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News you can use – Baltimore
October 5, 2010September 14, 2010
U.S. SQUASH Releases Point Structure for New Junior Rankings
Launching the process of conversion into a new rankings system for junior squash, beginning the weekend of September 10-12, sanctioned junior tournaments will count towards the new U.S. Junior Squash Points Based Rankings. This methodology is designed to encourage participation while remaining fair and objective, and has been developed in coordination with teaching professionals and other junior squash constituent groups.
All sanctioned junior tournaments will count towards a player’s point average, with the exception of tournaments marked “No Tournament Points”, which are designed for players interested in trying their hand at competition without the pressure of points being at stake.
Participants in a Junior Championship Tour (JCT) tournament will earn 350 – 4,500 points depending on their finishing position, participants in a Gold event can earn 200 – 2,000 points, those in a Silver event can earn 80 – 350 points, and participants in a Bronze event can earn 39 – 125 Points. For a full breakdown of points earned for all possible finishing positions in JCT, Gold, Silver, and Bronze events, please click here. The points break down for all U.S. Championships will be released in the next few weeks.
To calculate a player’s ranking, an average will be taken of their total earned points. If a player has played 4 or fewer tournaments, their aggregate total will be divided by 4 to determine their ranking average. If a player plays 5 or 6 tournaments, his or her ranking average will be determined by taking the best 4 events and dividing by 4. If he or she has played 7, 8, or 9 tournaments, the total points from his or her best 5 tournaments will be averaged (totaled and divided by 5). For 10, 11, or 12 tournaments played, the average will be taken of their best 6 events, and so on.
There will also be a conversion process from the current system to the new points-based rankings method. Beginning with the first rankings run of the new system expected to take place on September 27, players will be assigned a starting average that includes 4 “conversion” tournaments. These “conversion” tournaments are not actual tournaments, but place-holder tournaments with points assigned to each player according to their current U.S. SQUASH rating earned through recent competition. As players play tournaments which count towards their point average, the “conversion” tournaments will be averaged along with the tournaments in which they participated. In addition, at the end of each month beginning with October, one of the conversion tournaments will be dropped from a player’s average. The second will be removed at the end of November, the third at the end of December, and the final at the end of January.
Tournament seedings will continue to be based off a player’s rating until the first run of the new system. After that point, seedings will be based off the new rankings system.
More information will continue to be released over the next several weeks, including a new version of the U.S. SQUASH Junior Guide. U.S. SQUASH would like to thank all players, parents, and teaching professionals for their patience during this transition. We are confident that this rankings method shift will be a positive one for junior squash, and U.S. SQUASH appreciates the efforts of everyone involved to make the experience of tournament competition exciting and fulfilling for all junior players.
Baltimore Must See Squash! This Thursday
September 8, 2010Qualifier
Thursday, 9/9 @ 5:00pm: Patrick Chifunda v. Ehimen Ehalen
Thursday 9/9 @ 6:00 pm: Ned Marks v. Lazarus Chilufya
Quarter Finals
Thursday, 9/9 @ 6:30 pm: Lefika Ragontse v. Wade Johnstone
Immediately following: David Palmer v. Graham Bassett
Quarter Finals
Friday, 9/10 @ 6:30 pm, Shahier Razik v. Chifunda or Ehalen
Immediately following: Marks or Chilufya v. Wael El Hindi
August 3, 2010
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June 14, 2010
Junior Men Set for Ecuador
Following a full year of competition in selection tournaments and a final playoff held at Williams College in April, U.S. SQUASH named the members of the 2010 U.S. Junior Men’s Squash team that will compete at this summer’s World Junior Squash Championships in Quito, Ecuador, July 27th- August 1st.. Eight juniors will be making the trip to Quito: Brandon McLaughlin (PA), Ash Egan (MA), Dylan Murray (NY) Christopher Jung (WA) Dylan Ward (PA) Bryan Keating (MD) Devin McLaughlin (PA) and Liam McClintock (MA).
The World Junior Men’s Squash Championships consists of two events: the team event and the individual event. Competing for the U.S. in the team event will be Brandon Mclaughlin, Murray, Egan and Jung, while Ward, Keating, Devin McLaughlin and McClintock will join their teammates in the individual event. Brandon McLaughlin will most likely be competing at the top position on the squad. The #1 player on this seasons U.S. High School Team Champion Episcopal Academy, McLaughlin capped off a stellar junior career by winning the U19 title over Murray as the Jr. Closed Championships in March. Egan, this year’s recipient of the Deroy Sportsmanship award, earned his way on the team virtue of strong finishes at the 2009-2010 selection events, including a win at the West Coast Junior Championship Tour (JCT) event, as well as winning the World Junior Men’s team playoff. The mercurial Murray, the youngest player on the team at age 15, played two age groups up this past season, posting strong results in selection events, reaching at least the semifinals in all 5 JCT’s, including a win at the University of Pennsylvania event. Jung was a consistent performer all season, also reaching at least the semis of all 5 JCT’s, securing his spot in the top four with a win in the 3-4 match at the World Junior Men’ Team Playoff.
June 14, 2010
Sobhy, Blatchford, Tutrone, Mendez and Ubina Head U.S. Contingent in Germany
Amanda Sobhy (NY) and Olivia Blatchford (CT) are seeded third and sixth respectively as they lead the U.S. Junior Team which will be competing in the 2010 Women’s World Junior Individual Championship, June 25th-29th , at the ACR Sportcenter, in Cologne, Germany. Joining Sobhy and Blatchford on the U.S. squad are Mary Elena Ubina (CT), Hayley Mendez (NY) and Katie Tutrone (MD).
Sobhy, from Sea Cliff, NY, who will turn seventeen on the last day of the tournament, is currently ranked #1 in the U.S. U19 Girls Division, and holds the #36 slot in the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) rankings. She earned a spot on the U.S. Junior Team last summer as well, participating in the 2009 World Junior Championships in Chennai, India. This April, Sobhy jumped into the international squash spotlight when she made history by becoming the first 16-year-old to win 4 WISPA World Tour squash titles.
Blatchford, a resident of Wilton, CT, the #2 ranked player in the U.S. U19 Girls Division is #51 in the WISPA rankings. She is also a U.S. Junior Team veteran, having participated in both the 2007 Championships in Hong Kong and the 2009 Championships in India. Blatchford won the GU19 title at U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships held at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, this past December and claimed her first WISPA title this spring at the FASSP SRC Open in Southport, CT.
Joining Sobhy and Blatchford is Maria Elena Ubina. A fifteen year-old from Stamford, CT, Ubina was recently awarded the William T. Ketcham Award for most on-court improvement and is ranked #198 by WISPA. This will be her first time competing for the U.S Junior Women in a World Championship. Ubina won the GU17 Division at the U.S. Junior Closed Championships in March.
Brooklyn, NY’s Haley Mendez, sixteen, will also be traveling to Germany. She earned her spot on the team last summer as well. Mendez holds the #2 GU17 and #8 GU19 spots in the U.S., as well as a #216 WISPA ranking. Mendez had a successful showing at the 2010 Junior Closed Championships, making it to the finals of the GU17 Division.
Fifteen year-old Baltimore resident Katie Tutrone holds the #3 spot in the U.S. GU17 rankings and will bring her many successes as a junior player to the team. This will be her first time competing in the Women’s World Junior Championship. Tutrone won the GU15 Division in the 2009 U.S. Junior Closed Championships, as well as Junior Championship Tour (JCT) titles at Princeton and Harvard this past winter.
National Capitol Squash News
June 10, 2010NCS Junior Awards
National Capital Squash is pleased to announce a new annual awards program to recognize the achievements of juniors who have excelled in US Squash sanctioned tournament and team play during the 2009-2010 season.
To be eligible for any junior award a player must be a member of NCS and have no serious on- or off-court conduct violations. Players must achieve an end of season national ranking as required below or be accepted to play in at least the US Squash Bronze National Championship.
Most Valuable Players: This award is given to any player with an end of season national ranking from #1 to #32 or who was accepted to play in the US Squash National Championship.
If there are no players in the top 32 nationally (or who played in the National Championship) in an age/gender division, then the top ranked NCS player in that age division will receive a Most Valuable Player Award if he was ranked in the top 64 or played in the US Squash Silver Championship.
All Stars: This award is given to any player with a national ranking of #33 to #64 or who was accepted to play in the US Squash Silver Championship.
National Team Awards: This award is given to any player in age divisions up to and including U15 if the player has achieved an end of season national ranking or was accepted to play in the US Squash Bronze Championship. For players in U17 and U19, the award is given to any player with an end of season national ranking of #65 to #128 or who was accepted to play in the US Squash Bronze Championship.
Rookies of the Year Awards: This award would be given to up to eight players (not counting BU11 and GU11 awards). To become eligible for this award a player must not have had enough exposures in any previous season to qualify for an end of season national ranking.
Two awards may be given for combined divisions of BU13&15, BU17&19, GU13&15 and GU17&19. The award will go to up to the two players in each combined division with the best end of season rankings in their respective age group. As more players play, awards may be given by single age and gender division.
This award will go to any BU11 who achieves a rating of at least 2.4 or any GU11 who reaches at least 1.9 in their first year of tournament play with at least four tournaments
Discretion may be used to award a player if he has played in four tournaments and aged out from one division to another during the season. In that case, the national rating would be used to approximate a national ranking in the higher age group.
Most Improved Player Awards: One award may go to a player in each age and gender division from U13 to U19. This will be based on a comparison with the previous season end of season rating compared to the current season’s rating at the end of the year. A player must have an end of season national ranking in the previous season in order to become eligible for this award. If no player in a division improves by at least 0.20 rating points, then no award would be given for that division. If a player has an end of season ranking in two age divisions, he is eligible to win the award for either division, but not both.
These were the criteria used in the awards presented for the 2009-2010 season. NCS may change the criteria from year to year, and changes will be announced here or elsewhere on our website.
Posted in Juniors, Quick Links | No Comments �
2009-2010 Junior Awards
May 23rd, 2010
National Capital Squash is pleased to announce a new annual awards program to recognize the achievements of juniors who have excelled in US Squash sanctioned tournament play during the 2009-2010 season.
All awards were based on objective standards and we plan to continue presenting these awards on an annual basis for future seasons.
Congratulations to all the award winners for a fine season!
Most Improved Players:
Kira Keating — Girls Under 15
Cesar Peralta — Boys Under 17
Geoffrey Keating — Boys Under 19
Rookies of the Year:
Zachary Ho — BU13 & BU15
Rachel Brown — GU17 & GU19
Cameron Bahadori — BU13 & BU15
Alexander Alvarez — BU17 & BU19
Greg Berson — BU17 & BU19
Caroline Resor — GU17 & GU19
Most Valuable Players:
Liam Rotzoll — Boys Under 11
Theo Mendez — Boys Under 13
Zachary Ho — Boys Under 15
Geoffrey Keating — Boys Under 17
Bryan Keating — Boys Under 19
Candace Craig — Girls Under 13
Kira Keating — Girls Under 15
Camille Lanier — Girls Under 17
All Star Award:
Alexander Nassikas — Boys Under 19
Jacqueline Barnes — Girls Under 17
Rachel Brown — Girls Under 17
National Team Award:
Jeremy Barnes — Boys Under 13
Jack Quamme — Boys Under 13
Caden Petersmeyer — Boys Under 15
Cameron Bahadori — Boys Under 15
James Matthews — Boys Under 15
Peter Murphy — Boys Under 15
Sandeep Rishi — Boys Under 15
Aaron Fernandez — Boys Under 17
Alexander Alvarez — Boys Under 17
Carson Craig — Boys Under 17
Cesar Peralta — Boys Under 17
Cyrus Nassikas — Boys Under 17
Dimitri Halikias — Boys Under 17
Greg Berson — Boys Under 17
Robert Bohn — Boys Under 17
Sam Patterson — Boys Under 17
Carter Clarke — Boys Under 19
Jeremy Ho — Boys Under 19
Taylor Nides — Girls Under 13
Caroline Resor — Girls Under 17
Lucy Gibson — Girls Under 17
Posted in Blogroll, Headlines, Juniors, News | No Comments �
Bronze Nationals Report
April 25th, 2010
Many NCS Juniors came home with trophies from the Bronze National Championships at Yale Sunday April 25, 2010, and those who did not can be proud of their achievements. Every player who entered proved he or she is competitive in a nationally contested tournament!
Here is a report on the nine NCS players who played through the last day of the tournament:
Geoffrey Keating, playing up an age division in BU19, took second place, losing in the finals to Baltimore’s David Snyder. Just two years ago, Geoff made it to the semis in the BU15 Bronze Nationals, so you could say he made more than four years of progress in less than two years.
Zach Ho lost a very tight 5 game match in the BU15 semifinals this morning, with two games decided 11-9 and one 12-10! Zach went on to win third place in another closely contested five game match. This was Zach’s first national tournament, a fantastic result!
Alex Alvarez won third place in BU17, winning in three straight games, two of which went to 13-11. Alex plays for The Potomac School’s Varsity and clearly is a rising star in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Organization High School League.
Rachel Brown took fourth place in GU17, losing in four games, with one of the losses going to 13-11.
Theo Mendez took sixth place in BU15, losing an exciting five game match that featured two tie-breaker games. This was also Theo’s first national championship tournament, and even more impressively Theo recently just aged out of BU13. Theo is another young NCS player to watch in future seasons.
Greg Berson won the consolation finals in BU17, marking another NCS player making his debut on the national championship stage. Interestingly, Greg won by successively larger margins as the tournament progressed, a very difficult task. Usually matches get more difficult to win as you progress further in the tournament. Greg won his round of 16 consolations match in 5 games, his quarterfinals match in four games, and then today won both his semifinals and finals matches in three games! During the finals match, one spectator rooting for his opponent said Greg “gets to everything!” An exaggeration perhaps, but not much. That’s a good goal for any aspiring junior — if you can get to and return the ball each time, you will win. Easier said than done.
Sam Patterson, in his debut in a national championship, reached the consolation semifinals in BU17 and played a hotly contested five game match. That was the equivalent to an 11th/12th place finish in a very competitive 32 player draw.
Carter Clarke won the BU19 plate in his most convincing win of the tournament, winning the finals in three straight games. He had to turn back Jeremy Ho in the semis, with both players playing very well in a tight five game match.
Caroline Resor reached the GU17 plate semifinals but lost a competitive four game match where no game was won by more than three points.
Congratulations to all the NCS Juniors for an excellent tournament and a record turnout among NCS Juniors!
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Bronze Nationals, Day 2
April 24th, 2010
NCS juniors played well in another successful day of squash Saturday at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Nine of the fifteen here at the Bronze National Championships will play in semifinal, third place and/or finals matches on Sunday, an incredible result. Quite possibly more would still be playing through Sunday, but in several cases two NCS players had to play each other today, and obviously only one could win.
Having all the NCS players playing here has been great — the players are all doing their best to support each other. It’s like having a home away from home and a fan base hundreds of miles from home.
In the BU15s, Zach Ho topped Theo Mendez in the quarterfinals. Zach advances to the semifinals, and Theo plays a semifinal for the right to the fifth place match. Cameron Bahadori lost in the third round of the consolations, meaning he finished in the top 24 of the 60 players here, a promising start for an NCS rookie junior playing in his first national championship tournament. Caden Petersmeyer was also eliminated today, but he played well and clearly is another NCS rookie junior to watch in the seasons ahead.
In BU17, Alex Alvarez dropped the first two games of his quarterfinals match with the #3 seed, but then roared back to win three straight. He lost his semifinal in four games, including one loss that went to a tiebreaker. He plays for third place Sunday.
Cyrus Nassikas won his second round consolation match easily, while Sam Patterson and Greg Berson both had tough 5 game wins to move to the consolation quarterfinals. Unfortunately for NCS bragging rights, Cyrus faced off against Sam in the quarters, and Sam won in a closely contested four game match. Greg Berson won in four games too. Sam and Greg play in different consolation semifinals matches Sunday morning.
In GU17, Rachel Brown won her quarterfinal match in convincing style, allowing the #4 seed just 12 points in a three game win. She fell to the #1 seed in the semis in four games on the exhibition glass court and plays for third place Sunday.
Caroline Resor won her plate quarterfinals match in four games and plays a semifinal match tomorrow.
Geoffrey Keating, playing up an age division in BU19, crushed the #8 seed in the quarterfinals in three games. He played a thrilling semifinals match against perhaps the fastest player in the tournament that featured incredible gets by both players and long rallies. The match drew a large crowd that repeatedly broke out in applause for well played points. Geoff won the first game, dropped the next two, then took the last two games to win a berth in the finals against fellow Marylander David Snyder on the exhibition glass court.
Jeremy Ho reached the consolation quarterfinals and lost a tight four game match. Carter Clarke will play in the plate semifinals Sunday morning.
See the report for Day 1.
Posted in Blogroll, Juniors, News, Uncategorized | 1 Comment �
Bronze Nationals, Day 1
April 24th, 2010
Congratulations to the 15 National Capital Squash area juniors who were accepted into the US SQUASH Bronze National Championships at Yale University April 23-25. This is a record number of NCS juniors who qualified for the tournament. We will be reporting each day on the highlights.
There is a record turnout here in BU15, with 60 juniors nationwide competing. Theo Mendez and Zach Ho cruised, winning both their first two matches comfortably, and both have advanced to the round of 16. Cameron Bahadori won his round of 64 match, then fell to the #1 seed in a competitive match. Cameron won his first round consolation match. Caden Petersmeyer lost his first round consolation match, playing very well and taking a game off a highly rated opponent. He moves to the plate division.
In BU17, Alex Alvarez overwhelmed his first two opponents, and has reached the quarterfinals, where he faces the #4 seed Saturday. Cyrus Nassikas, Greg Berson and Sam Patterson all won their first round matches, but lost in the round of 16. Greg and Sam both lost tough 5 game matches there. Cesar Peralta and Aaron Fernandez fell out of the main draw in marathon 5 game matches in the first round, but both won their first round consolation matches.
Rachel Brown easily won her first round match in GU17 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Caroline Resor moves to the consolations after losing a hard fought four game match that featured two games that went to tiebreakers.
In BU19, Geoffrey Keating advanced to the quarterfinals after allowing his opponent just 8 points in his first match. Jeremy Ho won his first round match, then lost to the #2 seed in an awesome match where all three games went to tiebreakers, including the last game that went to 15-13. It was a tough loss, but proved that Jeremy can play with the top players here. Carter Clarke lost a tough 4 game match and also moves to the consolations.
Live results are available online here.
Posted in Blogroll, Juniors, News | 2 Comments �
National Capital Squash 2010 Inaugural Junior Championship
March 20th, 2010
Congratulations to the local juniors who became part of squash history by playing in the first ever National Capital Squash Junior Championship tournament Feb. 27-28.
Here are the results:
Division 1
GU15 Winner — Anna Armstrong; Finalist — Emma Resor
BU15 Winner — Zach Ho; Finalist — Theo Mendez; Third Place Cameron Bahadori; Fourth Place Caden Petersmeyer
GU17 Winner — Jacqueline Barnes; Finalist — Rachel Brown
BU17 Winner — Dimitri Halikias; Finalist — Cyrus Nassikas
BU19 Winner — Alexander Nassikas; Finalist — Geoffrey Keating
Division 2
GU17 Winner — Allegra Wilson; Finalist — Caroline Charendoff
BU17 Winner — Patrick Hackett; Finalist — Tyler Smallwood
BU19 Winner — Nicholas Mendez; Finalist — Reilley Keane
Complete results for division 1 and division 2.
Tags: Juniors
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Round up of SIVL Sport & Health Interclub Varsity League – by Connie Barnes
February 28th, 2010
After a grueling winter of 36 matches at four Sport & Health Clubs, the SIVL Divisional Finals were held on February 26th. The Finals were one week after the SIVL tournament which attracted more than 100 juniors.
Here are the Winners and Finalists of Division 1:
BU20: Winner - Peter Fredman (Whitman). Finalist - Clive Chang (Landon)
BU17 (to be played): Sam Patterson (BCC) vs. Jacq Barnes (Whitman)
BU15: Winner – Theo Mendez (Sidwell). Finalist – Jeremy Barnes (Whitman)
GU20: Winner – Viveka Mishra (Sidwell). Finalist – Meg Armstrong (Madeira)
GU17: Winner – Jacq Barnes (Whitman). Finalist – Rachel Brown (Sidwell)
GU15: Winner - Anna Armstrong (Madeira). Finalist – Maddie Klaff (Madeira)
It was an outstanding finish to a great season!
The Division 2 SIVL Championship Team was decided by the seventh and last match. Landon and Whitman were tied at three matches apiece when Mike Hunter and Neal Malkani took court. The pressure was on, the atmosphere exciting and the crowd was very noisy! The boys reached two-all, then battled through every point of the last game with an incredible amount of cheering from the crowd. Hunter prevailed in a tense tiebreak and won the final game 14-12, a terrrific cap on Landon’s season. Congratulations to Captains Alex Duplessie (one of the loudest cheerers), Clive Chang and Coordinator Dr. Goodwin!
In the Division 1 Final, BCC 1 won the first two matches in short fashion. However Whitman prevailed, winning the Championship for the second consecutive time. Congratulations to the Whitman team and Captain Jacq Barnes!
After the matches, The 2010 SIVL Awards fro Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player were presented to:
MVP Alex Gangitano (Stoneridge)
MIP Joey Borden (BCC)
Both students receive an engraved glass plaque and a $100 gift certificate!
May 26, 2010
Olivia Blatchford Captures First WISPA Crown
5/17/2010 – Seventeen year old Olivia Blatchford (photo to the left provided by SquashSite) won her first WISPA tour title, defeating Canadian Miranda Ranieri in a five game thriller to take home the top prize at the 2010 FASSP SRC Open in Southport, CT. After dropping the first game, 10-12, Blatchford, who hails from nearby Wilton, CT, was able to fight back, winning the next two, 11-3 and 11-9. Ranieri, the former Yale All-America, tied the match with an 11-7 win in the fourth, setting up a dramatic fifth, in which Blatchford prevailed in a see-saw battle, 14-12, to notch her inaugural win on the Women’s pro tour.
Sobhy Wins Fourth WISPA Title
5/12/2010 – Amanda Sobhy became the first women to win four WISPA World Tour titles before her 17th birthday by capturing the Women’s New England Open at the Cross Court Squash Club in Natick, MA. Fighting back from two games down in the climax of the $5,100 event, the top-seeded left-hander from New York beat 17-year-old U.S. junior rival Olivia Blatchford, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.
May 25, 2010
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MSSRA Championships
May 12, 20102010 MSSRA State Singles Tournament
Flights: A, B, C, D, 40, 50, 60, 65, Women’s A, B, C
Locations: Meadow Mill Athletic Club (410-235-7000)
Baltimore Country Club (410-467-1208)
Maryland Club (410-727-3220)
Dates: 5/17-21
Enter Deadline: 5/12 at 5:00 pm
Draws Available: 5/13 noon
Eyewear: Lensed eye protection is mandatory
Entry Fee: NO ENTRY FEE: Players Must Be MSSRA Members to participate except men’s D/women’s C
Trophies for Winners
Director: Peter Heffernan (410-235-7000) peterh@meadowmill.com
FAX 410-235-4285
Mail Entry Form To: Peter Heffernan, Meadow Mill AC, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd, Baltimore, MD 21211
Name:__________________ Email ______________________ Phone ________________________
Circle One Flight: Men’s A B C 40+ 50+ 60+ 65+
Women’s A B C
Liability Waiver: I agree to hold Maryland Club, Baltimore Country Club, Meadow Mill Athletic Club, the MSSRA and US Squash, their employees, agents, directors and officers harmless from any and/or loss, claim, injury, damage or liability sustained or incurred by me as a result of my participation in the 2010 MSSRA State Singles Tournament.
Signature (required): _________________________________________ Date: ________
PARTICIPANT MUST SIGN THE WAIVER BEFORE PLAY






