Philly Leader

Germantown Friends School issued the following announcement on Oct. 28.

Upper School Squash looks to strengthen its already established program with the addition of two experienced coaches, while still being guided by former Head Coach Chris Longman, who has been with the program since 2017. Lauren West joins the ranks as Girls Head Varsity Coach; Stuart George will serve as Boys Head Varsity Coach. Longman, West, and George are all Squash Professionals at the Germantown Cricket Club, where the GFS teams train and compete; Longman serves as Head Pro. Former Girls Head Coach Sarah Clothier will also stay connected to the program as a part-time assistant. Another seasoned GCC Pro, Dewon Flythe, will be added to the Upper School coaching staff and lead the JV team. The distinguished coaching staff looks to elevate the GFS program as viable contenders at the US Squash National Championship, Division 1 Level.  

In addition to her work at GCC and GFS, Head Varsity Girls Coach Lauren West competes on the Professional Women’s Doubles Tour; she boasts a #30 ranking. In 2020, West won the National B Doubles Championship and in 2019, she was the Philadelphia Squash Racquets Association (PSRA) 4.5 and 5.0 Singles Winner. A native of the United Kingdom, West was a highly competitive squash player for The University of Nottingham, where she served as Women’s team captain.

Prior to her position at GCC and GFS, West coached for three years in the UK and locally at the Cynwyd Club. Her coaching philosophy, she says, is: “Be the best version of yourself you can be. Demonstrate hard work, self-confidence and sportsmanship.”

Heading into the GFS Squash season, West shared her thoughts and goals for the Tiger program. “We have seven returning players and numerous players coming up from Middle School. We are excited to have a freshman class that was a part of a successful MS team who competed in Division 1 nationally. For this season, I’ll work to create a sense of team comradery and spirit since the athletes missed a year-and-a-half from school squash. I hope to push the group as high as we can in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association Tournament. Long-term, our goal is to get the Varsity team back into Division 1 for Nationals.” 

“I am extremely excited for the upcoming season and to be working closely with Katie, Sarah and the teams to grow GFS Squash,” said West. “We have some excellent players on the Varsity team who will be good role models and inspiration for those younger players coming through!”

“Coach West brings a plethora of experience and has a unique ability to demonstrate skills on court as well as reaching each athlete individually. I appreciate her commitment to nurturing the mental game in our developing Varsity squash players; she will instill confidence and competitiveness as she mentors our athletes,” said Katie Bergstrom Mark, Director of Athletics.

Head Boys Coach Stuart George brings elite playing experience, coaching wisdom, and passion to the program. A native of Scotland, George was a member of the Scottish National Team at the 2017 and 2018 European Team Championships, and at the World Team Championships in 2019. The team finished 3rd in Europe in 2018, earning bronze medals. George is currently ranked 5th in Scotland, having competed on the Professional Squash Association World Tour since November 2016. His highest Word Ranking was 263 in November of 2017.

Coaching has been an equal area of accomplishment for Coach George. He has trained and coached at the National Squash Centre in Edinburgh under the guidance of Roger Flynn and Paul Bell, Scottish national coaches, and worked with top strength and conditioning coaches and leading sports scientists, alongside world-class athletes. “This has given me insight into how to train, play, and function as a high-performance athlete, which I was able to adapt and apply to my coaching,” explains George. His coaching led him to numerous squash clubs, primarily the Giffnock Club in Glasgow.  There, George became Head Squash Coach, directing the biggest junior squash club in the country. “I coached them from hitting their first ball all the way through representing Scotland at the European Junior Team Championships.” At Giffnock he also designed and ran an extensive adult program.

Georges’ accomplishments led to being recruited to work at the National Governing Body, Scottish Squash where he worked with professional players and teams, in turn leading to his recruitment by Amherst College which brought him to the United States in 2018.  After a year as Assistant Squash Coach, he was promoted to the role of Interim Head Squash Coach for both the Mammoths’ Mens and Womens programs. George has since become a professional squash instructor at Germantown Cricket Club. 

George is especially excited about leading the Tigers to great heights and has hit the ground running in advance of the MidAtlantic Squash Association (MASA) competition season. 

“I work with some of the players who are in the National US squash events. As we graduated some key players from our last season, more than 2 years ago, we’re looking to build our new team from the ground up. The young players are showing great promise and I am excited to see how they develop this upcoming season.” 

In addition to improving the win-loss record, George values the intangibles that make a program successful and will continue to be an exceptional leader by example. “Our 2021 season goals are to establish some good team cohesion and get the team in good shape in the run up to High School Nationals. Long-term, we’re looking to improve upon our ranking while making the team a fun and inclusive environment for our players to grow as not only squash athletes but as young people. As an athlete, I always raised my game and used my energy and experience to raise the level of my other teammates. I am the person that always works the hardest to bring the team together and to build relationships and help my teams become the best that they can,” shared George.

“I’ve been following Stuart’s career internationally and at Amherst and am very excited for him to join the GFS coaching staff,” said Bergstrom Mark. “Technically, Stuart is so strong and he will also bring a great sense of team culture to our program.”

West and Longman will also concentrate on the Middle School program along with Cheryl Bruttomesso and newcomer Rob Goodman, both experienced members of GFS’ PE staff. 

Former Girls Head Coach Sarah Clothier, who is now pursuing her Master’s in Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania, will continue working with the GFS squash athletes on a part-time basis, assisting in skill and strategy development, and overall wellness.

“Head Pro Chris Longman has done an incredible job with our program and I appreciate that he will continue to work with us overseeing the entirety of our squash program and concentrating on the developmental level with our Middle School athletes,” said Bergstrom Mark. “We look forward to an amazing season with our outstanding staff and athletes who are ready and raring to go!”

Original source can be found here.