Grace Lodge took home first place in the U.S. Junior Squash Championship in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend. The Darien native, who is ranked No. 1 for U11 girls in the country, won the final after overcoming a two-set deficit in the middle of the match.
— an announcement from Chelsea Piers Connecticut
In addition to her after-school clinics, Grace takes private lessons two to three times per week with her coach Arturo Baretto, as a part of our Elite Squash Program. Baretto credits her strong work ethic and positive outlook for her success,
“I am just happy that all of the work that Grace has been putting in showed up in the final,” Baretto said. “She overcame a mental hurdle in the middle of the match that made the difference between winning and losing.”
Photo from the Chelsea Piers website
Grace Lodge with her Chelsea Piers Coach Arturo Baretto after her win.
Grace started playing squash when she was just six. In just five short years her accomplishments are outstanding, but she’s not close to being done. Her main goal is to become the next World Champion and she plans to accomplish that goal by coming in first at the upcoming U.S. Junior Open and the British Junior Open.
She credits her amazing support system for helping her achieve the top spot: “I would just like to thank my coach for teaching me all the way and my parents for cheering me on at every match. I could not have done it without my coach and my parents. So, thank you Mom, Dad, and Arturo!”
“We are so proud of Grace,” her parents said. “Thank you to the squash team at Chelsea Piers. Arturo started teaching Grace when she was much younger and exhibited great patience and mentorship!”