History was made in Lawrence last week as a grand opening celebration capped a week of firsts at the New Balance Foundation SquashBusters Center.

The opening of the Center marks a watershed moment for SquashBusters, becoming the first facility wholly owned and operated by SQB in its 28-year history.

The excitement began with the awarding of our long-awaited Certificate of Occupancy on Thursday, December 4th. Our youngest SquashBusters were treated to the first look, first opening circle, and first game in their new home later that day, and our high school students had the same opportunity the following day.

On Saturday, December 7^th the building was humming as more than more than 40 amateur and professionals squash players, countless students, families, and supporters filled the facility when the 12th annual MashUp finally took place on home turf.

A huge thank you to our sponsors, The New Balance Foundation, Mighty Squirrel, Acadian Software, Winstanley Enterprises, Brown Brothers Harriman, Berkshire Bank, Bank of New England, and Fraser Project Management, for making the day possible. Our team captains – Jon Karlen and Jake Garmey once again leading the Andover Academics,  Phil Field in charge of the Essex County Nicks, Bill Monaghan for the Lawrence Legion, and Bill Paine, Bruce Landay, and Steve Hauck driving the Volley –  filled the roster with hungry competitors. After an exciting paddle competition at The Country Club on November 17, the Lawrence Legion came into the squash competition in the lead with 24 points and a six-point lead over the Andover Academics and the Essex County Nicks, who stood at 18. The Merrimack Volley trailed with 12 points.

Fierce competition on the new courts ensued with the outcome once again resting on the shoulders of our professional players.  Special thanks to our pro contingent who served up some excellent squash throughout the day. Todd Harrity, in his first year off the PSA World Tour, took top honors with a thrilling win over surprise finalist Ali El Touky, a native Cairene just two years out from a standout college career at Trinity. El Touky has incredible racquet skills and seemed to hit every ball with the intent for it to be a winner, but Harrity showed the result of 11 years battling the best in the world –  patience, tenacity, and precise length. Top college squash was again represented by our semifinalists, as Princeton standout and current Harvard Business School graduate student Adhitya Raghavan outlasted Harvard Associate Coach Hameed Ahmed for third place. Harrity’s victory over El Touky sealed the win and earned the coveted Krapels Cup for the Legion. The Academics continued their reign as the top fundraising team, bringing in over $85,000 and once again earning the Golden Mill trophy.  Despite an incredible effort by all involved, we are still short or $425,000 goal. If you would like to contribute to a player or to the event itself, you can continue to do so here:  https://give.squashbusters.org/event/2024-squashbusters-mashup/e620870.

And there was still more to come!

We capped off the week with a massive celebration and ribbon cutting for the Center, alongside our project partners Lawrence Community Works and the New Balance Foundation.

More than 150 people had the opportunity to tour our new space, hear from founder and major driver behind the project Greg Zaff, LCW Executive Director Jess Andors, Megan Bloch and Molly Santry of the new Balance Foundation, and local dignitaries like Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena, State Senator Pavel Payano, And Secretary of Housing, Ed Augustus.

The real star of the show was the building itself and possibilities it has inspired. Plans are already underway to collaborate with a number of community groups, introduce residents of the attached housing development to the sport of squash, and open a community squash program to grow interest in and visibility of the sport “up north”.

Links to Photos of the Week

• MashUp Paddle
• High School Ribbon Cutting
• MashUp Squash
• Grand Opening Celebration

Password is srwf67

New Balance Foundation SquashBusters Center

With Some Soggy Paddle Play, Thrilling Squash Competition, and Good Fun

The 2023 MashUp once again brought paddle and squash pros, amateurs, students, and fans together for some exciting competition for a good cause. In its 11th year supporting SquashBusters Lawrence, the MashUp presented by the New Balance Foundation spread over two weekends in December to great success. Despite Mother Nature’s downpours, our intrepid paddle teams did their best to eke out some competition at the Dedham County and Polo Club and The Country Club in Brookline on December 3rd, while squash returned to Brooks School in North Andover, likely for the last time; next year we hope to host in our own center! More than 150 players, guests, sponsors and friends contributed to a remarkable fundraising total of over $415,000.

Our paddle teams did their best to kick-off the race for the 2023 Krapels Cup, battling near constant downpours all morning. Despite only one round of competition, all our teams enjoyed a warm welcome and meaningful reflections on the value of SquashBusters from our students Jomar Garcia and Brenda Hernandez.  Former-CEO Greg Zaff made an appearance sharing with the group, “I would not want to be anywhere else.  Seriously, this means everything to me and I am so glad to share the morning and the mission with all of you, while turning it over to Rosemary, Rodney, Becca and Alé, as it’s now their mission.” Special thanks to our paddle pro veterans and newbies – Scott Staniar, Pat McNally, Bill Power, Leo Power, Thomas Nolan, Mike Miller, Stefan Koruga, and Milo Johnson – who took time out of their schedules to support our cause once more.

The squash competition started bright and early the following Sunday with Lawrence Program Director, Vicky Flamenco, welcoming the teams, captains and pros. Rodney Galvao, Senior Development Officer and John Nimick, Tournament Emcee Extraordinaire, joined our students for some spirited circle-ups and qilos, and the competition was underway. When the last ball rolled into the nick, it was the Merrimack Volley, captained by Bruce Landay and Bill Paine, who emerged on top, a total reversal from their fourth place finish last year.

As the pros hit the the courts,  former World Champion Thierry Lincou, representing the Andover Academics, took on the Essex County Nicks’ Hameed Ahmed, while crowd favorite Arthur Gaskin of the Merrimack Volley battled Lawrence Legion’s Kush Kumar, who is fast becoming an SQB regular. Lincou and Kumar emerged victorious, setting up a rematch from the semi-final round last year. Lincou would not be denied this time around, and beat Kumar, sealing the fate for the Legion who might have tied the Volley with a win. Ultimately, Kumar’s loss did not affect the outcome, as Gaskin beat Ahmed sealing Merrimack’s victory. Gaskin also completed a grand slam, serving as the pro on the winning team in all three SQB events in 2023 – the Rumble, the Derby, and the MashUp. Debate of his GOAT status will surely ensue as, like Serena, not all his wins came in the same competition year.

While the paddle and squash matches were spirited and fun, the real heart and soul of the MashUp is the chance for players, pros, and supporters to get know our incredible students. This year, that opportunity included a moving speech from Brenda Hernandez about how SQB supported her through some difficult times growing up – even when she was “a lot”. Hearing her words, we were all reminded of the power of SquashBusters to be a force for good in our students’ lives and for change in the world. Supporters also had the chance to go toe to toe on court with some former students, as six program alums participated in the tournament. Sarah Emerson concluded the day with stories and a tribute to her husband Ed Krapels, who worked alongside Greg Zaff, Tom Hodgson and others to bring SQB to Lawrence. “He loved SquashBusters, its mission, its students”, she told the crowd, as she presented the cup named in his honor to the new champions, the Merrimack Volley.

The MashUp would not be possible without the support of our incredible community and especially our sponsors: Acadian Software, Brown Brothers Harriman, Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation,  Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co., Westfield Capital Management, Winstanley Enterprises, Floyd Advisory, Moore Concrete Cutting, and Bank of New England.

We have more wonderful picture of the day which you can see at the links below.

Paddle – PW: srwf67

Squash – PW: srwf67