In July, 88 middle and high school students from 18 U.S. member programs participated in SEA’s Summer Academy at Kent School. Consisting of two five-day sessions and a 14-day session for members of SEA’s High Performance Team, the overnight camp provided students with top-level squash training and academic enrichment classes. Players traveled from as nearby as Hartford and as far as San Diego and Oakland to be part of the experience. Students stayed in the dorms, ate in the dining hall, and had the opportunity to build relationships with SEA peers from across the country. 

“It was amazing to see the bonds the students created with each other at the camp,” said SEA Summer Academy Director Edgardo Gonzalez. “The camp has evolved over the past three years from 20 campers to now nearly 90. Special thanks to the coaches and staff involved in creating an engaging, fun, and positive experience for everyone involved. I am excited to see how the camp continues to evolve and work more closely with the High-Performance Team players to support them through their squash journey.”   

Session one brought thirty students from Buffalo, Hartford, Cincinnati, New York City, Wilmington, Charleston, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Baltimore to train with Kent School coach Nikhil Seth, Bowdoin College coaches Theo Woodward and Brendan McClintick, and Cincinnati Squash Academy coach and SquashBuster alum Kat Leiva. 

Session two’s twenty-seven students hailed from Hartford, Chicago, Detroit, Portland, New Haven, Boston, Lawrence, Providence, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland and were coached by Kent School coach Nikhil Seth, Hopkins School coach Whitney Stewart, Fordham University coach Sahel Anwar, and Middlebury College coach David Cromwell. 

Spots for the camp’s 14-day session were reserved for members of SEA’s High Performance Team (HPT). Thirty-one players from San Diego, Hartford, Cincinnati, New York City, Portland, New Haven, Providence, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh were coached by longtime former Dartmouth Coach and SEA’s HPT Head Coach Hansi Wiens, Chatham University Coach and CitySquash alumnus Chris Fernandez, and Trinity player Sahari Lopez. In addition to squash training, students participated in daily classes, taught by Kent School teachers, with a focus on STEM and humanities. Another highlight included the College Showcase with visiting coaches from Bard, Bates, Chatham, Conn College, Fordham, Georgetown, Hamilton, Haverford, Hobart and Williams Smith, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, St. Lawrence, Tufts, and Wesleyan.

“Getting the fit right in the college process is crucial,” says former Hobart and William Smith Head Coach Pat Cosquer. “The SEA College Showcase enables students and college coaches to get to know one another on a personal level, which helps inform the decision-making process on both sides. The Showcase’s unique balance between ‘squash time and “casual down time” helps establish strong bonds and relationships to grow.”