The U.S. squash community will celebrate Women in Sports Day with a panel discussion, reception, player clinics and awards presentations at the 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open on Wednesday, October 10.
The panel discussion, starting at 4pm, is open to the public and titled: “Leave it all on (and off) the court: building and maintaining a healthy body throughout your squash career.” Those who cannot attend the panel discussion in person can follow and join the online discussion with a live stream on the U.S. Open Facebook page.
High school students from SquashSmarts, Philadelphia’s after-school squash and mentoring program and official community partner of the Arlen Specter US Squash Center, will participate in an on-court clinic with PSA professionals at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Following the panel discussion and clinic, Women in Sports Day will honor several individuals whose efforts continue to improve the lives of women and girls through the transformative power of sport.
Julieanne Harris, the Director of Squash at Philadelphia Cricket Club, will be awarded the Achievement Bowl. Australian born Harris, took up squash at age twenty-three. She moved to the U.S. in 1983 with her husband Bill Lane and worked at Western Athletic Clubs in San Francisco and Santa Clara before moving to the Philadelphia area in 1988. She started the squash team at Agnes Irwin School and was the assistant women’s team coach at Penn before coming to Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1992. Since then, she has led one of the country’s most successful junior programs. Nine of her Philly Cricket players have made Team USA’s national junior team and many more have been national champions in singles and doubles. She has also twice coached the U.S. junior women’s team at the World Junior Championships, in Norway in 1991 and Malaysia in 1993.
Alexandra (AK) Frazier will be honored with the Women in Sports Day Special Recognition Award, given for her efforts to support girls’ and Women’s development through sports. Frazier is the founder and President of Women Golfers Give Back, which since its inception in 2003 has raised over $1 million to support girls’ golf programs throughout the Philadelphia region. Frazier is also the Executive Director of the Valentine Foundation, which funds programs designed to make girls’ and women’s lives more equitable as well as fund leadership training for women executives in the non-profit sector.