Henry pictured at the Australian Open held in Melbourne in April. Photo Credit: Rogue Gun Photography.
At the recent Australian Open and Oceania Championships Henry Kross, who is the Australian #1 Under 17 boy, played up an age group in the Under 19’s to compete against the older boys and not only put himself in contention for selection but earned a spot to represent Australia for the World Junior Championships. Each country selects four males and four females to compete at the WJC.
At the World Juniors (WJC) players don’t compete in age groups. Henry said, “In squash you are considered a junior until you turn 19, so it is just the best four juniors selected to compete from each country.”
The Championships are being held in Ontario, Canada. “I have created an 11 week schedule that involves training with my dad who is my coach, lots of solo sessions on court and quite a bit of strength and conditioning at Parkes Athletic.
“I will also have a team camp in Sydney, and some time at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. I’m also working with school to make sure I complete everything there before I go,” said Henry.
To fundraise for his trip to Canada Henry will again be collecting cans and bottles. “In 2024 I cashed in 40,000 (cans and bottles) to get to England, and am hoping to help with the costs by doing that again.
“We are hoping to do another lamington drive soon, and also have a sponsor page through the Australian Sports Foundation if anyone wants to donate at https://asf.org.
au/campaigns/henry-kross/henrykrosssquashopportunities.
“I really appreciate all the support I get from the community to chase my dreams,” concluded Henry.