The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..

She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze..

‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.

She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’

‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘ We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..’

She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

‘Good friends are like stars….. ……You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.’

2010-2011 Junior Rules and Guidelines

1. Rules of Squash
All sanctioned U.S. SQUASH Junior Competition is governed by the Rules of Squash as set forward by the World Squash Federation (WSF), unless there is a specifically noted exception.
Please click here to view the full WSF World Squash Singles Rules.
2. U.S. SQUASH Code of Conduct
The U.S. SQUASH Code of Conduct establishes detailed guidelines regarding sportsmanship and conduct for players, coaches and spectators during all U.S. SQUASH sanctioned junior activity. The Code of Conduct applies to behavior both on and off court.
It is the responsibility of every entrant to understand the Sportsmanship & Conduct Guidelines. By entering a sanctioned tournament, the entrant agrees to accept and abide by the Code of Conduct, and acknowledges that any breach of the established guidelines may result in penalties applied by U.S. SQUASH.

Please click here to view the U.S. SQUASH Code of Conduct.
3. Eligibility to Compete In Sanctioned Junior Tournaments
As of December 1st, 2010, all players in U.S. SQUASH sanctioned junior squash tournaments must be current members of U.S. SQUASH through the last day of the tournament.
A player may enter any level of junior tournament (Gold, Silver, Bronze, etc) regardless of his or her ranking. However, divisions in some tournaments will be limited in size, and entry will be granted to the highest-ranked players that apply by the entry deadline. For instance, if a division in a Gold tournament is limited to 16 players, and 20 players apply before the entry deadline, the Tournament Director will grant entry to the top 16 ranked players as of the time of the release of the cut list. The remaining 4 players will be placed on a waitlist in order of ranking and may qualify for entry at the discretion of the Tournament Director or U.S. SQUASH in the case of a withdrawal or other circumstance. If any players apply after the entry deadline, they may also be placed on the waitlist, but will be placed below the already present entries, regardless of ranking. Please see the tournament information page of each event for any other pertinent information.

Entry into Junior Championship Tour (JCT) events is also determined by ranking in that age group as of the release of the cut list. U.S. SQUASH reserves two positions in each division to be selected at its discretion. During the conversion into the new ranking system, player ratings and conversion tournaments may be taken into account for entry into JCT draws where appropriate. Please see the tournament information page of each JCT for additional regulations and other pertinent information.

In Gold and JCT tournaments, players may only compete in one age division.

Players may compete in multiple age divisions in Silver and Bronze tournaments, but may only receive points towards their ranking average in a single division per tournament. In such a situation, players are responsible for emailing rankings@ussquash.com within 5 days of completion of the tournament to notify U.S. SQUASH of the division in which they would like the points awarded.
4. Protective Eyewear
All players and coaches must comply with the U.S. SQUASH Eyewear Policy at all times during sanctioned play. This covers any activity on court during a sanctioned event, including practice and pre-match warm-ups.  Please click here to view the U.S. SQUASH Eyewear Policy.
5. Videotaping
All players, parents, coaches, and spectators must comply with the U.S. SQUASH policies on videotaping matches at all times.

In the case of players under the age of 18, if the player, or coach, parent or guardian of the player objects to the use of a photographic device within the court, by parties other than those approved by U.S. SQUASH, the objecting party may request the use be discontinued.

6. Refereeing Requirements
At all U.S. SQUASH sanctioned junior play, players are responsible for refereeing their peers. Winners and Losers are responsible for refereeing after their match, unless released by the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director may also ask players to referee matches at other times or on other courts. The refereeing and marking players must be ready and present for their duty within five minutes of the completion of their match. In event players do not fulfill their refereeing responsibilities, penalties may be assessed against the offending players.
Players who have not previously passed the Club Level Referee Certification must successfully complete the online exam by February 1, 2010 in order to remain listed in the junior rankings. The exam will be posted online in November 2010.

7. Seeding Guidelines
Players generally will be seeded in order of their U.S. SQUASH ranking in the appropriate age division. The most current ranking as of the date the draw is made should be used. Tournament Directors may use their discretion in the seeding of foreign players, or in other exceptional circumstances, but are expected to use their best judgment to seed players accurately and fairly. In some cases, a player’s U.S. SQUASH rating may be used to determine proper seeding.
Once seedings are established, the Tournament Director has the option of seeding the draws based off standard non-randomized seeding guidelines, or by seeding-group randomization.

Non-Random Placed Seeding:

In this seeding method, seeds are automatically placed in pre-determined positions on the draw.  In each round, the highest seeded position matches up against the lowest seeded position.  For instance, in an 8-player draw, the #1 seed plays #8, #2 plays #7, #3 plays #6, and #4 plays #5.  #1 v. #4 and #2 v. #3 would hypothetically match up in the second round, with #1 and #2 playing in the finals.

Randomized Seeding Groups:

In this method, seedings are still used, but players are placed in groups instead of having individual single seedings.  For instance, the #3 seed and #4 seed are drawn randomly to be placed in the 3 seed and 4 seed draw positions; the #5-#8 seeds are randomly drawn to go in the 5-8 seed draw positions, etc.

For Junior Championship Tour (JCT) events and U.S. National Championships, please consult the tournament information page on the U.S. SQUASH website for more detailed seeding information.
8. Default and Withdrawal Policies
For general sanctioned tournaments, a player may withdraw before 5:00pm on Monday (in the time zone of the tournament) the week of the tournament without penalty. Any withdrawal after that timeframe is considered a late withdrawal. Please consult the tournament information page of JCT and U.S. Championship tournaments for withdrawal deadline information.
If a player withdraws from a tournament after the withdrawal deadline but before they have begun their first match, or if the player is registered for the tournament and does not appear, the player may receive the following penalties:
 1st late withdrawal within a 10-month period: No penalty, but the late withdrawal goes on the player’s record.
 2nd withdrawal within a 10-month period: The tournament goes into the player’s ranking calculation with a 0-point value. This tournament counts like any other in his or her average, but he or she receives no points for the event.
 3rd or further withdrawal within a 10-month period: For each further late withdrawal, the player continues to receive 0 points for the tournament in question.
If a player withdraws once he or she has begun his or her first match of a tournament, the player receives the lowest amount of points available based on the round they were in at the time of the withdrawal. For instance, if a player defaults in the semifinal of a 8-player tournament, they receive the points for the 4th place finish if there was a ¾ playoff in place. If there was no playoff planned, the player would receive the point for finishing in the 3-4 position.

US Squash Junior Tournaments

2010-2011

Singles (Meadow Mill Athletic Club)

October 30-31                           Silver                     Maryland Juniors

December 4-5                            Silver                     Baltimore Juniors

December 29-30                        Silver                     Holiday Juniors

February 26-27                          Bronze

March 5-6                                  Silver/Gold?

April 16-17                                Silver

US National Junior Events

JCT Events

October 22-24                           Cleveland, OH

November 12-14                         Boston, MA

January 15-17                           Princeton, NJ

February 19-21                          King of Prussia, PA

US Open                                    December 18-21, 2010   Boston, MA

Nationals 2011

Closed                                                 March 11-13          New Haven, CT

Silver                                        April 8-10              Williamstown, MA

Bronze                                       April 29-May 1        New Haven, CT

Doubles

Jester Doubles                           January 28-29        Baltimore, MD

Junior Doubles                           April 1-3                 Wilmington, DE

Baltimore Junior Silver

December 4-5, 2010

Flights: Boys & Girls under 11, 13, 15, 17, 19

Sanction: US Squash Level: Silver

Entry Fee: $75 per player; non US Squash members pay an additional $15. Entry fee
includes tournament T-shirt, prizes for winners and finalists.

Saturday
lunch at Club for tournament players.
Meadow Mill Athletic Club will donate $5 from every entry fee to the MMAC Foundation whose
mission is to provide physical fitness programs for less-advantaged Baltimore City school children.
Schedule: Play begins Saturday 10 am. Starting times will be available noon,
Wednesday, December 1. Call 410.235.7000. Players will be guaranteed
at least 3 matches.

Accommodations: Radisson at Cross Keys; 410.532.6900; mention Meadow Mill

Director: Peter Heffernan 410.235.7000, Ext. 208 peterh@meadowmill.com

FAX: 410.235.4285
Entries close Tuesday, November 30, 5:00 pm Late entries $10 additional fee on a space-available basis

Meadow Mill will host the mid-Atlantic regional skill levels singles tournament Feb 4-6, 2011, a qualifying event for the US Squash national skill levels championships April 29-May 1, 2011. To qualify for the nationals, a player must finish first or second at a regional event this year and going forward. Baltimore has had 3 winners of the men’s 5.0 level in the past 5 years, including Michael East. The event is open to juniors and adults and is one week before the high school nationals. This will be a terrific opportunity for high school players to get some very good competition at home before the nationals. We want to make this a very successful event, as we think Meadow Mill will be host for this event for three of the next five years.

New U.S. SQUASH Skill Level Championship Structure Announced

U.S. SQUASH announced an important change to the Regional Skill Level Championships at the 2010 Assembly in Chicago last week. For 2011, only players qualifying by being a winner or finalist in his or her division in a Regional Skill Level Championship will be eligible to play in the U.S. SQUASH Skill Level Championships.

One possible exception may be an on-site qualifier tournament hosted just prior to the U.S. SQUASH Skill Level Championships. The Championships will be hosted April 29 – May 1, 2011 in Baltimore, at Meadow Mill Athletic Club. Billed as the “Championship of the Members”, U.S. SQUASH membership is required to compete in any Regional Championship, however players may compete in more than one Regional. Players do not need to reside in the Region to enter the Regional Championship.

The “Skill Level Series” has grown from only three of the eight Regions hosting events in 2008 to six of the eight in 2010. Previously, winners and finalists of Regionals were offered winners free entry into the Skill Level Nationals. This season, the winner and finalist of each division receives free entry into the U.S. SQUASH Skill Level Championships and only winners and finalists may compete in the National Championships. If a winner or finalist is unable to compete in the National Championships, players finishing 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th, in that order and only to the 5^th position will be eligible to compete.

For 2011, all eight Regions will host an event. Harkening back to the “Insilco-style” B/C/D Championships of the 1980’s, the Regional Series is expected to involve thousands of players and hundreds of clubs in dozens of cities across the country competing for their chance to play in the U.S. SQUASH Skill Level Championships which will include up to 10 divisions of 16 players each, 7 for men (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0) and 3 for women (3.0, 4.0, and 5.0).

U.S. SQUASH’s eight Regions include the following States:

U.S. SQUASH Regions States Included

The Central States Region AR, CO, KS, LA, NE, OK, TX

The Great Lakes Region IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, OH, SD, WI, WV

The Mid Atlantic Region DC, DE, MD, NJ, VA

The New England Region CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT

The New York Region NY

The Pennsylvania Region PA

The Southeast Region AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN

The Western States Region AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY

The Regional Skill Level Championships will be the following:

The New York Area Region: Multiple Clubs (NYC) 1/21/11 – 1/23/11

The Pennsylvania Area Region: Fairmount AC (King of Prussia) 1/28/11 – 1/30/11

The Mid Atlantic Region: Meadow Mill AC (Baltimore) 2/4/11 – 2/6/11

The Central States Region: Life Time Fitness (Houston) 3/25/11 – 3/27/11 (tbc)

The Southeast Region Life: Time Fitness (Atlanta) 3/25/11 – 3/27/11

The Western States Region: Pacific Athletic Club (Redwood City) 3/25/11 – 3/27/11 (tbc)

The Great Lakes Region: University Club of Chicago (Date TBD)

The New England Region: TBD