Cerullo prepares for Junior World Championships

Julie Cerullo is about to embark on a new chapter. After spending nearly all of her life in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., and more than 12 years at Saint Ann's School, the USA Junior Squash player is heading south to Princeton University next year.

And she's going out in style.

After graduating from Saint Ann's on June 9, Cerullo, 18, along with some friends, teammates and coaches will spend the better part of two weeks at the Cerullo family's house in Martha's Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Sure, there will be some relaxing on the beach, swimming and riding around on the boat. But Cerullo also will be busy training on the family's squash court for the World Junior Women's Squash Championships, set for July 22-Aug. 2 in Chennai, India.

"Training is so much more fun when you have friends there and people to compete with," said Cerullo, whose older sister, Megan, and older brother, Edward, both captain squash teams at Brown. "And I always work better when I have friends there to push me."

This summer, Cerullo likely will be the No. 3 player on Team USA's four-person team at the Junior World Championships. Each team fields three athletes and at least two of them need to win for the team to advance.

"I am looking forward to it," Cerullo said. "I've never been to India, so it's all going to be new to me. I've talked to some people who have gone to this same event before and I've heard a lot of positive feedback."

Cerullo traveled with the team to the last World Junior Women's Squash Championships two years ago in Hong Kong, but she only competed in the individual competition. The team got eighth in 2007, but is hoping to win its first ever medal at the competition this summer.

"We all have known each other for a while, whether it's close, you certainly know each others' names," Cerullo said of her USA teammates. "Many of us have been playing each other since Under-13s or Under-11s. It's kind of hard because the entire season we've been competing against each other for these spots. But I think now it will be just fine.

"Two of us are returning players so we have that experience under our belt. The other two are also really strong and we've all played each other tough this season so we definitely hope to improve on the eighth place finish (in 2007) and we have a chance to do better than that."

The other Team USA competitors are Olivia Blatchford, Amanda Sobhy and Yarden Odinak. One of the four women going to compete individually is Natasha Kingshott, who is among the group spending the early part of the summer in Martha's Vineyard with Cerullo.

During the season, which generally lasts from late October until March, Cerullo dedicates usually one or two hours per day, six days per week to training.

With only weeks remaining at Saint Ann's School and months remaining in Brooklyn Heights, Cerullo is taking it a little easier until summer.

"Now I am playing about five times a week, so it's not as intense, but once school winds down then I will start up again, about five to six times per week," Cerullo said.

"Once school is out my focus is going to be entirely squash leading up to worlds. I know what I'm training for and when you have a goal in mind it makes it a lot easier. The more I train the more motivated I become."

One person who doesn't doubt that is Fiona Greaves, director of squash at Heights Casino, where Cerullo has played since she was 6. Greaves calls Cerullo "mature"  and "very respectful.''

"She always gives 100 percent, always works hard," said Greaves, who has known Cerullo for four years. "Some kids can't always do that. ... She knew she had to work hard, especially this year, and she sat down with her coach and set that plan up. Usually we have to go to them with that but this time she came to us."

Cerullo has been training at Heights Casino, just a half-block from her house, since she was 6 and her older siblings started playing squash. Aside from the one year her family spent in Paris when she was a first grader, Cerullo has lived in the same building all of her life.

Now she's in for a change of scenery.

"I am so excited for it," Cerullo said of graduating. "I have grown up going to Saint Ann's since I was in preschool. Everything-squash, school, everything-has mostly been from the neighborhood, so it's really hard to say goodbye. But on the other hand I am really excited to move out and start fresh again and see what else is out there."

Greaves thinks she will fit in just fine.

"Obviously she is going to college so she is then going to step into the team aspect of things and I think she will love that and be an awesome team member," Greaves said. "That's a nice sort of diversion. Throughout her junior career when she was playing it was all about her. But this will bring a different dynamic for the game I think that will be enjoyable for her."

Cerullo will continue to play squash at Princeton, but she is also excited for the education. After looking through the course catalog she has already found lots of classes that interest her.

"I definitely want to continue studying languages, French and Spanish, and might want to pick up Italian or humanities," said Cerullo, who is already fluent in French and Spanish. "There are a lot of amazing courses that hopefully I will be able to take advantage of next year."

Until then, Cerullo is enjoying her time at home. And, needless to say, the people at home are enjoying her too.

"I think we will all miss her here," Greaves said. "It's nice having kids who want to work hard all the time. They're posh a lot of the time and obviously they're kids and that's what they do. But for us, we're all ex-pros and have been on the tour, and it's fun for us when you have somebody that talented get on the court as well."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Chrös McDougall is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.