A Castlegar woman has been recognized by Squash BC for her contributions to the sport.
Rebecca Vassilakakis was given an award from the Squash BC Emerging Female in Squash program. The award comes with a $500 grant for the Nelson Squash Club, where Vassilakakis plays and sits on the board.
The club will use the grant to support programs for women and girls.
Vassilakakis has been in love with the sport of squash for a long time. As a junior player she was national champion three times.
She has volunteered with Squash BC for 16 years.
“It’s a way to give back,” said Vassilakakis. “Squash has been a big part of my life.”
She has also helped with the Canada Games multiple times, both on the committee level and as a coach.
At the Nelson Squash Club, she can be found helping with a lot of the behind-the-scenes work.
“It was nice to be recognized,” said Vassilakakis, who is excited about the way Squash BC is encouraging women.
“Squash BC has done a really good job in the last few years in recognizing the lack of women in our sport,” she said.
“They have been really working hard with things like Women’s Squash Week — really putting a focus on trying to grow women in squash, as well as recognizing women who are helping grow the sport of squash.”
The Nelson Squash Club has a tournament coming up from March 8-10. They expect players from all over the Interior to participate and are organizing a few pros to come down for an exhibition.
For more information on the local squash scene, check out nelsonsquashclub.com or the squash courts at Selkirk College’s Castlegar campus.
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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