Maddy Ramos runs the Junior program here at Open Squash, a community squash center in New York City. It’s her first “big girl job” out of college, where she worked at a second chance children's services agency to keep kids out of juvenile incarceration facilities, and Maddy enjoyed working with children from tricky backgrounds.
Maddy studied health in college at SUNY Cortland and considered going into nursing. She found she liked working with young people in a clinical environment and giving young people a positive example to look up to. She found working with children from low-income areas and neighborhoods without much opportunity gave her the opportunity to make a difference. “It was just about showing kids, you don’t need to come from a lot, you just have to make the best of what you have, go from there, and you’ll get a lot of opportunities,” she said.
Maddy went to college as a volleyball player but dislocated her knee during training. She continued to play on the college’s club team, though, and enjoyed playing sports as a way of traveling around the state and socializing. Volleyball players, like squash players, often wear Asics sneakers, so when Maddy came to Open Squash, she had the right footwear on!
She came to Open Squash while taking a pause after college to consider whether to go to nursing school, applying online and acing the interview for a front desk position despite not knowing what squash is.
“I was so embarrassed because I thought Open Squash was like a food company. I had no idea. I’d never seen a squash court or a squash racket,” she said. “When I got here, I got intrigued, and that’s how I ended up working on the front desk and moving up to where I am now.”
Maddy has picked up squash since joining the club, thanks to coaches and members who’ve taught her the game. She’s had lessons with Director of Squash Operations, David Hughes, and is grateful for his patience.
“When COVID hit during college, I got lazy and lost a lot of skills because I wasn’t out talking to a lot of people. I wasn’t active like I had been before. But then I started playing squash, and I feel amazing physically, mentally, and socially. It's just changed my life,” she said.
Since taking up the sport, Maddy has enjoyed meeting players from around the world, and has found the game helpful in terms of time management.
“I’m like, how am I going to go to this meeting and then play squash and then go back and answer this email?” she said. “The game has also really strengthened my mind.”
Maddy has enjoyed working with schools around the city to facilitate Open Squash’s programming and is a particular fan of the community’s commitment to offering low-income discounts. The squash program is completely free for Success Academy kids.
“I grew up in a single-parent household and playing sports as a kid was really difficult for my mom,” she said. “So, I think this is a great opportunity for kids to come along, play, make friends, and be active. I love meeting the Success Academy kids. They have a lot of personality and they come from all over. It’s exciting to see kids get excited about the game, and to see a future where the sport can grow.”
Maddy has also seen the value of marketing the sport so that more people can hear about the game and join in. Since joining Open Squash, she’s even heard from SUNY’s athletic director who is keen to get more young people using the college’s squash facilities. Maddy is also excited about Open Squash’s PSA tournament in October and has been pleased to see the National Squash League matches taking place.
“I’m excited to see how squash grows, thanks to this new influx of enthusiasm,” she said.
Thanks, Maddy! We’re stoked you’re here!
You can also watch a video version of this interview at our Boast About It show here!