Nick Matthew Back With Berkshire
photos Berkshire School
Sheffield, Mass. (November 15, 2021)
– This winter, the sound of racquet swooshes and squeaking sneakers
will once again echo through the squash courts at Berkshire School’s
Soffer Athletic Center. At the center of it all—former world No. 1
player Nick Matthew.
Matthew, for all his accolades as one of the world’s premier squash
players, has carved out a special relationship with Berkshire and its
coaches and student-athletes, serving as the boarding school’s Squash
Ambassador. The appellation, in fact, gets Matthew’s juices flowing
nearly as rapidly as a high-stakes match on the world stage. “Berkshire
is a special place,” says Matthew. “I try to spread my enthusiasm for
squash across the school, and if I can plant a seed for the love of
squash across an extra ten or 15 players, regardless of their level, I
have done my job.”
A native, coincidentally, of Sheffield, England, Matthew first landed
in Sheffield, Mass. in the summer of 2018, on the heels of the opening
of the School’s new squash center, recognized as one of the premier
facilities among boarding schools. Berkshire and The Nick Matthew
Academy were the perfect fit for strong squash players to take their
game to the next level, Matthew thought. After that promising summer
start, Matthew soon joined the boys and girls squash programs in the
winter campaign. “The Wolf,” his nom-de-squash coined to reflect
Matthew’s relentless style of play, leveraged the talent that carried
him to three world championships with the insightfulness imparted by
his own past coaches.
“Nick’s impact was instantaneous and far-reaching,” says A.J. Kohlhepp,
girls varsity head coach. “He got the Bears fired up to come to
practice and he helped them reach new heights as individual athletes
and competitive teams.”
Kohlhepp and boys varsity head coach Chris Perkins have welcomed
Matthew with open arms, sharing a vision to build a program to suit
Berkshire’s spectacular facilities. Recent successes include a NEISA
Class C title in 2016 for the girls’ team; a 2018 Div. IV national
championship for the boys’ team; and an individual New England
championship for Kiro Manoharan ’22 in 2020.
Manoharan, who will play for Columbia University beginning in the fall
of 2022, praised Matthew for remaining a positive influence on the
squash teams through a tough year -- unable to come to campus, Matthew
contributed to the Bears’ training via zoom -- and said players are
looking forward to his return to campus. “There’s so much anticipation
for him, for the season,” she confides. “He is one of the easiest
people to talk to, that’s what draws you to him. The more you get to
know him, the more he creates this space where everyone feels they can
be involved in the process.”
Matthew will join the Bears on campus in early December for a week of
in-season training and will travel with the Bears to events during the
squash season and playoffs. Matthew will also continue to work closely
with student-athletes interested in playing squash at the next level by
tapping into his contacts within college squash circles. “It’s not
about winning,” Matthew says. “The goal is to fully maximize a
student-athlete’s potential across the board, including academics and
their social life, something which is achievable for each individual if
they put their mind to it and give it their all.”
"Working with Nick was the highlight of my Berkshire squash
experience,” says Peter Koenigsbauer '19, a current member of Bates
College’s squash team. “He identified key areas of my game that I could
improve upon which have helped me become better at attacking on the
volley.”
While Matthew’s focus is on the upcoming winter season at Berkshire, he
can’t help but look ahead to the summer of 2022, when the summer camp
that started it all will reopen on the School’s campus, paving the way
for the next round of squash players to learn from one of the best to
ever hold a racquet. “Squash is a great vehicle to learn more about
yourself,” Matthew says. “And Berkshire School is a great place to
pursue that objective.”
# # #
Founded in 1907, Berkshire School is a co-ed college preparatory
boarding and day school for 400 ninth-12th graders and post-graduates,
offering a forward-thinking curriculum and state-of-the-art facilities
on a 400-acre campus in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Berkshire’s signature
programs, including Advanced Math/Science Research, Advanced Humanities
Research, and the Sabin Entrepreneurial Prize, are offered along with
advanced sections and AP offerings in all disciplines. These programs
are designed to expand the minds, provide real-world experiences, and
help distinguish our students in an increasingly competitive college
process. With a range of artistic and athletic offerings and national
recognition for our efforts in sustainability, Berkshire provides an
extraordinary setting in which students are encouraged to learn in the
words of the School motto: Pro Vita Non Pro Schola Discimus,
“Learning—not just for school but for life.”
