I was reminded that the sport of squash means different things to different people by a recent column in The Atlantic. When we think of college sports, we usually focus on big-ticket Division 1 draws and realize that, for some minority communities, football and basketball are paths to college, however daunting the odds. Not so with more arcane sports like squash, which, as The Atlantic explains, are vehicles for elite private schools to place graduates in leading colleges. That is until a local organization called SquashWise arrived on the scene a decade ago. For Baltimore’s elite private schools, one could argue that squash is a means to an end: elite college admission. For SquashWise, the sport is an end to a different means: a hook to engage students while providing them with resources and skills off court to realize their college dreams.

The inequity of how elite sports are used to game admissions for the few isn’t lost. The Atlantic article uses one prominent example. “All applicants to Harvard are ranked on a scale of one to six based on their academic qualifications, and athletes who scored a four were accepted at a rate of about 70 percent. Yet the admit rate for nonathletes with the same score was 0.076 percent—nearly 1,000 times lower.” And the demographics of those student-athletes admitted are predominately white. The authors are quick to underscore that Harvard isn’t an exception. “Put another way, college sports at elite schools are a quiet sort of affirmative action for affluent white kids, and play a big role in keeping these institutions so stubbornly white and affluent.”

Here enters SquashWise, with its nearly 100 racquet-wielding kids. Abby Markoe, its founder and Executive Director, didn’t start with the end in mind to build an academy for Baltimore City youth to compete for elite college squash positions. She simply saw the sport she loved as a means to grab the interest of kids in the hopes that she and her colleagues could engage these students off court with tutoring, mentoring, and ultimately college.

For Abby, SquashWise has always been about the whole kid, and not simply the quality of his or her game. In fact, these aren’t kids born with racquets in their hands; they haven’t had years of private coaching; their parents don’t haul them around to ranking tournaments; they don’t play on school teams. When they arrive at SquashWise, it’s the first time they walk onto a squash court. As the program has evolved, the kids have performed better in school and on court – to the point that they’re winning matches and getting into colleges based on their academic merits.

At SquashWise’s 10^th anniversary celebration last week, the event was packed. While Abby somewhat quieted the crowd with her reflections on the program’s amazing success, it took one of her students, Tavonte, to silence the place. “I’m from Baltimore City. We all know the beauty and potential it has. But is just isn’t quite there yet.” “Sure there’s stuff to do in the city – but not all the time, and it gets to the point that the same stuff gets boring and you just don’t want to do it anymore.” Squash was unknown to Tavonte, but his friends at KIPP Ujima Village Academy, one of SquashWise’s partner schools, nudged him to check it out. “I gave it a shot, and I’ve loved it ever since.”

Tavonte continued. “I don’t quite know what’s in store for my future... But I know that no matter what, SquashWise will always have my back, and with them on my side, I have nothing to worry about.” As Tavonte reflected on his young life and dreams and what SquashWise means to him, you could hear a pin drop.

In looking back at what Abby has created, I thought about the last comment Tavonte shared at SquashWise’s anniversary gala. He told of a sign in the organization’s office: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I know what Abby has done with hers; I sense where Tavonte will take his. I hope Abby gets to build the facility she dreams of so she and her incredible team can expand their investment in the Tavontes of Baltimore. I wish for Tavonte and his teammates one wild and precious journey through their lives, set in motion by this amazing program. Oh, and I suspect it won’t be long before a few of Abby’s alumni are playing squash in college too.

With more than 30 years’ experience in law and business, Newt Fowler, a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s business practice, advises many investors, entrepreneurs and technology companies, guiding them through all aspects of business planning, financing transactions, technology commercialization and M&A. He’s the past board chair of TEDCO and serves on the Board of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore. Newt can be reached at newt.fowler@wbd-us.com.