The Outstanding Junior Achievement Award

The Outstanding Junior Achievement Award has roots dating back to 1972. Tom Reilly and Doug Talbott in 1972-1973 created the "Junior Development Program" and named the award the “James J. Lacy Jr. Award” for best Junior Players with about 12 boys and girls participating. The first recipients into the “James J. Lacy Jr. Award” were, Warren Black and John Riehl IV.

In 1980 Randy Torr became director with Frank Cushman, Peter Wolff, and Don Townsend staffing the program. 1983 Don Townsend and Peter Wolff took over the program and that was the first time the award was called the “Outstanding Player”. By 1990 the Baltimore Junior Tournament was in full swing and was Funded by the Junior Endowment Fund which included flights of girls and boys in categories: 12, 14, 16 and 18. Nancy and Frank Cushman became the directors and created Meadow Mill which greatly enhanced Junior play.

In 1995, the Maryland Junior Classic was Started by Frank and Nancy. Also In the mid 1990’s, Glenn Canner and Bob Travers started a junior program with the Fitzgerald Cup (Longest continuous Squash tournament). Some of the Fitzgerald Cup's junior team were: Slater Ottenritter and the East Kids, Zack Bradley, Colin Campbell, Jake Himmelrich, Katie Tutrone, Taylor Tutrone. Bob Travers raised about $8,000 for a junior Endowment to help promote junior Squash. (The endowment was eventually rolled into the general funds of Maryland squash). After the endowment: Bob Everd, John Vonieff and Bob Travers got together and conceived and then created the “Maryland High School Championships”. It was a huge success and had about 100 juniors the first year. Nancy Cushman was so helpful and took the tournament over, and it became the MIAA tournament.

In 1997 MD SQUASH hosted the United States National Junior Championships at Meadow Mill and hosted 350 players, so things were greatly expanding for Junior Play and awards were created and plaques provided.

There was a lag in inductions into the Outstanding Junior Award” from about 2000 to 2011 but the awards committee is now greatly involved to identify those “outstanding Juniors” and nominate them and induct them into the “Outstanding Junior award” and some have been identified and onto below.

The Process

The Awards Committee's role is to identify juniors, who in its opinion are worthy candidates. We look at National, super-regional, regional and local play and their performance in the tournaments. After identifying them, the junior is proposed and voted on by the committee. If the junior is approved, the committee presents its recommendations to the Maryland Squash president and Maryland Squash Board of Governors. If approved by the officers and board, the candidate will be presented the award at a formal ceremony - a state or national tournament or special awards dinner.

There are three other awards presented by Maryland Squash. They are the Hall of Fame, The Robert Everd Outstanding Achievement Award and the Nancy Cushman Impact Award. None are necessarily presented annually.