Naval Academy to Dedicate International Squash Courts

ANNAPOLIS, MD

Two international squash courts are the newest additions to an already robust sports program at the Naval Academy. Phase two of the squash project was completed in fall and will be dedicated on October 20, 2007, prior to the annual Alumni Squash Match during Homecoming Weekend.

“The squash project is a great example of what the Foundation is able to do here because people care about excellence at the Academy and excellence in Navy sports,” said George P. Watt Jr., class of 1973, president and CEO of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation.
     
In 2000, Friends of Navy Squash (FONS), chaired by Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret.), class of 1966, and Pete Latimer, class of 1960, joined with the Naval Academy Foundation and the Naval Academy Athletic Association to plan private fundraising efforts to benefit the Navy squash program.

“We put together a group of about a dozen folks who were able to harness the energy of Friends of Navy Squash,” said Admiral Abbot. Only three years after the formation of FONS, phase one of the project was complete – four international squash courts replaced five outdated courts in Halsey Field House. With Saturday’s dedication of the final two state-of-the-art courts and refurbished locker rooms, phase two is now complete.

Thanks to the addition, Navy Squash now boasts a 12-court complex featuring international squash courts. Coach Craig Dawson called the facility “one of the top three in the nation” and described the two newest courts as the “best two squash courts in the United States.”

Chet Gladchuk, Naval Academy athletic director, attributes much of the success of Navy athletics and its student-athletes to the support of the Naval Academy Foundation and its generous donors.

“Talented midshipmen are the primary beneficiaries of our efforts and so often they make us proud that we are members of an Academy family which is unified, has direction, vision and a central mission.”

FACT SHEET

About Friends of Navy Squash:

• Formed in 2001 with a focus on fundraising efforts to improve the squash program and facilities at the Naval Academy.
• Raised more than $1.5 million for renovations and upgrades to the Naval Academy squash facilities, including a major gift from Ted Gurneé, Class of 1961, and his wife Michelle. The Squash Wing in Halsey Field House is named in honor of these leadership donors.
• Friends of Navy Squash is co-chaired by Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret.), class of 1966, and Pete Latimer, class of 1960.

About the Squash Project:

• In 2003, five courts, originally built in the 1950s, were replaced with four (larger) international squash courts funded by the Friends of Navy Squash.
• In 2007, two additional, state-of-the-art squash courts were added to Halsey Field House.  This project was also primarily funded by Friends of Navy Squash, with additional funds supplied by the Naval Academy.
• The squash facilities at the Naval Academy now include six international courts in Halsey Field House and six international courts in Bancroft Hall, 12 total.
• In addition to the new courts, improvements were made to the HVAC system and the squash locker room in Halsey Field House was upgraded.

Alumni Squash Game during Homecoming Weekend • The Bowen Cup, also known as the annual alumni squash match, will be at 9:15 a.m. on October 20, 2007 at Halsey Field House.

• More than 25 alumni representing seven decades of players are expected to match up against the Navy varsity and junior varsity squads.
• The match is played in memory of its namesake, Vice Admiral Harold G. Bowen Jr, class of 1933.

About the Naval Academy Foundation:

The mission of the Naval Academy Foundation is to support, promote, and advance the mission of the Naval Academy by working in conjunction with Academy leadership to identify strategic institutional priorities, and by raising, managing and disbursing private gift funds that provide a margin of excellence in support of the nation’s premier leadership institution.