Squash



With nearly a century of history at Shawnigan, the squash program is almost as old as the School itself. Shawnigan’s first squash courts were built in 1926 – the first courts on Vancouver Island and among the first in BC. The squash program began in 1927, and has grown significantly in recent years, attracting top players from Canada and the USA who are lured by the opportunity to combine athletic and academic excellence. The School’s squash players compete in Independent Schools Association competitions as well as in numerous tournaments involving clubs across BC and Alberta.
Shawnigan’s ranked players compete provincially, nationally and internationally at various times throughout the year, and the School has many supports in place for athletes who wish to pursue opportunities in squash at top universities in Canada and the USA, including Ivy League schools. Shawnigan’s squash players have gone on to Penn, Yale, Cornell, Stanford, Amherst, Drexel, and Trinity, among other colleges and universities. 

Head Coaches

Colin Whitney, Head of Squash
cwhitney@shawnigan.ca

Colin has 25 years of coaching experience in England, Ireland, Bermuda, the US, and Canada. He was the Irish national junior team coach, and has been part of development and performance committees in Alberta, Ontario, and BC. Colin has produced 10 national junior champions and worked with a number of professional players. Over the past 12 years in Canada he has produced three of the strongest junior squash programs in the country. Colin has also worked at the Harvard and Princeton summer camps and had a number of his junior players recruited to US colleges.
Mike Johnson

Shawnigan is fortunate to have internationally renowned coach Mike Johnson heading up the program. Prior to joining Shawnigan in 2009, he coached three world champions and a number of players ranked in the top five in the world. He was the head coach at the Princeton University summer camps. A Shawnigan alum once said of her coach, “Mike was always willing to help and give me advice. His constant support and genuine care, and his belief in my potential, both on and off the court, helped me grow a lot.”

Coaches

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  • Lynne Grass

    • Instrumental in building the Shawnigan squash program over the last 25 years
    • Recognized in BC and nationally, and highly respected in the squash world
    • Received Squash BC’s Kevin Kydd Junior Service Award in 2012-13 and Squash Canada’s Certificate of Achievement Award in 2016-17

  • Kelsey McGaw

    • Competed in squash as a student at Shawnigan, graduating in 2016
    • Coached and promoted junior programs and camps in Canada and Australia
    • Actively involved in mentorship opportunities in the squash community

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  • Program Highlights

    • Shawnigan’s numerous accomplishments in squash include winning 10 BC Independent Schools Association championships between 2012 and 2022
    • The School hosts three Squash BC Silver events per year, giving students match play opportunities on campus against Vancouver Island’s top junior squash players
    • The School also hosts the annual Mike Johnson Classic professional squash tournament, which gives current students the opportunity to watch world class squash while giving the School’s alumni the chance to come back to play on campus
    • In addition to hosting competitions, the squash program competes annually at events in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Niagara Falls
    • Recent trips and tours include destinations such as Hong Kong and China, Bermuda, and the US 

  • Program Overview

    Squash provides an opportunity for a healthy lifestyle, hard work, perseverance, social interaction, and sportsmanship for all players. The program tends to attract athletes who are motivated, hard-working, and who possess good hand-eye coordination. They should be ready and prepared to attain a high level of cardiovascular fitness to meet the demands of the sport.

    The Shawnigan squash program pathway has three streams which align with Squash Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development plan:

    Learn to Play
    Beginners have three afternoon sessions per week. The School also offers students three other sessions per week where they can come and try squash; these additional sessions are also open to junior squash players in our local community.

    Pre-Competitive
    Students have three afternoon sessions a week and the opportunity of an additional three sessions a week during the school/community squash program. They also have access to fitness and strength and conditioning sessions. Alongside the training sessions, these students participate in bronze- and silver-level competitions throughout the squash season in BC. These players also have access to private tuition with the School's world class coaches.

    Competitive
    Competitive players at the School participate in fitness and squash sessions three times a week on sport days, and have three other racket sessions available to them on non-sport days. Alongside these sessions, they have access to private lessons and to strength and conditioning classes. The School’s competitive players play in provincial and national events across Canada. 

Squash Facilities, Amenities & Support

  • Six squash courts: four glass-back international courts and two converted hardball courts
  • Viewing for 100 spectators
  • Video analysis equipment
  • High-performance weight room
  • Spin room
  • Health & Well-Being Centre offering on-campus massage, acupuncture, and more
  • Athletic Therapists on staff
  • Athletics-specific university guidance support
  • Staff advisors for each student to ensure academic, athletic, and personal success

Alumni Success Stories

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  • Lucia Bicknell ’20

    • Competed for Stanford University, graduating in 2024
    • Canadian U13 and U15 Junior Champion
    • Canada NextGen Squad 
    • Competed for Team Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championships

  • Michael Mehl ’18

    • Competed for the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2022
    • Canadian Junior National Champion in 2011, ’13, ’15, ’16, ’17
    • 2014 Canadian Junior Open Champion
    • Competed for Team Canada at the 2014 and 2016 World Junior Championships, serving as captain in 2016

  • Bransten Ming ’15

    • Competed for Drexel University, graduating in 2019; team captain in 2018-19; Drexel’s 2019 Senior Male Athlete of the Year
    • Two-time All-American
    • Professional player on the PSA Circuit
    • USA Junior National Team
    • 2011 Canadian Junior Open U15 Champion

  • Gigi Yeung ’19

    • Yale University, Mechanical Engineering
    • Yale Squash MVP, All American Honours 
    • Macao’s first PSA tour title winner

Partnerships

Shawnigan is affiliated with Squash BC and regularly hosts sanctioned events throughout the season. The squash program is also affiliated with the Professional Squash Association, allowing the School to bring in professional athletes for the annual Mike Johnson Classic.

Our Athletes are attending

We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
1975 Renfrew Road
Shawnigan Lake, BC V8H 2G7
+1-250-743-5516
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.