Celebrating The Power and Passion of Women in Squash

More than 50 women came out on March 7, 2025 for International Women’s Day to celebrate Open Squash’s thriving women’s community! 

Squash, often hailed as one of the most physically demanding sports, is experiencing a surge in female participation and enthusiasm around the world. It's not just about the intense workout; it's about the community, the empowerment, and the mental fortitude it fosters. 

Ciara Richards, Open Squash’s Assistant Coach and Women’s Community Manager, arranged the evening and welcomed the women to an evening where they got to play a variety of round-robin games, try out pilates, work on fitness, different squash techniques, and of course, socialize over food in the Open Squash cafe. 

“Thank you so much for being here today,” Ciara said, introducing the evening on the glass court. “It’s great to have so many people here together. Our women’s community is growing so much, and it’s very important to have a women’s community. It isn’t easy to be a woman, and it certainly isn’t easy to be a woman in sports. We’ve come a long way, but in 2024 the 100 highest paid athletes list didn’t include even one woman. We have a long way to go, but that makes tonight even more special.”

Women completely took over the FiDi facility for the evening, which kicked off with tunes provided by Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Chappell Roan, and more. Open Squash office administrator Adriana Arcangel served as DJ and compere for the evening, making the players laugh with her witty repartee. 

Open Squash coaches Julie Lilien, Habiba Mohamed, Ona Prokes, Adel Sammons and Thaisa Serafini were all on hand to lead sessions. 

For young players like Miranda Zhou, 12, who goes to school in the Bronx and lives on the Upper East Side, the evening was an opportunity to play with some adult women and gain confidence. Her older brother, Clarence, also plays squash at Open Squash, and she is hoping to join him on the top team as soon as she can get her rating up. 

“I love coming here to play squash,” she said. “It’s helped me to get fitter and stronger and I can feel myself growing more confident in the game as I come to practices. I’m really excited to be here tonight with this community of adult women and hopefully I can find one or two women who’ll want to play games with me over the coming months.”

Helena Schotland, 62, only recently took up the sport. “I took one introductory lesson and I was completely hooked,” she said. “It’s nice to come to a place where you feel accepted. You just feel kind of powerful and under control, even when most of the time I'm not.”

Other women spoke about the deep value of playing squash. 

"It is just an amazing way to stay fit. It keeps me mentally strong on and off the court. I love that every time I play the game it teaches me something both about the sport and within myself,” said Lauren Mariano, co-captain of the women’s program.  “It’s about feeling empowered, and putting all the challenges aside and focusing on your strength.”

“I’m the fittest I’ve ever been,” said actress Abigail Choi Arader, “and the community is just amazing. I'm really happy I'm here. It’s so fun to play with other women and have that camaraderie. Please play more squash, please women out there, you will love it, please come play!”