Access Youth Academy News February ‘12 | Issue 54
from the Executive Director
Girls’ Team Competes in 2012 US High School Squash Team Nations at Yale University
Taking a breather between matches
February 11-13, New Haven, CT Once again representing as the only urban squash and West Coast-based program, Access Youth Academy girls traveled to Yale University to compete in the 2012 U.S. High School Squash National Championships.
Placed in Division-1 play, the Access Youth Academy girls' team won two matches and lost two matches. After all was said and done, the Access Youth Academy team finished the competition in thirteenth place. This was no small feat considering the level of play they encountered amongst teams from some very prestigious schools, with players receiving professional training since before they hit double digits in age.
Access competed against squash teams from Germantown Friends, Taft, Lawrenceville School, and Springside School. While competition was fierce throughout the tournament, the final match in Plate 1 concluded in dramatic fashion, with Access down 3 games to 1 at one point until Reyna and Tiffany struck back, setting up for a victorious 3-2 match by junior student, Marissa Reid, and sending the girls home as winners.
We are all incredibly proud of their hard work and the way all of the girls represented the program at this tournament. Congratulations to twelfth graders Sharon and Reyna; eleventh graders Yan, Hana, Marissa, and Ana; and Tiffany, the sole tenth grader.
Full tournament results and photos are available via our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Friend us today on Facebook at Facebook and on Twitter (#AccessYouthAcad)!
ACCESS PERFORMS ON CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL AT NYC URBAN SQUASH NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Boys' and Girls' Teams at 2012 Urban Nationals in NYC
January 14-16, New York, NY Access Youth Academy traveled lightly on their way to New York City for the 2012 Urban Squash Team Nationals, but came back to San Diego with a little extra hardware.
The girls' team clinched their fifth consecutive title at the 2012 National Urban Squash Team Championships in East Harlem, New York The Access Youth Academy boys' team—competing in the national tournament for the first time in four years—grittily reached the finals to take home second place.
The National Urban Squash Team Championships were held Jan. 14—16 at the Stephen L. Green Street Squash Community Center in New York City. All tournament competitors are part of the National Urban Squash and Education Association, bringing together over 300 youth players from Boston, New York, Detroit, Chicago, New Haven, Denver, Philadelphia and Baltimore. San Diegorsquo; s Access Youth Academy sent ten competing players to New York, with five members each on the boys’ and girlsrsquo; squads.
The Access Youth Academy girls' team has become somewhat of a powerhouse in the urban squash community, having won five straight team championships. They managed to win every match during the tournament, with an overall game record of 43-2.
In addition to interacting and competing with fellow urban squash players, the Access Youth Academy kids got to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of New York City, dining on pizza, braving the NYC subway and sightseeing as many landmarks as possible.
SAT Prep Courses Proving Their Worth
Through the generous donation of various program supporters, Access Youth Academy partnered with Revolution SAT Prep to provide an eleven-week college examination preparation courses to every junior year student.
The initial results have been impressive.
Since the start of the prep courses in November, SAT practice scores for Access Youth Academy students have increased an average of 209 points. Juniors will take their first SAT examinations in March. All junior year students are receiving small group instruction and practice exams at the City Golf facility, which has generously offered us the use of one of their meeting rooms.
SAN DIEGO-UNION TRIBUNE FEATURES ACCESS ON FRONT PAGE
In case you missed it, be sure to read the recent front-page article, "Gritty Team Crashes the Squash Party", featured in the Feb. 2nd edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. Special thanks to writer John Wilkens for meeting with and showcasing our students!
Meet Our Students
Hi, I am Buu. I am 17 years old and I currently go to the Preuss School UCSD as a senior. This is also my fifth year in the Access Youth Academy program.
I am very excited about graduating this year. I have not decided which school I am going to attend yet but I plan on majoring in either Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering. After I graduate from college, I plan on having an engineering career based on the major I decide on in college.
Besides squash, I am also part of another extracurricular program called FIRST Robotics where we build robots to compete in challenges against the robots of other teams. My robotics team is called 812 The Midnight Mechanics and this program has helped to inspire me to become an engineer in the future.
Overall, I have a passion for engineering and I am looking forward to finishing my final year of high school and with Access.
