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On The Record

Baltimore's SquashWise combines love of the game and the drive for personal excellence

By Melissa Gerr,
Maureen Harvie
Published April 16, 2024 at 10:01 AM EDT
Jaylen Harris is a junior at Baltimore City College. He plays on the SquashWise high performance team. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
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Jaylen Harris is a junior at Baltimore City College. He plays on the SquashWise high performance team. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
Marisa Coleman is a sophomore at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. She plays on the SquashWise high performance team and travels regularly to compete and train. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
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Marisa Coleman is a sophomore at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. She plays on the SquashWise high performance team and travels regularly to compete and train. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
SquashWise students prepare for a match. The non-profit is in the process of moving into the former Greyhound bus station building. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
3 of 5  — Squashwise_2023-05-17_TSUCALAS_2C7A8430.jpg
SquashWise students prepare for a match. The non-profit is in the process of moving into the former Greyhound bus station building. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
SquashWise programs meld the fast-paced game with personal and academic excellence for middle and high school students in Baltimore. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
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SquashWise programs meld the fast-paced game with personal and academic excellence for middle and high school students in Baltimore. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
SquashWise participants are student-athletes. They're expected to maintain a 3.0 grade average to participate in the program. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas
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SquashWise participants are student-athletes. They're expected to maintain a 3.0 grade average to participate in the program. Photo: Plaid Photo/Justin Tsucalas

For a group of Baltimore middle and high school students, squash is more than a vegetable! They participate in SquashWise. The non-profit melds the fast-paced game with personal development and academic excellence. We hear from Abby Markoe, co-founder and executive director, and visit the courts to hear from some of the coaches and students!

Links: Community SquashWise sign up, Squash with Your Squad sign up, Greyhound project, Youth Develop Programs.

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On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordSquashWise
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr
Maureen Harvie
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.
See stories by Maureen Harvie