SquashEmpower Kids Meet Former World Champion, John White

On July 11, at the Bethesda Sport and Health club, our SquashEmpower kids experienced what one of them described as 'the coolest thing ever'; spending an afternoon with former world champion, John White.

 

After some brief introductions, the burning question on every kid's mind was asked, 'Mr. White, is it true you can hit the ball at 170mph?'. 'apos;Yes' was Mr. White's modest and slightly amused reply, clearly having been asked that question over a hundred times before.

 

Once on court, John gave them a few pointers on backswing and follow through and the kids then took turns rallying with the former world champion.  John demonstrated that besides being a great player, he has a tremendous talent working with children, and over the next couple of hours showed them a time of their lives.  After two hours of squash, John gave them each autographed pictures of himself, and the kids reluctantly vacated the courts for their ride back home.  John later remarked, 'I couldn't get them off the court'.  We are truly lucky to have such enthusiastic and spirited kids in our program.

 

SquashEmpower would like to thank Mr. White for coming down to the DC area to promote squash, and to spend time with the children in our program.  It was truly a memorable experience for all the kids involved.  We would also like to thank Connie Barnes for arranging this visit, and her tireless efforts to make urban squash in Washington, DC a success.