2024 Howe Cup: US women squash event

After leaving the junior squash tournament, we have a lot of relief from traveling and spending. 

Emily continues to be very involved in women's squash and enjoys the open league in MA Squash with her club teammates. We also keep Alice in regular squash clinics with private lessons. We encourage Alice to sharpen her squash skills and hope she can follow Emily's steps to enjoy squash social life and competition after her 14-year-old birthday. 

Emily's junior year has a busy schedule: rowing varsity team, AP classes in school, an internship in an association, and volunteer service in the Hebrew Senior Life. However, squash still plays an important part in her life. As a result, she decided to join the 2024 Howe Cup U.S. Women's Team Championships in Philadelphia. She was in one of the A teams from MA squash. Her team is "Hail MARIs" because her teammates are from both MA and RI. 

Arlen Specter Center, Philadelphia, PA

The Howe Cup is the United States’ largest women's squash event. It is an annual team championship tournament run by US Squash. The attendees are from different age groups, and a few are juniors. Arlen Specter Center is not a stranger to us since we have been there for the US Junior Open and Silver Championship in the past two years. I believe that this is absolutely a different experience from the previous one. It is still competition but with more friendship intra- and inter-persons and teams. In the meantime, I believe Emily is also learning to incorporate squash into her social life. She went to dinner with all Boston teams and also attended the social night dinner with 300 players. 

Captain was coaching Emily, the Final of 1st consolation

I also spent three days in Philly. However, I stayed at the hotel most of the time and was able to work remotely. I know Emily enjoyed the completion. At the end of the day, though, there were wins and losses. 

All teams from Boston in 2024 HOWE Cup

One of Emily's team members got injured, so she needed to play up to one seed. She took the challenge and helped the team advance to the final of the first consolation of Division A. In the final match, she met a great opponent: a previous PSA pro and coach of the Columbia University Squash team. It was an amazing first experience of the HOWE Cup for her life. 

West Glass Court, the final match in the final of 1st consolation

Electric Board for Emily's Final Match

Emily's Varsity Rowing Fall 2024

Actually, the rowing fall season was on the Charles River. This sean, Emily was always on 4+ and also had chances on single. 

Emily started her rowing fall season at the CRI Invitational on the Charles River. I felt that all A teams in New England areas came to this even as a warm-up for HOCR in October. As a result, Greenwich A, B, C and D boats swept the Women Jr 4+,

In the second Regatta on Merrimack River, BAB won back and took Silver in Women Jr 4+, 1.4 seconds slower than the Gold.  

Oct 6 Lowell, MA: Women Jr 4+ surpassing the opponent

One week before HOCR, she attended the Head of Quinobequin (Head of Q), juniors-only, singles-only time-trial-format ("head race") event on the Charles River. We were really proud of her No 5 in U17 using her excellent and skillful rowing technique. It is absolutely a thing for a girl of 5'4'' in the rowing world. 

Head of the Charles (HOCR) 2024 is absolutely highlighted in the fall every year. Emily and her teammates placed 23rd among 90 boats and left a ticket for the team next year. Again, Emily told me they absolutely were not at good status on that day, including the mechanical failure in Cox's speaker, and should perform better! However, having a chance to compete in HOCR is already a sort of honor and extremely valuable opportunity, along with roughly 12,000 athletes, including 300 Olympians from around the world—100 fresh off the Paris Games 2024.

 

Women Youth 4+ passing by Eliot Bridge, 2024 HOCR

The fall season concluded in Head of Fall in Saratoga, NY. This time, I drove Emily and another two rowers to Saratoga after they finished the SAT at Chelmsford, MA. The round trip was ~400 miles. The wind was crazy strong Although the girls did not get the lacquered fish heads (the Gold medals), the team still enjoyed the tradition of Secret Santa and various costume themes in Head of Fish. 

Rowing Fall season ended with Alice's first regatta and Emily's Varsity team's full endeavor. Challenges will continue, but hard work with the team always wins. 

Alice's Sport Life in Fall 2024

I cannot believe it is the end of 2024. We were all busy with school and work.

This fall, Alice also started her first rowing season on the middle school team. Alice was excited about her two regattas: the New England Championships and the MPSRA championship. We were proud of her and her teammates because the regattas in the fall are usually long-range, 2.5-3.5 miles, which is longer than their practice in BareHill Pond. 

It was cold and rainy for the New England Championship. The BAB middle school teams were the only two boats in the division. Two boats finished their first 2.5-mile regatta. It was a pity that no medals were awarded because there were fewer than three boats.

Pull the efforts to lift the boat in the rain, Worcester, MA (New Egland Championship 2024)

With all the efforts, Alice's team, Girls Middle School 4x+, earned the first gold medal in the MPRSA championship (4.5 km) after beating another boat from BAB! It was really exciting to see Alice's endeavor to make excellence with a team. 

Biting the Gold, Lowell MA, MPRSA Fall 2024 

Another amazing achievement is that Alice's soccer team, the the AB Independence team, had a 10-0 undefeated BAYS season. All the young ladies buckled down together and got good jab at the end. It also means Alice has made commitments to soccer and rowing simultaneously and keeps her squash practice. I can not imagine that I could make all of these if I were her. Actually, after summer Olympic, she has become a soccer fan, especially for the US Women National Soccer Team.

Coach Michael, Assist. coach Warren and AB Independence Team, 2024 Fall

This fall, Alice also started 8th grade and began learning time management. I really believe that she has grown a lot this fall! When I looked all of these back in the past 2 months, I suddenly found she has been involved in sports deeply.