he game of squash is fun, exciting, and challenging, both physically and mentally. For middle school children in Newport, Rhode Island, an after-school program based around squash is helping them to improve their physical fitness and academic results. The organization's Executive Director, Kerry Bidlack, explains that, "Rhody Squash is a nonprofit after-school program helping disadvantaged youth ... through squash and academic tutoring to succeed and to get into independent high schools and colleges." Three days a week during the school year, usually from early October to late May, children from Thomson Middle School, the only public middle school in Newport, attend Rhody Squash at the facilities at St George's school. "We have 12 middle school students from fifth grade to eighth grade," says Bidlack. "They spend an hour on the squash courts then they spend an hour with a pretty much one-on-one academic tutoring situation." This is Rhody Squash's first year partnering with St George's, says Bidlack. The program was previously run at the Newport public squash courts but working at St George's gives the program an extra edge. "This is actually the first alliance of its kind for an urban squash program to be teamed with an independent high school," explains Bidlack. "It's really an awesome opportunity for the kids to get a glimpse into a future that they can achieve through working hard, through a program like this." The goals of the program are two-fold. The first is to ensure that children who need some additional academic assistance are getting the help they need. During their one our of study time, the students are able to work on their homework and, if they need it, get help from the tutor on duty. Rhody Squash also provides tutors for students out-with program time and even during the summer to help students improve their grades. Academically, the children all benefit from the time and attention they receive from the program. "You could do your homework so you won't have to do it at home, you could have more free time. You get help if you need help, there's never any reason for them to do anything else, they're always there to help you," says ten-year-old Collin. For Lucas, age 14, Rhody Squash has challenged him despite having played many sports before. "Squash was something new for me and it's very challenging and it demands a lot of you physically and mentally. And educationally it has helped." He continues, explaining that "Rhody Squash actually provided me for a tutor for summer for math because I hate it, I'm really bad at it, and so that definitely helped me. Right now I have an A in math, in algebra, which is amazing." "It's a great sport as well but they're also getting that extra time to sit down, get homework done that they might not be able to do that at another after-school ... program," says Bidlack. Lilly, age 11, enjoys the program because it will open doors for her. "It keeps you really fit and it's really good for you. It's just a fun thing to do, it's a great sport to learn and you can get scholarships to places so it's a really good sport." Historically, squash has been a more elite sport, and is now often played at independent high schools and colleges. Rhody Squash hopes to give their students the chance to present an attractive application to any school they wish to apply to, and the addition of squash can certainly add to their application. Pete Avitable, Rhody Squash's Director of Squash, explains that, "Primarily, squash is played at private schools, at private clubs, some businesses but up to now there really hasn't been a public avenue to get involved ... By providing kids with squash education, you open up a lot of doors socially and in business and in education that are very tough to get to otherwise."