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EXTRA
By Shawn Patton
After the cancellation of the 2008 edition of the U.S. Open (read the official announcement HERE) we:
1. looked to the past for other opinions and context
2. asked John Nimick for some comments
3. posed some questions to Kevin Klipstein, CEO of U.S. Squash
Here is another Squash360 EXTRA with Kevin Klipstein:
With the benefit of hindsight any regrets with decision to license the rights to Squash Universe?
Squash Universe had proven themselves with the Village Open, and delivered the largest prize money tournament in North America in 2007 so we were pleased with the direction. While the decision had some risk, they made the best offer to move the event towards a shared vision, and have had some unfortunate luck.
Has Squash Universe fully relinquished their rights to the U.S. Open Championships in future years?
Since this is a contractual matter, we can't comment now, however it is likely U.S. SQUASH will manage this event in the coming years.
Were other alternatives (promoters, locations) explored to avoid the event not being staged in 2008? What were the barriers that prevented these options?
Yes, other promoters, locations, and options were explored to an extent, essentially events that were considering launching in 2008. The primary barrier was timing and the other priorities the Association is currently focused on.
Given his history with the event, experience and business contacts was John Nimick at Event Engine contacted to help salvage the 2008 event? Or perhaps his interest, capability for 2009?
John graciously offered to assist in hosting the event in 2008 when it appeared the event would be postponed. While this was tempting, we have learned that our involvement in the promotion and implementation of the U.S. Open is critical to its success regardless of the qualifications of the partner or promoter, and based on the unexpected timing, and our current priorities, we did not believe it to be realistic to plan the event in such a short timeframe.
Does the College Squash Association have a replacement sponsor given Bear Stearns takeover by J.P. Morgan?
There is no replacement sponsor at this time, however U.S. SQUASH has committed $50,000 to work in partnership with the CSA to fund programs focus on developing 5-10 emerging programs in the next three years. We are also collaborating in an effort to add the required 10 additional varsity women's programs in order to achieve NCAA status in the next five years.
 In the United States squash is certainly experiencing growth in a variety of areas. Can you provide some insight?
- Doubled the Number of Junior National Championships In the last four years, four new U.S. Junior Championships have been added to the tournament season to provide meaningful play at more levels, and more opportunities for team squash: the U.S. Junior Bronze Championships, the U.S. Under 23 Championships and the U.S. Middle School Team Championships.
- The U.S. Father-Son Championships is now in its fourth year and now has 50 teams participating.
- Launching in 2009 is the Mother-Daughter Championships, providing the same opportunity for women and their daughters to compete together.
- Significant Funding for Urban Squash provided - Since 2006, U.S. SQUASH has provided more than $50,000 to urban squash programs across the country. Each season, U.S. SQUASH also provides more than $30,000 in value-in-kind services to the National Urban Squash & Education Association (NUSEA) in support of its mission.
- On the Vanguard of Community Squash - Tens of thousands of dollars have been provided to community programs via the Junior Development Endowment Fund Grant Program, providing hundreds of juniors the opportunity to play squash. Such programs include the Dayton Challenge, which celebrated its fifth year last season, draws over 100 juniors from five area middle schools, and provides practices once a week and matches on Saturday at no charge.
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