Anderson appointed VP of Caribbean for Pan Am Squash Board
Published:Saturday | November 25, 2023 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Squash Association, Karen Anderson, has added vice president of Caribbean for the Pan American Squash Board to her resumé following the recent elections in Santiago, Chile. Speaking after her appointment, Anderson said she hopes her tenure will assist in the growth of the sport.
“It is an honour to serve the Caribbean on the Pan American Squash Board. We shall be directing policy for squash in the region over the next four years, which is a great opportunity as the Olympics is in that five-year window. So, it will really shape and determine the policy for squash in the region,” Anderson stated.
Among the things Anderson hopes to achieve during her stint is the forging of better partnerships with other countries in a bid to further develop the already established governance structure. She added that this augurs well for the sport and she is eyeing development on an ‘international scale’.
“It will factor and feature in a number of things, such as refereeing and coaching so we are very excited and looking forward to see how we can forge partnerships with our countries in the region to really grow and strengthen our governance structure and our competitiveness not only in the region, but on an international scale as well,” Anderson explained.
Back home, Anderson is currently overseeing operations of the 2023 All Jamaica Senior and Junior Squash Open at the Liguanea Club, which commenced earlier this week and will end today. Anderson stated that while she’s pleased with the number of participants, she hopes the numbers will increase next year.
“We are just shy of 50 players competing this year and obviously we are looking to increase those numbers going forward. The beauty about squash is that it’s known as the world’s fittest sport so the idea that you can do another sport and come back to use squash as part of your fittest regime also helps,” said Anderson.
Julian Morrison and Mary Mahfood, defending male and female senior champions, respectively, are expected to face tough challenges this year to retain their titles.
“Julian is the defending champion, but trying to knock him off his throne is Tahjia Lumley. Julian won last year, but Lumley defeated him at trials so we’ll see who wins there. On the female side Mary (Mahfood) is looking to reclaim her title, but she will be challenged by Melissa Yu Yen and some juniors in the likes of Sanjanah Nalapati and Savannah Thompson,” Anderson said.