New York Squash (formerly the Metropolitan Racquets Association, or MSRA) is a volunteer organization which organizes squash events in the New York metropolitan area.
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History
New York Squash was founded in 1924 and incorporated in 1932 as the Metropolitan Squash Racquets Association (MSRA). The organization’s membership base covers players in the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, southern New York State, and Fairfield County in Connecticut. New York Squash supports the many variants of squash racquets but the majority of its efforts are focused on the game of individual squash singles and hardball doubles. New York Squash is one of 36 district squash associations under US Squash, the United States governing body for the sport. New York Squash’s mission is to further the development, progress, and establishment of the game of squash in the New York metropolitan area. To do this, the association organizes tournaments, leagues, and other squash events, and provides information of interest to New York-area squash players. The organization was renamed New York Squash in 2011.
Organization & Membership
New York Squash is run by a volunteering Board of Governors The board meets regularly throughout the year to plan and organize events. At close to 4,000 current and lapsed members, New York Squash is the largest district squash association in the country. During the course of the typical squash season (October through May) the organization holds squash tournaments, team and individual leagues, instructive and training clinics, exhibitions and social events.
New York Squash Tournaments
The Grand Open – The Grand Open tournament began in 1994 and is an amateur tournament generally held in January with matches at a variety of Manhattan-area squash clubs. The tournament is held over three days (Friday to Sunday) and involves several men’s and women’s skill level divisions. The Grand Open is held the same weekend as the Tournament of Champions, a week-long professional squash tournament that features some of the world’s top professional players.
The Hyder Trophy Tournament – Founded in 1969 at the New York Athletic Club by Dr. Quentin Hyder, the Hyder Trophy is longest continually-running softball squash tournament in North America. It is generally held in May to cap the end of the competitive squash season. Similar to the Grand Open, the Hyder Trophy is held over three days and involves co-ed and women’s divisions. The Hyder Trophy incorporates co-ed draws for both men and women and also a men’s professional draw that offered a total purse of $2,500 in 2015. Like the Grand Open, it is hosted a number of Manhattan squash clubs, including the Equinox Sports Club Upper East Side, the Harvard Club of New York, the Princeton Club of New York and the Yale Club of New York.
Singles Squash Team Leagues
New York Squash's Team Leagues are the largest in the country, with over 700 players competing on 80 teams across 8 divisions for men and women. Teams are hosted by squash clubs, with weekly matches at clubs across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. While there is currently no universally accepted method for judging amateur individual squash skill level, commonly accepted practices recognizes a range from beginner players (2.0) to professional (6.5). Teams form in October, with matches beginning the first week of November, and continuing through April culminating in a season-ending playoff and championship. Winning team are eligible to compete in the US Squash National League Finals.
Doubles Squash Team Leagues
New York Squash organizes a Doubles League with 25 teams competing across two skill levels, A and B. The season runs from January–April, and clubs across Manhattan, Queens, Westchester and Southern Connecticut field teams.