Growing the Game: 20 years at US Squash with Kevin Klipstein

We recently sat down with Kevin Klipstein, the CEO and president of US Squash, for a Boast About It interview here at Open Squash. Kevin has been at US Squash for 20 years. We covered a lot of ground, from his early experiences with squash to his vision for the future of the sport. Here are some of the highlights.

Kevin's introduction to squash was a matter of good timing and opportunity. Growing up in Rochester, New York, his parents belonged to a club with squash courts. When Fred and Carol Weymuller, who had been coaching at Heights Casino, moved to Kevin's club, they started a junior program. Kevin recalls, "as soon as I played, I just, I loved the sport".

Before joining US Squash, Kevin gained experience in various fields, which he says prepared him for his role. He worked at Wizards of the Coast, Live Nation (Pro Serv at the time), and Sun Microsystems. Each of these experiences contributed to his skill set. Kevin helped set up a pro tour for the game Magic: the Gathering, which involved establishing a tournament infrastructure. At Pro Serv he consulted with corporate clients on their marketing needs and approach to sports properties. "That was probably where I learned sort of the broad landscape of sports marketing, and both from an agency side and then later on the client side,” he said. Kevin also managed Sun Microsystems’ relationship with the McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team, and he trained in Six Sigma, a business improvement methodology. “For every dollar spent in technology, you know, if you're doing it right, you get five, ten, 20 back".

Kevin's transition to US Squash was sparked by a combination of factors. He was exploring nonprofit work and was interested in joining boards. When he saw the job in Squash Magazine, he felt that his skills and passion for the sport aligned perfectly with the role. Kevin explains, "I think of US squash very much as right in the middle between for profit and nonprofit. It's okay to run nonprofits with a business-like attitude."

Kevin's first few weeks as CEO were intense. He recalls working 100 days straight and constantly traveling to events. He says, "I would wake up and not even know where I was, which was odd. Within a week we were at the U.S. Junior Open with 600 players".

During his tenure, Kevin has overseen significant growth and development in US Squash. Some of his accomplishments include membership growth, increasing US Squash membership by 165%, growing the revenue for the organization by ten times, leading the construction of the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, playing a role in having squash included in the Olympics, building ClubLocker and a suite of tools around it, and increasing participation in squash by 130% and scholastic participation by 450%.

Kevin's vision for the future of US Squash is rooted in making the sport more accessible. "Ultimately squash is the best sport that nobody's ever heard of,” he said. “We’ve got to make this work more accessible".

Kevin highlights the importance of building more squash courts inexpensively and seamlessly. He also emphasizes the need to maximize the opportunity of the Olympics from a media perspective.

Kevin urges squash community members to take the lead in making things happen, whether it be in public schools, squash in education, or underserved communities. "Work with us to allow us to support you, but take the leadership and make it happen," he said.