Co-Captain Minnie Kim’s captaincy is built on fostering a supportive, tight-knit team. By building relationships with every teammate and organizing events that bring the team together, Kim has built a strong community that enables the team to thrive.
Starting as a convenient after-school activity, Kim followed her older sister and former Girls Squash captain Migyu Kim ’25’s path and began playing squash at 6 years old. Now, as a captain at Andover, Kim works to uplift the team through team chemistry. Kim elaborated on the roots of her leadership philosophy and described the type of team she strives to create here at Andover.
“I played on my middle school squash team, and that’s when I learned the foundations of what being a teammate was. Squash is a very individual sport, so it’s hard to find a team aspect. From that experience, I saw how important it is to have a strong team community and bond, and that’s what I love to bring to the Andover squash team,” said Kim.
At the core of this intention, Kim’s positive attitude becomes contagious, lifting up and inspiring her teammates. Robin Lukens ’28 noted Kim’s optimism, highlighting her mentality through matches and hard practices.
“Minnie is a really positive leader. That’s one of her best attributes. She’s really optimistic about all of our matches. She always has a winning mentality, but not in a negative, competitive way. It’s more about trying your best, and if we win, we win, and if we don’t, we can always improve and get better,” said Lukens.
Every year, Andover Squash travels to High School Nationals in Philadelphia to play the best teams in the country. Rachel Levitsky ’28 fondly recalled a moment when Kim’s leadership was evident, as she assured Levitsky before a big match.
“At nationals last year, I was really nervous to play. I was playing a match against a girl who was probably going to beat me, and I was having a lot of negative thoughts. Minnie sat me down and told me that I just needed to smile and have fun: it’s just a game. I took that to heart, and I ended up playing pretty well,” said Levitsky.
The team has four juniors. Hence, as a small team, it is primarily made up of lowerclassmen. Ava Kung ’29 talks about how Kim welcomed her and the other new players to the team.
“Especially for me as a freshman, coming into a new team environment where everyone is already tightly knit can be difficult. She did a great job welcoming us from the start, and we all felt like we were part of the team,” said Kung.
A major part of building this environment, where the team works cohesively, is the bonding activities. Kim works to plan fun events with both the boys’ and girls’ teams, building a supportive community across the teams. Kim explained the ordinary and the unique activities the team does and the atmosphere it creates.
“We do all the normal team activities—team dinners, team brunches, and team pep talks—but I also love doing things outside of normal bonding. It’s really important that the boys’ and girls’ teams are close. We’re one team, and I try to find events where both teams gather in the same environment. We have winter traditions like gingerbread house making and white elephant. These small activities help create a really supportive relationship between the teams during the season, where each team cheers the other on,” said Kim.
Despite just being an Upper, Kim is already the backbone of Girls Squash. Minnie described her excitement about the team’s future and her future in squash.
“I hope to eventually be on a college team for squash, but for next year, I think we’re an incredibly strong team. We’re going to have an amazing next few years because I can see so much potential, strength and energy in the younger girls, and I know what they can do in the next four years,” said Kim.
