Holiday Season wishes and Squash BC office closure
The holiday season is just around the corner and Squash BC sends the warmest of wishes to the squash community!

Squash BC offices will be closed from Dec 19, 2019 to Jan 6, 2020 to rest, recoup, and get ready for the 2020 portion of the squash season.
BC Canadian Master Teams
BC fielding 2 teams at the 2020 Canadian Masters Team Championships
This fun national championship is being held at the beautiful Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club (Jan 10-12). Since BC is the host province we are able to field 2 teams in the event.

Each team must be made up of made up of 3 women (one each at 40+, 45+, 50+) and 4 men (one each at 40+, 45+, 50+ and 55+)

The response was overwhelming as we sent a call out to the top masters players in BC. The selected teams are:

Team 1: Emma Parke, Carolyn Russell, Lauren Wagner, Viktor Berg, Andrew Lynn, Trevor Latimer and Bruce Matthews

Team 2: Cathy Covernton, Valerie Johnson, Karen Hawyes, Richard Yendell, Jay Anderson, Steve Hawyes and Thomas Clark
Master athletes who did not make the team are encouraged to be on the reserve list.

Other provinces may not be able to field a full team and entry rules allow us to back-fill their teams to support participation!

Congrats and good luck to the selected team. We invite all to cheer them on at the Vancouver Lawn in January!
Tournament Recaps
The 2019 BC Open Squash Singles Championships presented by Nicola Wealth
were played Nov 20 -24 at the beautiful Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club.

Silver sponsors were  Arbutus Furniture & Closets, and Cheapskates Sporting Goods .

There were a record 155 entries spread across 12 draws featuring Open draws competing for $3000 in prize money. A lot of great shots, good sportsmanship, Steamworks beer , Freshprep foods and fun was had by all! 
 
Thank you to our head tournament ref Chris Yap and her supporting cast for all their great calls and referring.  
 
Congrats to Ryan Picken & Grace Thomas for winning the Men’s & Women’s Open Championships.
Van Lawn was well represented in numerous draws. Special congrats to Thomas Haebler for winning the Men's B of 30 players. Byron Kidd champion over fellow member Terry Sunar in the 60+. Julia Horsey for wining the Women's A draw after a long injury. Well done!

 Thank you to everyone that helped out and played especially Hugh Woolley who sponsored the tournament but didn't want any recognition.

Thank you from your tournament committee: Aneal Galbaransingh, Thomas Haebler, Ryan May, Richard Freeman, Viktor Berg, Heather Nivison
Gamble Doubles is a handicap tournament based on age with two categories the "100" for older players and the "75" for younger players.
 
42 participants enjoyed a calcutta and dinner at VRC on Dec 3 to bid on 21 teams. 20% of the bidding pool goes to Autism Speaks Canada and $20 of each entry (42) was also a donation. Play started on Wed December 4 and finals were played on Saturday Dec 7 at VRC.
 
Congratulations to the winners:
 
Gamble 100 - Steve Lawton/Mark Levey def Ed Berwick/ Gord Pybus 3-2
 
Gamble 75 - Rick Ng/Jongho Kim def Brendan George/Erik Nilsson 3-2
Many thanks to our sponsors and supporters: Black Knight, Steamworks Brewing Company/Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar, Squash BC, Birdies and Balls Pro Shop
 
Also thanks to Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club for their doubles court and to the VRC Office for their administration work for the tournament. Gary Wong for taking pictures, Steve Lawton as auctioneer and Bev Lawton for managing the calcutta and extra donation dollars and Rip Peterman for being draw master.
 
The tournament raised $3,505 for Autism Speaks Canada. So special thanks to all participants in supporting the tournament and the charity.
Gamble100 winners Mark Steve with Tournament Host Brian
Action shot!
Gamble75 winners Jongho and Rick with Tournament Host Brian
Western Canadian Doubles
The 2019 Western Canadian Doubles Squash Championships (Nov 25-Dec 1) was the largest ever. A record number of 124 participants competed in this fast-paced and exciting event - even the Albertans and Americans could not resist, with participants from Calgary and Portland, not to mention the lower mainland and Vancouver Island!

The tournament featured 2 new categories, the 50+ Mixed, and the 70+ events. Both were quite competitive, and will hopefully be included in future B.C. tournaments. 

The largest draw was the Men’s Div. 1 with 17 teams, and the toughest battle of the tournament had to be the 60+ final between Calgary’s Jack Hoogstraten & Dave Sciuk vs. Vancouver’s Rick Ng and Portland’s Derrick Cameron. After 90 minutes the outcome was Cameron/Ng 15-14 in the 5 th

Other highlights included epic battles between Martin Kaffka & Lynn Broman and Luis Moran & Greg Charalambous; between Monica Szpak & Christine Yablonka and Jillian Anderson & Elizabeth Macey; and between Ted Fleming & Eric Watson from Calgary and our local heroes Jody Evans & Luke Vaggers.
Huge thanks to our sponsors, Howe Sound Brewing, Oliver Sport Canada, Factory Direct, Promosapien, Vroom, Fresh Prep, and C.C. Squash. Rebellious Tomato Pizza, and Golden Boot Restaurant in Coquitlam for their awesome lasagna! Thanks also to the many volunteers who helped make this tournament a success
New Years Resolutions! Get squashing in 2020!
Sign up by email to Greg Desaulnier at greg@3des.net
Doubles Officiating Clinic!
Squash "Offi"icionados, Brian Covernton and Greg Desaulniers, will be running the annual doubles officiating clinic on Jan 18th, 2020 from 9 am to 1 pm at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club.

* Learn the rules of doubles squash and start the process to becoming a certified referee.
* There will be a powerpoint presentation with lots of discussion and questions.
* A written exam will be completed by all participants and reviewed at the clinic - everyone passes!
* Once one completes the clinic and exam, the participant will become a certified provincial referee after passing a practical test by refereeing a league or tournament match with a National Referee assessing the participant.

A pass will be achieved if the participant applies the rules consistently and is able to make 10 correct calls and keep proper score.

* Cost is $10.00 (cash at the door) which includes coffee and muffins, rule book, guidelines and some referee tips.
Pacific Coast Open Doubles 2020
Vancouver Racquets Club is pleased to host the 49th Pacific Coast Open Doubles Championships, Jan 24 -26, 2020 in beautiful British Columbia!

The tournament which rotates between Vancouver, Portland and San Francisco, brings together doubles enthusiasts from the West.

This is always a great event with a lot of teams following the tri-city tour and a lot of great competition!

Find yourself a partner and register today. Not only will you get a great tournament souvenir, exciting squash, but also the chance to meet and mingle with fellow players over the weekend.

We're looking forward to a fun-filled week!
Trend Diesel Nanaimo Open
Jan 24-26, 2020
Come and join us from Jan 24-26th for a fantastic tournament that includes:
  • Friday and Saturday dinner
  • Tournament T shirt
  • 3 Matches guaranteed
  • Top draw playing for a $2500 prize purse
  • Oliver equipment prizes

Ranking points will be used for draw placement. Those wanting to play in the 'Open' draw should have 1600 points or more.
2020 Summerland Squash Tournament
Feb 28-Mar 2
The 2020 Summerland tournament is the 2nd tournament being hosted at Lakeshore Drive. Last year's tournament was very successful with over 50 entries. We will be using 2 courts with a middle court for a Practice court.

The club is on Okanagan lake with spectacular views. The tournament hotel is also on the lake and a 1 minute stroll to the club. Hotel is a 4* resort and has hot tubs,pool, spas for a $99-$129 room rate ! Summerland waterfront resort - 1-877 494 98111

The tournament includes:
3 matches minimum
A category for All levels of players including over 55 and junior U15 event
Friday night pizza
Saturday Night Dinner with 1 hour Free Open bar which will include beer,wine and soft drinks.
Women & Girls in Squash
The Squash BC Emerging Female Leader in Squash has been recognized as one of the most progressive sport marketing programs in Canada.
The 2020 Squash BC Emerging Female Leader in squash Grant is now open for Nominations!
This year (2020) will be the second delivery of the province-wide program that recognizes two women and provides a $500 grant to their clubs from the Women's Squash Week (WSW) Ambassador network.

Only clubs that participated in WSW 2019 are able to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity.

The $500 grants help to further squash participation in women and girls and are to be used by the clubs to promote and deliver squash programs for this sector through the calendar year.
BC Juniors
BC Juniors capture 2 titles at Canadian Junior Open Championships 2019
The Canadian Junior Open Championships wrapped up a 5 day competition at White Oaks Club in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was the largest event in Squash Canada history and due to 320 junior players participating, the event had to be extended to 5 days to accommodate the number of entrants across multiple divisions.

"The high-level competition and hosting excellence reputation has attracted players representing 16 different nations along with 195 of Canada’s top talented young players” said Dan Wolfenden, Squash Canada Executive Director.

BC was well represented a record 43 number of juniors (28 boys and 15 girls) competing in EVERY category in both boys and girls divisions.

Two BC juniors athletes earned a well fought first place finish.

Gabriel Yun, 16 of Richmond captured a first place in the competitive boys U17 category. Gabriel who is a student at Vancouver College is consistent high performer in junior squash in BC.

Ocean Ma, also from Richmond, had a spectacular rise in this tournament from her 6th place 2018 CJO finish with a first place in the U13 division. Ma, 13 is a student at J.N. Burnett Secondary School.
Both junior athletes train at the West Coast Squash Academy under Marco Toriz.

Congratulations to our Champions and top 4 finishers:
GU13 Spring Ma - finalist
GU15 Grace Huang - 4th place
GU17 - Sarah Cao - finalist
GU19 - Lucia Bicknell - finalist
BU13 - Weihan Wang - finalist
BU15 - Joseph Toth - 3rd place
BU19 - Michael Kahnert - 4th place

And congratulations to all BC Juniors who played hard throughout this highly competitive event.
US Junior Open 2019
With the Canadian Junior Open now in the history books, BC juniors have their sights on the US Junior Open being held in Boston, MA.

Good luck to all!
Jesters Jericho Junior Open
Jan 17-19, 2020
Jericho is proud to kick off 2020 with one of the best Junior Squash Events in BC!

Join us at the beautiful Jericho Tennis Club for a fun weekend of squash and social events.

There will be lots of great squash, prizes and excitement throughout the weekend!

Don't miss out on the early bird entry!
Juniors need to play in their appropriate age category in this event.

To participate in Squash BC Closed Championships: Athletes must be members of Squash BC and must have physically resided in BC and maintained their primary address in BC for the 12 months preceding a Closed Championship or must be Canadian Citizens or have Permanent Resident status and must have a permanent address in BC.

[photo of various 2019 participants]
BC Junior Closed registration open!
The BC Junior Closed is being held at  River Club  on Mar 6-8, 2020. With a limit of 120 entries and Provincial Championship bragging rights at play, juniors need to sign up now.
 
These are Squash BC's annual junior (U19) singles championships showcasing BC's top junior athletic talents and providing critical competition opportunities for our emerging elite juniors.

Spectators enjoy high-calibre play from Provincial, Regional and Canada Winter Game squad members and fierce contests as these championship titles are on the line.

Don't miss the early bird rates!
Junior Pathways
Squash BC has partnered with our member club coaches and pros to develop, implement and support a vibrant Junior Pathways Development Program that encourages kids to take up the sport, helps them develop their skills and progressively introduces them to competition.
Grassroots Programs at Global Fitness (Kelowna)
8 kids took part in 6 weeks of Fall / Winter programming at the Global Fitness Centre run by Tom Van Unen. Fun was had by all as they worked to develop squash skills and partake in the great game.
Mission & Chilliwack Junior Programming
Meanwhile in Mission and Chilliwack Shawn Zwierzchowski along with newly certified squash instructor, Jessica Evans, ran grassroots programming in those communities, engaging 19 kids to the sport!
Sign up for Progressive Events!
Progressive Cedar Hill Feb 1
This is a tournament for juniors new to the tournament squash scene where they will be introduced to proper match play, reffing, and good sportsmanship habits.

This event will be running Saturday, February 1, 2020 at the Cedar Hill squash courts from 12pm-3pm.

Along with getting tournament experience we will be giving pizza, gatorade, and a souvenir to all participants.
Van Lawn is a all white clothing club while playing squash. Please remember to wear 90% white clothing.

Parking is available anywhere on the premises.
Progressive VLT Feb 8
Join in on the fun! -- Juniors will play round robin games and then will be sorted into groups of similar level playing abilities for a mini fun tournament.

1 to 4 pm Saturday Feb 8. There will be a 'cups' theme tournament for this event. Hit the cups along the side walls to win extra points.

This Junior Pathway event being run by Viktor Berg will involve skills acquisition, drills, coach assessment and cooperative play with a focus on skills execution!
The Junior Pathway Program is funded through the 2020 Fund. Income accumulated through this endowment fund is used to promote the growth of the game through the development of junior squash. To donate to the 2020 Fund, click here .
Coaching & Officiating
Foundations Coaching Course (Victoria, Jan 10-12, 2020)
In recent years many BC Squash Coaches and Instructors have retired or made moves to other parts of the country or the world (Steve Lawton, Larry Armstrong, Chris Hanebury, Drew Henderson, just to name a few).

Coaches are one of the pillars to our squash community -- enabling players to reach their greatest athletic potentials.

It is critical to have a thriving coaching community to support our great game. So Squash BC is asking you to consider helping out by becoming a Certified Squash Instructor!

Squash BC is offering this Coaching Foundations Course which is the first technical squash coaching course required to achieve certification.

The course will be conducted by Head Pro Ben Uliana at the Cedar Hill Squash Club in Victoria from Jan 10-12, 2020.

This course in combination with the applicable Multi-Sport Modules and
Coaching Evaluation will result in you being a Certified Squash Instructor or Certified Squash Assistant.

The cost includes the materials for the course, and the cost of the evaluation at a later date.
 
There are only 8 spots available in this course so...
Above photo credit: Squash Australia
Get the Basics! Take the Squash Canada Online Officiating Course
Squash Canada Online Officiating Course ($35, about 1 hour to complete) includes   HD videos of challenging Referee decisions that help you become a better Referee. 

When you pass the online test at the end (80% to pass), you will be certified as a Squash Canada Club Referee.

To access click the  Online Certification Course  link  via this Squash Canada webpage
SquashTV Discount for Squash BC Members
SQUASHTV is the Professional Squash Association’s broadcast arm and covers over 20+ PSA World Tour tournaments a season.
 
You can buy a pass to watch the world’s best live in action on a wide range of devices whenever and wherever you want.

Included in a SQUASHTV subscription:
●      Live coverage of over 20 tournaments a season
●      Extensive on-demand replays
●      A huge archive that dates back to the 1980s
●      A growing selection of coaching videos
●      Daily highlights of all live tournaments
●      Features and interviews with PSA stars
 
Prices range from $13.99 USD per month to $119.99 USD per year for an annual subscription, allowing fans to stream as much squash as they want.

You can see what tournaments are coming up on the PSA World Tour website .
Squash BC and Squash Canada have partnered with SQUASHTV to bring members EXCLUSIVE discount codes to view top squash players as they compete on the PSA World Tour, all at a discounted price. 

For a LIMITED TIME ONLY, you can get a half price annual pass! This means you’ll pay just $60 USD a year! These discount codes must be redeemed by the end of the 2019/20 season
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