The
story goes that Eleonora Sears (from Pride's Crossing in Beverly Farms,
Massachusetts) started playing squash in 1918. In 1928 she helped to
incorporate the United States Women's Squash Racquets Association. She
was the first women's singles squash champion (that same year at age of
46) and later served as its president, captain and coach of the
American women's national squash team. Eleonora was not only a champion
squash-player, but prominent in many other sports like tennis, (1968
Tennis Hall of Fame inductee) horse-back riding, golf, swimming, polo
and long-distance walking. She was considered to be one of the leading
all-around women athletes in the first-half of the 20th century!
Eleonora succeeded in sports when it wasn't thought important for women
to athletically succeed. And so it goes for women's equality, (way back
in 1918) over 100 years ago!
