When asked to recount which sports teams among the multitude occupy the attention of the student body, many are likely to reference the big three: baseball, basketball and football. 

While the three boast astronomical levels of participation as mainstays in American sports culture, there is one sport that is quietly soaring through the ranks: squash.

In 2017, the United States had the fastest growing squash population across the globe and saw junior participation grow fourfold, as per US Squash. The racket sport was a pioneering sport for women’s participation in athletics, and the Staples girls’ squash team provides a platform for the game to further grow among women.

“Many of the people when I joined were new, and so we were all learning together,” Sophie Fridland ’22 said. “As the years have gone on, it has become more serious with a greater commitment, and more people have joined. We all started together and have grown together.”

Relative to other Staples sports counterparts, the squash team is a newcomer to the high school sports landscape with only six years of recognition as an official Staples sport. Squash is distinct from the other more established Staples sports however. 

“For most of Staples athletics, they are very intense, and they play five days a week, you’re waking up at 6 a.m., going to practice on Sunday,” Co-captain Vivian Ellis ’22 said. “Squash is a lower commitment sport. We only have practice twice a week and have one game every week. The fact that [squash] is such a small commitment is appealing for many.”

The team’s youth is attractive, not only to strangers of the sport, but seasoned veterans as well.

“There are a few people who have played for many years, are top varsity players and are very skilled,” Fridland said. “Others have done a clinic for the season, and some show up to tryouts and are trying it for the first time. We welcome anyone who wants to join.”

Varsity starter Jade Zimmerman ’25 began playing squash four years ago at the request of her father. Zimmerman’s love for the sport has since blossomed as she played for Bedford Middle School’s squash team prior to entering high school and she hopes to share this adoration with others. 

“I got two of my friends to play [squash], and they had never played before,” Zimmerman said. “When people ask me, ‘What sport do you play?’ and I say squash, they usually don’t know what squash is. Getting more people involved is really important for spreading the sport.”

The team has played matches against interstate opponents in Darien and Fairfield, as well as a pair of New York teams. Although matches provide a venue for the team to compete, they also serve as a place where their tight-knit community comes together. 

“Squash does not seem like much of a team sport because everyone is playing individually, you’re not all communicating as a team at once,” Ellis said. “Often, when the last player is finishing their match, the whole team watches. It’s nice when everyone is cheering you on. Even though you are not playing as a team, [squash] remains very much a team sport.”