strategies through private lessons with experienced chess player and CitySquash volunteer, George Ughetta. It has been wonderful to provide students with a different medium through which they can develop problem solving skills. Some CitySquashers are now even preparing for a City-Wide Chess tournament this spring. Squash and chess have often drawn comparisons as being games for “thinkers.” If that is the case, look for some new CitySquash accolades on the horizon!