Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the new CEO of US Squash, spoke with James Green about how she aims to grow the sport of squash at every level, and how her previous experiences have given her the tools she needs to do so.
Starting out as a soccer player in High School, Marcoux Samaan was first properly exposed to squash during her time working at Chelsea Piers in Connecticut, where they opened squash courts during her time there. She was also exposed to a lot of squash during her time as Athletic Director at Princeton, where they recently built their brand new state-of-the-art squash facility.
“We got to see a different side to the sport as we were designing it,” she explained.
Despite leaving Princeton before the completion of the facility, she has been back to visit it and says anyone who sees the facility falls in love with it.
Marcoux Samaan, before becoming the CEO of US Squash, worked at the Ladies Professional Golf Association, where she feels that working on athlete services and making sure athletes reach their peak potential was very important for her career.
In her first 30 days as CEO at US Squash, Marcoux Samaan got back on court for the first time since she worked at Chelsea Piers. “I played a couple of weeks ago at the Specter Center and I fell in love with it again. It's addicting. I was late for a meeting because I didn't want to get off the court!” She said she plans on playing every day after work!
“It combines all of the things that I love,” She said, when combining the amazing workout you get from squash, the coordination skills, and the health benefits. “I don’t think there’s any reason you shouldn't play squash. I think it's the best workout in 45 minutes you can imagine.”
As for her initiatives she has planned at US Squash to help grow the sport, one of the main goals is at the high performance level growing and fostering excellence to win medals. The other main goal is to grow the sport of squash across all levels through effective marketing and communication.
Marcoux Samaan also asks herself, “Broadly, how can US Squash support the entire eco system of squash?”
She also explained how she admires the PSA, through the global nature of the sport, the Squash Education Alliance giving back to the sport, and the PSA’s commitment to equal pay. There are so many avenues for growth, and she even congratulated us, Open Squash, on our mission of growing squash through accessibility.
“I just love how connected the whole squash community is together, with SEA and all of the wonderful programs that are out there. I think we have an opportunity to have 1 plus 1 equals 7, which is really fun and exciting. The squash community is so welcoming and so passionate, which has been really fun.” Said Marcoux Samaan.
Looking forward to the 2028 Olympic Games, where squash will be included for the first time, she is confident that it will be a huge success for the sport, and is hopeful that squash will be selected for the following Olympic Games, too.
If anyone has suggestions or ideas for US Squash, or for Marcoux Samaan herself, you can visit their website at ussquash.org or reach out directly at mollie.samaan@ussquash.org