L-R: Vivienne ’30, Juliette ’32, and Charlotte Sze ’28
Having one sports powerhouse in a family is something special.
Three athletes from one family crushing it on a global stage? Well, that’s something else entirely. The Sze sisters—Charlotte ’28, Vivienne ’30, and Juliette ’32—added to the family’s hardware collection in the U.S. Junior Squash Championships in March, with Charlotte and Vivienne earning their fourth national championships in the U17 division and U15 division, respectively, and Juliette placing second in the U13s.
U.S. Squash describes Vivienne’s victory as “an emphatic perfect title run… [joining] her older sister with four national titles and one in the U11s, U13s, and U15s.” At ages 16, 14, and 12, they have been decorated with multiple title runs, including Charlotte’s U.S. Junior Open title and Vivi’s four U.S. Junior Open titles.
Their path began unexpectedly. As a 7-year-old, Charlotte stumbled upon a squash club in Natick after getting lost on the way to a birthday party and the game sparked her curiosity. She quickly found that she loved the intensely physical and tactical nature of the sport. Vivi, and later Juliette, followed suit. Although all three played other sports, squash became a shared passion. The most important, special part of their success in the sport has been achieving it together, Vivi says: “It is incredibly special to be able to have my sisters by my side in tournaments and to train with them.”
All three sisters have been honored to represent Team U.S.A. in international competitions—opportunities extended to the nation’s top-ranked junior players. This January, Juliette made her debut in the British Junior Open, joining Charlotte and Vivi, who returned for their fifth and fourth appearances, respectively. Charlotte was also one of just five U.S. girls selected to compete in last summer’s World Junior Championships in Cairo and, at age 16, has achieved a professional world ranking of 127.
The girls credit their family for giving them the ability to self-direct their squash pursuits, a thoughtful coaching team led by Luke Butterworth, a tight-knit home club in Boston with local mentors and coaches, and the Milton Academy community for their enjoyment and success. Playing team-based sports through Milton’s Middle and Upper Schools has been instrumental, they say. Having a number of hobbies and interests outside squash, be it basketball, soccer, books, the beach, or hanging out with friends, has also been a way to balance the rigor of their competitive individual sport.
“Milton has always understood how deeply I love squash and how committed I am to pursuing it,” says Charlotte. “I remember last fall, when my advisor, Dr. GwinnLandry, came to watch me compete in a professional event at my home club in Boston—it really meant a lot to have him there.”
“At the same time, Milton has recognized that I am more than just a squash player,” she continues. “Whether I’m playing sports like soccer, teaching in a local elementary school, or joining and trying new clubs, Milton has encouraged me to grow in many directions, both on the court and in the classroom.”
