First, I would like to thank you all so much for your support. Honestly, not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this new facility when I joined the women's squash team as a freshman five years ago. Back then, we received a total of $2,000 in funding from the Stanford student government, with so many strings attached that we were hard pressed to actually spend the money. Instead, that season was financed by the infamous 11pm-2am Saturday night Ford Center shifts for which the team was paid $12/hour. Ever since then, we have felt incredibly grateful for every penny and minute donated on our behalf. So thank you.
Let me tell you a little bit about the squash program and my experiences. The program was founded in 1999 by a group of enthusiastic undergrads with little or no squash experience. We were entirely student run until last August when Mark Talbott, the greatest (and nicest) player in American history, became program director. In those first years, I felt frustrated by the fact that students had to organize everything-from booking airline tickets, to scheduling matches to buying uniforms (Stanford t-shirts from the bookstore). But I quickly realized how much a community of smart, passionate and slightly obsessive Stanford students could accomplish. Most of us had never played squash before joining the team, so we weren't exactly expecting collegiate squash glory. Instead, we wanted to be to part of a community. So while we love playing, our broader goal has been to create communities that bring people together. To that end, we organize a squash club for Stanford affiliates, faculty clinics and two tournaments a year for Bay Area players.
The greatest joy for me personally has been getting to know a whole community that I otherwise would never have met-faculty members, adults in the area, coaches and most importantly, teammates. On the women's team we have sorority girls, devout Christians, techies, fuzzies, international students, hippies and lest I forget preppies. Many of whom will be life-long friends. Indeed, for teams and communities, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Our goal is to bring people together, and The Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation is the latest and greatest way to do that. It will allow the squash program to host intercollegiate round robins, expand the club and create other community outreach programs-in particular, a tutoring program for disadvantaged youth and squash intramurals for Stanford students. It will also provide a gathering place for other recreational athletes to meet and create many more athletic communities. Specifically, this building will be the center of recreational activities such as rock climbing, weight training, cardio, martial arts and intramural competition such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis and hopefully squash in the near future.
A number of very generous alumni and friends have contributed to make this beautiful new facility possible, and we are sincerely grateful for the space and opportunities it will provide to bring members of the Stanford community together. On behalf of Stanford Squash and the Stanford student body, thank you.