Noah George Interview

Noah George is a senior at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Next year, he will be on the mens squash team at Dickinson College.

Question: How did you get involved in squash and what do you love the most about the sport?

Answer: I got involved with squash at a young age, playing at the courts where my father works through a summer camp. I’d wake up extra early in the morning and drive to work with my father to hit squash balls and practice by myself before summer camp would even start. I loved to play recreationally while growing up and eventually started competing in tournaments which further boosted my early-found joy with the sport. There was a therapeutic nature to rhythmically hitting the ball against the wall that I became increasingly obsessed with as I continued to age.

Questions: What are some obstacles you’ve faced along your athletic journey and how did you overcome them? What inspires you to pursue squash at a higher level and what are you the most proud of getting to this point? How has your athletic journey helped shape who you are today and impact your future?

Answers: Throughout my life I’ve loved to compete in various sports including soccer, squash, golf and more. The competitive aspect of sports and squash was always something I’ve yearned for and enjoyed. However, the collegiate recruitment process became the first and only large obstacle I’ve faced through my athletic journey. My relationship with squash transitioned from a passion to something more transactional. Everytime I picked up a racquet I felt the burden of recruiting and the eyes of coaches magnify thereby ripping away the enjoyment the sport once provided for me. I began to no longer enjoy playing squash and started to skip out on practices. The pressures and goals I’d created for myself caused such a large amount of stress that I began to despise the very sport I intended to attend college for. Creating distance helped me stop the damage my relationship with squash was undergoing, but it wasn’t the magic formula. I worked to detach my self-worth with the outcomes of collegiate offers and interests; I worked to create the best version of myself academically and athletically, with no regard to which college I might end up at the end of the day. With these changes to my mindset I began to enjoy playing squash once again culminating in my decision to commit to Dickinson College to continue playing squash. Through this difficulty, I’ve become a person without expectations or large goals to accomplish for the future. Instead, I try to be the best person I can be in the present and allow opportunities to come to me.

Question: What advice do you want to give to other Asian student athletes who want to pursue squash or other sports in general?

Answer: My advice to other Asian student athletes is to pursue your passion and stick with it. Don’t allow external factors or expectations to shift your love for your sport and drive to be the best you can be at it. Do what makes you happy.