October 25, 2010
Entry Fee: $75 per player; non US Squash members pay an additional $15. Entry fee
Saturday
FAX: 410.235.4285
Points for JCTs.
October 24, 2010
October 16, 2010
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 3rd, 4th and 5th, in that order and only to the 5th 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
News you can use – Baltimore
October 5, 2010MEADOW MILL ATHLETIC CLUB is offering a $99.00 Junior squash membership from now until the end of the squash season. Practice all you want…be on the ladder…and get included in many practice round robins put together by the Club with visiting teams.
and at BARE HILLS…..
September 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.
