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What is Skillman Associates?
Skillman Associates is an association of former team players, alumni, parents and friends of Yale Squash, whose purpose is to provide financial support and improvement of Yale's squash program. Members of Skillman Associates pay annual dues, get regular updates on the teams' progress and are invited to attend matches, to cheer their teams, and to participate in various squash initiatives, such as in Alumni Day at the Courts which coincides with a major Home match.
The name honors John Skillman, Yale's first head coach, whose teams won 16 national titles and had just one losing season during his 41-year tenure from 1934-1975.
Pay your Skillman dues now
For information on making a gift other than by credit card or cash (such as gifts of marketable securities or other assets) contact Tim Ford at:
support.athletics@yale.edu
Phone: 203-432-1434
Skillman Associates of Yale University, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) incorporated under the laws of the State of Connecticut as a charitable, educational institution. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent permmitted by law.
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From the Coaches
November 15, 2005
Dear Friends of Yale Squash,
This letter is to give you an update on our teams and the Skillman Association.
Both teams have trained extremely hard this fall. Official practice opened October 15th after an intensive training period starting September 1st. Senior Captains Julian Illingworth and Amy Gross led the teams through the pre-season workouts with great senior leadership. Two-time Intercollegiate Singles Champion Michelle Quibell, the only other senior woman, is always leading us. Julian has four other seniors with him on the men's team, Avner Geva, Trevor Rees, Alex Tilton, and Andrew Vinci who have all been tremendous.
There are lofty expectations for both groups. The women are gunning for a third National Championship and undefeated season in a row. In our only competition this fall, the Yale women won the Ivy League Scrimmage on November 5-6. Yale beat Harvard 7-2 in the final after defeating Penn 7-2 in the semi-final. Harvard beat Princeton 5-4 in the other semi-final. The women won without Michelle who was playing a required world team selection event in Ohio. Amy led the team as the only senior at the scrimmage.
Catherine McLeod and Miranda Ranieri are playing extremely well to give Yale an awesome top-4, maybe the best in the history of Yale Women's Squash. Three juniors, Lauren McCrery, Kate Rapisarda, and Nicky Shields, are all very strong and give us great strength in the middle of the line-up. Also, sophomore Sarah Barenbaum has really stepped up. Junior Kate Mandel, sophomore Elizabeth Hill, and freshmen Jessica Balderston, Natasha Lall, and Tara Wadhwa are all competing for spots in the line-up. Despite graduating five seniors, including three top-nine players, the Yale women are determined to defend their title.
The men want nothing less then an Ivy Title and a win over Trinity. The five seniors have finished second in the Ivy League three years in a row. This team is talented and experienced enough to have high expectations. The five seniors are joined by juniors Nick Chirls and James Rector. Nick is currently playing number two. A talented sophomore class of Max Samuel, Moshe Sarfaty, Ho Ming Chiu, Pasha Aziz, and Ahmed Khattak are a year stronger. The freshmen class have four strong players in Colin Campbell, Bill Hatch, Francis Johnson, and Ethan Oetter.
The men lost an extremely close match 6-3 to Harvard in the finals of the Ivy Scrimmage on November 12-13. Yale beat a strong Princeton team 7-2 in the semi-finals and the men feel that they can beat Harvard in February.
The men and women are two of the very best teams in the country. Michelle and Julian are arguably the two best American players in the modern era of college squash. Things set up well for a landmark year for the program both collectively and individually for our top players.
Please note that the Athletic Department is not printing brochures except for select revenue sports. Everything will be posted on our websites. The Yale website is Yalebulldogs.com, go to squash. This site will have schedules, roster, history etc. This site has a link to the Yale Associates' website or go to Yalesquash.org for more information. We are also currently assembling a mass e-mail list for Skillman members for timely news and updates.
Enclosed is a dues card. Many of you have given which is greatly appreciated. This year in particular your support is necessary. Yale teams are going to train in Northern England from December 27 to January 7. This will be the first Yale Squash Teams in my coaching tenure to go overseas. The Skillman Associates are making a contribution along with the parents to fund this great opportunity.
Your support does so many things for the kids and the program. Yale Squash has been truly fortunate to have the continued support from all of you, and personally, I can't thank you enough.
Please check the website for our schedule and come join us for a match. For those south of New York, take note that we are playing December 3rd at Penn and February 4th at Princeton.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from Yale Squash and the Brady Squash Center!
Sincerely,
David A. Talbott
Men's & Women's Squash Coach
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Background
The first men's squash team competed for Yale in 1919-20 and, following the admission of women to Yale College in 1971, the first women's team competed in 1973-74. Pictures of those two teams, fifty years apart, show players using a similar racquet and ball on courts and with scoring that remained essentially unchaged. Since then, the rules of the game have changed.
 
For much of the 20th Century, Yale boasted one of the most extensive squash facilities for North American hardball-- including the Knox Exhibition Court and Kinglsey Exhibition Court for singles (gifts from two of Yale's leading squash families) as well as 23 singles courts and two doubles courts. In the 1990's, in response to changes in intercollegiate competition, Payne Whitney's 4th Floor squash facility was remodeled to meet the standards of the international softball game. In the first phase, six international courts, which form the Shen Wing, were given by the family of Carla Shen '99 (Women's Team Captain 1998-99). A major gift from Nicholas Brady '52, who captained Yale's championship team in 1951-52, enabled the creation of the Brady Squash Center. Yale now not only offers the finest squash facility in the country, it has also made room for the Israel Fitness Center (a state of the art facility for weight training and conditioning) and provides visiting and home teams with comfortable locker rooms, a team room and other amenities expected by today's competition and recreational athletes.
Although the North American Hardball game has disappeared from intercollegiate competition, and Yale's two teams have establshed their own history and traditions [link to Gallery], the alumnae, alumni, parents and friends of Yale Squash remain united in their mission within Skillman Associates. Skillman provides financial support for both operating expenses of the squash program and capital ipmrovements to the Brady Squash Center and is a means of keeping graduates in touch with squash at Yale.
For more infomration on Squash at Yale visit Facilities.
To make a financial contribution or pay your Skillman dues, click here.
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Board of Directors
Charles Kingsley, President
Margaret Yates Thorne, Vice-President
Sharyar Aziz, Treasurer
David Barrett, Secretary
William T. Ketchm, Jr., Chairman of the Advisory Board
Berkeley S. Belknap
The Honorable Nicholas F. Brady
Natalie Yates Cacciato
William J. Carlin
Thomas A. Clayton
Joseph Cohen
Robert D. Dinerman
Miriam Fishman
Timothy Ford, Dept. of Athletics
Garrett Frank
Lawrence M. GIle
Zerline L. Goodman
Ziad Haider
Smauel P. Howe
Jeff Kahle
Cynthia Kempner
Nick Lukens
Priscilla Lukens
Elizabeth P. Munson
John Musto
Derrick C. Niederman
Melissa Pearsall
Devraj Roy
Carla Shen
Theodore P. Shen
David F. Swensen
David Talbott, Men's & Women's Squash Coach
Gina Wilkinson
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Advisory Board Members
William T. Ketcham, Jr., Chairman
Henry Chauncey, Jr.
A. Carter Fergusson
Christopher Forster
David E. Gile
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Alumni Community
Getting involved with Skillman Associates gives alumni and friends of Yale Squash an opportunity to connect with former teammates, coaches and fellow alumni who share a love of the game-- while supporting Yale's current squash program and making it the best it can be.
Yale alumni can get in touch with fellow alumni through the AYA's Online Alumni Directory
If you're not familiar with this resource, learn more about Yale's Online Alumni Community at www.alumniconnections.com/yale/
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