(Courtesy of Lauren Berenbaum/The Harriton Banner)

Lauren Fox
Spotlight Editor

`Throughout Harriton High School’s hallways, you may notice boys wearing their red football jerseys, girls sporting their cheerleading uniforms, or even field hockey players in their solid, black skirts. Occasionally, Harriton Stuents will see an athlete with the bold letters “HLM Squash” printed on the back. Although their jackets are not as plentiful or even as popular in the typical high schooler eye, the Harriton Lower Merion squash team is up and coming. The faculty adviser, Mrs. Gross, started the team years ago and the team has vastly grown in the past few years. Not only does it benefit students athleticly, it provides these players with a host of new friends from the other school. Senior Katie Livornese, last year’s girls squash captain, exemplifies its newfound success.
Livornese was awarded “Most Valuable Player” during her freshmen and junior years and, in addition, she made the “All Main Line Squash Team,” a true honor and testament to her skills. Despite her ultimate success in the sport, squash did not come easy to her. “I tried playing squash when I was younger and I was very frustrated by it so I stopped playing,” Livornese said, “but I decided to pick it up again in high school because my older brother was the captain and persuaded me to play.” When asked how she felt about giving squash a second shot, she immediately replied, “It was one of the best decisions of my life.”
Livornese has experimented with a variety of sports over the years and eventually focused on her passion for squash. “I played lacrosse, tennis, and basketball before playing squash and I always thought that I liked them a lot, but once I started to play squash [again], I realized I didn’t really like [the other sports] as much as I thought because I loved squash so much,” she said.
Livornese was captain last year and is a candidate for captain this upcoming season. Livornese is held in high regard by her fellow players. Senior Julie Carson told me, “Katie has been a great asset to the team. She continues to encourage the players and makes sure that everyone tries his or her best. We are a very close knit-team and as captain, I believe she has helped turn the team into a family.”
The squash team provides an opportunity for students who participate to get a good work out, experience competition, and just have fun. In fact, Livornese stated, “My favorite thing about playing squash at Harriton is that the team plays to have fun, not to win.” She shortly added, “Although winning is a lot of fun, but still, it isn’t the main concern of the team.” Despite Livornese’s positive attitude towards having fun, the team has a solid record, ultimately being successful in combining fun with winning. “The squash team has improved immensely over the past few years and I am confident that this trend will continue over the coming years,” she said.
When asked of his opinion of the squash team, one student responded, “We have a squash team? What is squash anyways?” When Livornese was told this, she replied, “Squash is a fast paced, physically demanding racket sport played in a glass room, similar, in some ways, to racquetball.” Squash is a competitive sport that came to the United States after years in England and Australia. In fact, the head coach on the team moved here from Australia after years of competitive play. Katie Livornese raved about the coaches, “I don’t just see them as athletic coaches, they are people I can talk to and seek advice from. There are times when all we do is run, but everything they do, they do to benefit us.”
It is surprising how many students are unfamiliar with the school’s squash team, despite the fact that squash is the fastest growing racket sport in the world. When asked to explain, Livornese responded, “It is probably because squash is not your typical high school sport. In fact, Harriton was the first public high school in the country to have a competing squash team. I think that it is unfortunate that people are unfamiliar with the team because it’s a lot of fun and you can get a great work out in only thirty to forty minutes. It is rated one of the most intense forms of aerobic activity.”
A word to students who are interested in getting involved with the squash team from Livornese: “You shouldn’t keep yourself from trying squash just because it’s different. You should try it because it’s a chance to make new friends and get involved.” Plus, many universities look for students who are especially good at unusual sports, thereby raising the student’s profile a bit.
Livornese also told me, “I would love it if more students attended the squash matches. When there are a lot of people watching me play, it provides me with an incentive to do better.” Livornese and the rest of the team are very appreciative of the parents who attend their matches. Livornese told me, “parents are very supportive and mine are almost always present. The viewing room is usually filled up with parents and the other thirty squash players who are extremely supportive.”

(Toby Leventhal/The Harriton Banner)

Students interested in getting involved with this fun, intense, and exciting sport should talk to either Livornese or Mrs. Gross. Currently, preseason is in session, which takes place directly after school at the Cynwyd Club, where all practices and home matches occur. This gives students the opportunity to learn how to play squash before the season starts at the end of the November.