Photo by Junho Lee/The Choate News
Rodrigo Chon Him ’25 has taken the New England Preparatory Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Squash league by storm, achieving the #1 rank on Choate’s Varsity team as a freshman. Chon Him frequently plays — and beats — athletes three grades above him. When asked what it is like to play on varsity as a freshman, he stated, “Being a freshman on varsity is a very big deal at a prestigious school such as Choate.”
Chon Him believes that being younger than the majority of his team pushes him to work harder on the court. He said, “Even before the squash season started, I knew I had to be in my best physical and mental state. Everyday I go to practice with the mentality that I have to work harder than yesterday. I want to give the best contribution to my squash team.”
However, Chon Him also knows that he is at a physical disadvantage being younger than his opponents. He said, “I also put myself through a lot of intense workouts since most of the guys that I play with are seniors, which means they are stronger, taller, and sometimes faster than me.”
Interestingly, Chon Him has not played squash his entire life. He started off playing soccer, then moved on to baseball and swimming, until he eventually started playing tennis at a elite level. Both of his parents played tennis growing up, which helped him fall in love with the sport.
Chon Him has been practicing multiple times a day with his coach, and plays competitive matches whenever he could. It was only two years ago that he added squash to his growing list of sports. Even despite his success this season, Chon Him would not consider squash his main sport. He stated, “Tennis is my main sport because I have been playing it for a long time and have put myself through a lot. Also, I have done better in tennis tournaments than squash tournaments.”
Chon Him is notably humble when he talks about his athletic accomplishments. He realizes that, although he has come so far in the sport already, there remains room for improvement. “There are a lot of things I need to learn about squash and a lot of things that I should know by now,” he said.
Nevertheless, he consistently performs well, leading the Boys’ Squash team to five victories at the middle of the season. His continued performance as a freshman will undoubtedly contribute to the team in the years, and many matches, to come.
