The nation’s top juniors convened for the first of three Junior High Performance Program training squads this weekend at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center, May 19-21, as Team USA prepares for the upcoming 2023 World Junior Championships and Pan American Junior Championships.
The training squad was led by the U.S. Junior National Team coaching staff–including Luke Butterworth, Scott Devoy, Simba Muhwati, Alicia Rodriguez and Charlie Johnson and the Ganek Family US Squash Head National Coach Ong Beng Hee.
The players included the World Juniors squad, Pan American Juniors squad, and top-ranked U15 and U17 juniors. Senior HPP players Shahjahan Khan, world No. 39, and Andrew Douglas, world No. 60, also trained alongside their junior teammates.
“This weekend was just the start of the U.S. Junior National Team’s journey this summer,” Beng Hee said. “These top players have been competing against each other all season but now it’s time for them to come together, support one another and play for each other and their country, and weekends like this are vital to creating that team cohesion. These squads also provide the younger U15 and U17 players an opportunity to train with the U19s so they know what to expect when it becomes their opportunity to compete in these major events.”
Many of the same players will return to the Specter Center for the second session, June 26-30, which will coincide with a PSA Satellite tournament. The World Juniors squad will then travel to Melbourne, Australia, July 18-29.The Pan American Junior Team will meet again August 8-10, before traveling to Argentina.