By Osiris P. (Class of 2025) – May 8, 2025

Being able to compete for El Salvador in squash is something I never imagined. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even known El Salvador had a squash team if it weren’t for StreetSquash sending me to Colombia in the summer of 2023—between my sophomore and junior year.

StreetSquash gave me the opportunity to travel to Squash Urbano Colombia for about a week, where I helped train and teach the kids English. It was an amazing experience, and I’m really grateful for it. While I was there, the coach started talking to me about El Salvador and encouraged me to play squash for them.

Curious, I did some research and told my mom about it. She did her own research, spoke to the coach, and then Simba got involved. Since Simba played squash at Trinity, he had connections to the Federation—some of his teammates even played for El Salvador’s national team. Everything just started to come together, piece by piece.

In April 2024, I actually got the chance to try out for the Pan-American Games, which were set to take place in Ecuador that June. Katiria was coaching me over the phone—my mom was in the stands with my uncles and some family members, and she FaceTimed Katiria through WhatsApp. Katiria watched every single one of my four matches through video call. If she could, she’d even get my teammates to tune in and support me that way.

Even though they weren’t there physically, I felt their support the whole time. Unfortunately, I came in fifth place, just shy of qualifying. But my coaches and teammates made sure I gave it my all—they pushed me so that I wouldn’t come in fifth, but instead make it into the top four, because that’s what you need to qualify and represent El Salvador in the Pan-American Games.

That experience fueled me. Going into this season, one of my main focuses was improving my squash game—not just for myself, but for El Salvador. As the time approached, Katiria stayed on top of me, constantly checking in. About three weeks before the tournament, I got injured during gym class at school—left knee inflammation. I was really doubtful I’d be able to go. But Katiria kept checking in, and the coaches made sure I recovered properly and trained in a way that wouldn’t risk another injury.

When I finally went to El Salvador, I felt like I had a whole team behind me. Joanne even made a group chat with all the coaches on WhatsApp, and they kept checking in, asking how things were going. I kept them updated, and their support helped me stay grounded and focused. This was my last year to do it, and they made sure I was physically ready to give it my best.

This time, I came in fourth place—just enough to qualify for the Pan-American Games in Chile.

Since it’s a federation event, they fund the trip. From here, I’ll head to El Salvador and then travel with the team to Chile from June 28th to July 7th. I honestly feel so blessed. I never imagined I’d represent my country in any sport, let alone squash.

And now, I get to do that—thanks in large part to StreetSquash, which played a huge role in helping me reach this goal. I’m beyond blessed. But the job’s not finished yet. I still have to compete. Still have to win.

I’m just incredibly grateful for this opportunity. It’s indescribable. I never would have guessed I’d be doing something like this.

So I really thank StreetSquash for the opportunity.