History of Squash in Maryland

Old Squash Rackets , Old Squash Court , Old Squash Rackets Game , 1850s boys at Harrow School , Squash Chaps

The Maryland State Squash Racquets Association was founded in 1907. In 2016, the association’s name was changed to: MARYLAND STATE SQUASH.

Founded the year after the United States Squash Racquets Association was incorporated in 1906, MARYLAND STATE SQUASH was one of the first four regional squash associations to be established in 1907. The first clubs with squash courts were the Baltimore Country Club that built three hardball singles courts in 1906, the now departed Baltimore Athletic Club that built six hardball singles courts in 1908 and the defunct Racquet Club located on Charles Street at Mt. Vernon Square that built two hardball singles courts and one doubles court around 1910. The Maryland Club, founded in 1858, built four hardball singles courts at its Eager Street location in 1928.

In 1964, Baltimore Country Club built a new squash facility with two hardball singles and one doubles court. In 1965, the Maryland Club completed an addition housing a doubles court. In the 1960s, hardball singles courts were built at Johns Hopkins University and the Naval Academy. In 1972, John Riehl and Bob Voelkel purchased the old Girls Latin School Gymnasium on Long Lane in Roland Park and installed two singles courts and one doubles court. They named their key-club that was open to the public, the Racquets Club of Roland Park.

In 1975, Paul and Kay Deitz built a squash court adjacent to their home in Belair, Maryland and focused on softball squash. In 1985, Nancy Cushman and her husband purchased the Racquets Club of Roland Park. With squash growing in nationwide popularity, a move by colleges and universities to emphasize the international (softball) version of the game instead of the North American (hardball) version and with few public facilities in the region for either version, Nancy, with the backing of Anne and Ken Katz, raised the capital to build Meadow Mill Athletic Club, which opened in 1992. Meadow Mill Athletic Club, with 16 international singles and two North American doubles courts, is the largest squash facility open to the public in the United States. By 2018, more than 1,000 juniors were playing international squash at Meadow Mill.

The old Racquet Club of Roland Park (acquired by Roland Park Country School), Baltimore Country Club, Naval Academy and Maryland Club have converted to international squash. Merritt Athletic Clubs and Coppermine Racquet and Fitness Club (both open to the public) additionally offer international squash. St Paul’s School for Boys, located in Baltimore County, built 4 international courts in a dedicated facility in 2012. Seventeen other schools in the Baltimore metropolitan region have competitive middle school, junior varsity and varsity squash teams.

Since 1907, Baltimore has become a regional, national and universal center for the sport of international (softball) squash and North American hardball doubles. Over 30 U.S. Squash national softball championships have been played in Baltimore as have 12 U.S. National Doubles Championships. This is in addition to the many tournaments featuring local, State of Maryland, and school or college championships. Squash, which has exploded in national popularity since the 1970s, is the mid-Atlantic region’s fastest growing sport. A good number of regional juniors have earned a place on college and university teams where international squash has become a major intercollegiate Division 1A varsity sport.