Sunday March 8th marked our 3rd International Women’s Day event at Open Squash, and to celebrate we welcomed 50 women of all ages and levels into the facility at FiDi, and we enjoyed over 2 hours of squash and socializing!
Led by Coach Ciara Richards, our ladies played for 2 hours, switching up the courts every 5 minutes so that everyone had a chance to play with each other. Every single one of our 8 courts was filled with as many as 6-7 players per court, who were playing competitively and fairly against each other. Our more experienced ladies led the way for our beginners, who were able to learn from each other.
Coach Ciara, addressing the group at the beginning, thanked everyone for being there and said “It is so inspiring to see all these women here, proving that women do belong in sport and thrive in sport when we build these communities.”
Everyone was wearing our brand new “Queen of the Court” shirts designed by Adriana Arcangel, sporting bright pink in the spirit of women’s squash! Everyone who joined was also given a squash goodie bag containing ‘Queen of the Court’ stickers and keychains, Open Squash friendship bracelets, squash grips, headbands, and an information sheet of all our upcoming women’s events and programming. After the squash wrapped up and everyone was suitably tired, we headed into the cafe to enjoy plenty of food and drinks.
The celebrations continued on, with mimosas, a cake that read ‘International Women’s Day’ along with an abundance of pastries, pizza, and cookies for everyone to enjoy. The atmosphere in the cafe was that of excitement and happiness, and a wonderful sense of togetherness. Some of our ladies spoke to the group about upcoming events at Open Squash, including the U.S. Squash Masters Championships which will be held in April. “We know you all live in New York and can play,” joked Vera Galvez, who is rallying women to join the tournament.
We are so grateful and proud of our women’s community that has continued to grow over the years, and we continue to be inspired by the wonderful women at Open Squash. Thank you to Ciara, Adriana, Eliza Kommer (our photographer) and everyone who came to celebrate with us, and to Open Squash for supporting women’s squash.
If you want to get involved in our Women’s Community, or have any suggestions or questions, please reach out to our Women’s Community Manager, Ciara, at ciara.richards@opensquash.org