CitySquashers Manuela Perez (Barnard), Andreina Benedith (F&M), Freddy Hernandez (F&M '14), Cris Margaret Frias (F&M), and Krista Lancione (F&M '15) at an F&M v.s. Columbia Match!

12 CitySquash college students just started the 2015-2016 squash season playing for their respective Varsity teams. At Franklin & Marshall, senior Cris Margaret Frias and sophomore Andreina Benedith started off the season with matches against Drexel, UVA, Columbia, and Bowdoin, where Andreina faced off against fellow CitySquasher Mariela Mendoza. Other college student-athletes include Bates junior Darrius Campbell, who is playing in the top three of the Bobcat’s ladder and has gone undefeated this season in matches against Stanford, Brown, and Wesleyan. Junior Andrew Cadienhead at Middlebury is also hoping to have a strong season as the Panthers look to jump into the top 16. Junior Felipe Pantle, and freshmen Gabe Garcia and Stacy Maceda will all play together this year on the Hobart and William Smith teams. Close to home, Fordham University freshman William Pantle won his first collegiate match against NYU playing at the home courts at Fordham with a CitySquash cheering squad! Lastly, junior Kingsley Amoako is looking to continue on the successes of former CitySquash and St. Lawrence teammate Chris Fernandez. We will be cheering for all of our college student-athletes this season, and can’t wait to see how they do in the upcoming season!

On November 19^th, 56 CitySquash mentors and mentees headed to the Upper West Side to Wang Chen’s Table Tennis Club for the fourth annual Mentor-Mentee Ping Pong Night. For a few of our 5th grade team members, this was the first time they were able to meet their mentor in-person, and for others it was another chance to catch-up with a longtime mentor and friend. In addition to battling it out on the ping-pong tables, our mentors and mentees bonded over pizza.  CitySquash is very lucky to have such a dedicated and caring group of mentors. Thank you to all who attended and for your help in supporting our team members!

Last Sunday, nine runners completed the 2015 TCS NYC Marathon as part of CitySquash’s 2015 Marathon Team. Our runners spent months training to run the 26.2 miles while simultaneously fundraising for CitySquash. In total, the group has raised over $29,000 for CitySquash. On race day, CitySquash staff and students traveled to mile three in Brooklyn and mile 22 in the Bronx to support our runners. Fifth grader Emani and ninth grader Sh-Kyrah got the chance to cheer on their mentors, and all of the team members were excited to give high-fives to CitySquash Brooklyn’s Director of Squash Kathryn Brummer, and CitySquash’s Executive Director, Terence Li, who were part of the Marathon Team!

Congratulations to all of our runners: Kathryn Brummer, Joycee Darby, Kyla Harrington, Ally Huchro, Geer LeBoutillier, Terence Li, Ryan Mitchell, Niko Riefkohl, Edward Staunton!  Thank you for your hard work on behalf of CitySquash and thanks to all who supported the 2015 CitySquash Marathon Team!

On Sunday, October 25^th 170  CitySquash team members, parents, mentors, supporters, and volunteers came to CitySquash’s home-base in the Bronx at Fordham University for a day of sports, competition, and fun at the 5^th Annual Black & Orange Day!  With team members and supporters from both the Bronx and Brooklyn programs, this year’s Black & Orange was the largest to-date. Participants were split into teams and competed on the squash courts, in relay races and soccer, and in a strategy competition called The Circle Challenge. The CitySquash field day was a fun way to introduce new volunteers to the program, our students and their families. Photos from the day can be found in the gallery and on our Facebook page. Thank you to all who participated and congratulations to this year’s winners, the Black team!

Over the past few weeks, eight CitySquashers have started their first year at independent day and boarding schools, and 12 CitySquashers have headed off to their freshman year of college. Since CitySquash’s launch in 2002, 57 CitySquash students have been admitted to selective independent schools, and 50 CitySquashers have been admitted to selective colleges throughout the country. Good luck to these team members as they settle into their new schools.

Independent Schools  

Caleb Boateng – Brunswick School

Victoria Haghighi – Brooks School

Alexander Lorenzo – Eaglebrook School

Christopher Lucero – Loomis Chaffee

Tanya Mendoza – Tabor Academy

Dylan Ram – Fordham Preparatory School

Juan Santos – Poly Prep Country Day

Xitlali Zuniga – Westover School  

Colleges

Miguel Betances – Niagara University

Nicole Cedeno – SUNY Geneseo

Leondre Damil – Monroe College

Gabriel Garcia – Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Elaine Hualoto – Westchester Community College

Michael Kelly – St. Lawrence University

Stacy Maceda – Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Allan Mendez – New York City College of Technology

Mariela Mendoza – Bowdoin College

William Pantle – Fordham University

Laura Polanco – Lafayette College

Julian Wilmore – New York City College of Technology

Sixty-nine CitySquash team members travelled to Williams and Amherst Colleges this past weekend for the 13th annual Urban Individual Nationals. CitySquash team members competed alongside over 400 other urban squash players in the largest Urban Individual Nationals to date. In the end, our Bronx players made it to the finals of six of the eight divisions, and CitySquah came away with the BU13, BU15, and GU17 titles. At Williams, middle-schooler Caleb Boateng came away with the BU13 title after edging fellow CitySquash teammate, Jesse Brew, in a thrilling five-game final. Dylan Ram captured the BU15 title after taking on fellow CitySquasher, Axel Michaca in the finals. Competing at Amherst, CitySquash team member Tyla McKenzie captured her third consecutive Urban Individual title with a win in the GU17 division, and William Pantle was a finalist in the B19 division. The weekend also included a NUSEA-sponsored writing and art competitions in which CitySquash 6^th grader Alex Garces was runner-up in the BU13 art contest. Congratulations to all CitySquash team members who competed this past weekend and thank you to NUSEA and US Squash for organizing a great event.

Bryan Patterson, CitySquash’s Director of Squash, and a group of CitySquash team members and supporters have embarked on a bike ride from Los Angeles to Chicago along Historic Route 66. In total, the route is over 2,000 miles long and will take approximately four weeks to complete. Riding alongside Bryan is a cohort of supporters and three CitySquash students – Cristian Escalona (Episcopal High School ’16), Jeremy Carrasquillo (Suffield Academy ’16), and Karina Lazaro (Tabor Academy ’16). Following their departure on June 7^th from Los Angeles, Bryan and his gang have camped in small towns throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Their journey will conclude on July 7^th in Chicago. If you are interested in supporting CitySquash on The Route 66 Fundraiser Ride, you can make a donation through the link above. Thanks to all who have already supported The Ride!

On Tuesday November 28^th, over 30 parents joined their children on the squash courts for CitySquash’s first Parent Squash Night. Parents and team members were divided into two teams for a variety of activities: three-quarter court, offense-defense, and squash lessons. Many parents quickly realized that the sport is not as easy as it looks! In addition to learning more about squash, parents and students were also able to enjoy some snacks and socialize with other CitySquashers and their parents from all grades. Thank you to all who attended and helped out!

On November 20^th, 60 CitySquash mentors and mentees headed to the Upper West Side to Chen Wang’s Table Tennis Club for the third annual mentor-mentee ping pong event. For many of our 5th grade team members, this was the first time that they were able to meet their mentees in-person. In addition to battling it out on the ping-pong tables, our mentors and mentees bonded over pizza, and had the chance to meet the club’s owner, Chen Wang, who was a bronze medalist in table tennis in the 2008 Olympics. Thank you to all who attended and for your help in supporting our team members!