ProMOTION PLUS & Squash BC Team Up to Keep Women in the Game
 
Two Vancouver non-profit sport organizations have teamed up to keep BC women active in the game of squash. Squash BC is very proud to present the Emerging Female Leader in Squash initiative, a strategic partnership with ProMOTION PLUS.

Over the past 20 years in Canada, female participation in sport in Canada has continued to decline. Squash BC,
British Columbia's sport governing body for the sport has also been impacted by this downward trend. According to Natasha Doucas, President of Squash BC, "reversing this decline has been a major priority for Squash BC and initiatives such as the Emerging Female Leader in Squash and Women's Squash Week support the Association's strategic direction".
 
With a desire to identify, encourage and support emerging female leaders in sport, ProMOTION PLUS has made a contribution to Squash BC (SQBC) through a new initiative that aligns well with the organization's own focus of increasing opportunities for girls and women in the delivery of sport and recreation.

The Emerging Female Leader in Squash program is aimed at increasing and retaining squash participation at all levels (players, referees, coaches, leaders and administrators) by women and girls in the province.
"This program directly aligns with our mission", stated Sue Griffin, Past Chair of ProMOTION PLUS. "Squash is a contagious sport, complete with a fabulous work out, connecting with other fun, active people and becoming part of a positive, healthy community of friends.  We are all aware of the great benefits we receive from sport and physical activity. Girls and women who participate gain leadership and communication skills, understand how to play as an individual and participate as a team - all skills that translate easily into our professional and personal lives".

About the Emerging Female Leader in Squash Program
The province-wide initiative will engage BC squash clubs, pros and players alike through communications and a series of events, all which promote participation of women and girls in squash, at both a recreational as well as a competitive level. To further strengthen the program, a Squash BC cash grant incentive of $500 will be available for participating clubs who fulfill specific criteria.
 
The new initiative also opens up a new opportunity for individuals, corporate donors or sponsors who are interested in supporting women in squash. A financial contribution of $1,000 will ensure that $500 is directed towards the Emerging Female Leader grant and $500 directed towards the Building the Future fund.

How the Program Works
  • All clubs who participate in BC's Women in Squash Week (September 15 - 22, 2018) are eligible to win a Squash BC Emerging Female Leader $500 grant.
  • A selection committee will select a club/s that will be the grant recipient/s based on established criteria.
  • Clubs nominate a female 'champion/ambassador' who goes over and beyond in their time to promote and organize opportunities for girls and women to play and participate in the game.
  • The more sponsors/donors who support the initiative the more grants that can be issued to clubs that are eligible to receive the grants.
  • Clubs who are grant recipients are obligated to use the funds to promote and deliver programs to attract and retain girls and women in squash over the course of the year and to report participation numbers and program impact back to SQBC.
The Squash BC Emerging Female Leader program is also proudly supported by Buntain Insurance and Promosapien.
        





Officiating - are we in crisis???

Yes, I'm hoping to get your attention and here's why. 

The Officiating Program in BC has been meeting its basic responsibilities, but without a strong focus on continuous improvement and sustainability, our officiating program continues to weaken. 

Many other provinces are in the same boat.

You might ask the question - why does this matter? Well the answer is simple:

Officiating is critical to our game overall, especially to competitive play. 
It is critical to player safety.  And it plays a factor in players continuing to play - therefore, it affects the number of people playing squash. 

Squash BC is taking action to find solutions to the issues the Officiating Program in BC is facing. An Officiating Task Force has been formed and is currently working toward the objective of: revitalizing, improving and establishing a sustainable Squash BC officiating Program in BC, to support player safety, competitive play and a positive playing experience.

For more information please open the link to the Charter for the Officiating Task Force

Some of the most common issues the Officiating Program in BC is facing include (not listed in any particular priority):
 
  • Fewer and fewer qualified officials want to officiate anymore. Why - aging demographic, lack of respect from players, lack of respect between officials.More difficult to get enough officials for local and Provincial tournaments - let alone helping to support National tournaments.
  • No active programs to recruit, promote, retain and reward officials.
  • Number of players who have taken the Rules course and/or the new Online Officiating Course (Club level) is at a low point. Therefore, many players don't actually know many of the rules or understand obstruction of play.
  • Squash BC hasn't offered as many rules and officiating courses as they did in the past.
  • Perceived difficulty to progress through the officiating certification process.
If you are interested in helping out with the Task Force or becoming an official, please email our Member Services and Operations Coordinator, Liana Schou, at office@squashbc.com

Squash BC and the Officiating Task Force is committed to keeping you updated on its findings, solutions and actions. Watch for the regular updates in the Squash BC e-newsletter.

[Written by:  Nancy Thompson, Executive Director -Squash BC]
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Note: The Officiating Program is led and organized by Squash Canada. The role of the provincial and territorials squash organizations is to identify and recruit officials; offer courses; support player knowledge of the rules; and encourage people to consider moving through the officiating pathway. 


['You Make The Call' design by Pacey & Pacey]


The Healthiest Sport...Ease into September Squash & busy 2018/19 Season

Squash has long been considered a healthy sport, but did you know that it beats out swimming, aerobics, running and rugby? In a recent study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they found that those who played racquet sports had a 56% lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to those who did no physical activity on a regular basis. Swimming and aerobics came in at second (28%) and third (27%) respectively.

These results likely come from the fact that squash offers one of the best cardiovascular workouts you can get in one hour-approximately 1,000 burned. It also promotes strength in many major muscle groups, while simultaneously improving flexibility, coordination and agility.


There's more to squash than just physical health benefits though. Although it is often a solo sport, the social aspect of the club and league teams have been shown to reduce stress and increase our overall mental wellbeing. This camaraderie helps keep players invested in the sport over the long-term, accruing the health benefits for their entire life. 

The ability to play squash year-round, no matter the climate, is also a significant factor to why so many people play it regularly and stick with the sport. It is important though to take some strategically timed breaks to prevent burnout and injury.

Many players take the summer off to step outside and enjoy the beautiful BC outdoors, but some caution must be had when coming back to the sport in September. Although you may be dying to jump back into competitive match play, be sure to ease back into it with proper warmups, some solo hitting, drills and condition games. These will help give your muscles and tendons time to strengthen up while you refresh your movement patterns and shot choices.

The health benefits of squash are a moot point if you jump back into it too soon and injure yourself for the season! So, make sure you ease into the 2018/19 Squash Season which starts off with....
 
Women's Squash Week 2018 - Sept 15-22

Since Squash BC announced this year's Women's Squash Week (September 15-22), clubs across the province have been getting on board and registering their events. To date 19 clubs are opening their doors to women of all levels and are organizing events that introduce women to squash, promote social play and inspire women to reconnect on the court and off.

Women's Squash Week enables clubs and centres to promote the game of squash to women who are looking for a sport that is both a great way to get / stay fit and has a strong social component.

To learn more about events in your area check out Squash BC's webpage (click here).
 






Shawn
igan Lake Junior Open
(Sep 21-23) Register by Sep 10
!

The Shawnigan Lake Junior Open (September 21 to 23) is a staple on the junior tournament calendar and is filling up fast!

With the registration deadline just days away, it is critical that you sign up now!

Shawnigan Lake School puts on an awesome tournament with entry ensuring a minimum of 3 matches and includes: track pants and t-shirt souvenir, great event prizes, draw prizes, meals Friday night, Saturday lunch and ongoing snacks.


Early Bird Singles & Doubles Tournament at the VRC
(Sep 24-30)

The tradition continues at the Vancouver Racquets Club hosting the first sanctioned adult tournament of the season. 

VRC's Early Bird Singles and Doubles is a great way to get your competition juices flowing as we start the squash season.

Entry includes a two-match guarantee two matches, beer ticket, tournaments souvenir and Saturday night dinner and entertainment! Start the season strong at VRC, one of the most social squash clubs in our community!



Pre-season Prep

If you are wondering how to spend the next six weeks to get ready for the thick of the squash season read Physiotherapist Dave Carter's blog on pre-season preparation. 

The blog is a blue print so consider talking with a squash coach about what might be best for you. A little preparation will go a long way to improve your game and reduce injuries!

 
Canada Winter Games Training

Squash BC, through the diligent efforts of the Canada Winter Games Committee, is preparing athletes as a lead up to the Canada Winter Games being held in Red Deer, Alberta from February 24th to March 2nd, 2019. The 2019 Games will be the 27th edition of the competition and is a culmination of three years of training efforts for our junior athletes selected to the final team.


On a rainy August weekend, year 3 squad members and other special invitees had an agenda-packed weekend with the Canada Winter Games in mind. The 2-day session (held at Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club (VLTBC) on August 25 and at the Jericho Tennis Club on August 26) included mental performance training, periodization and competition information, mental condition games / matches, yoga and team selection clarifications.

Besides being introduced to Team BC Mission Staff, squad members also got an athlete's view of what it is like to participate in the Canada Winter Games. Previous Canada Winter Games Team Members, Zachary Leman and Michael Thompson, provided insights into the competition and the experience.

Congratulations to the Boast MVP Award winner, Mitchell Kahnert and runner up, Brooke Herring.


Many thanks to Canada Winter Games Coach Kevin Inouye and Manager Emma Parke for organizing and conducting such a fabulous training session. Also thank you to Rachel Au, Zachary Leman, and Michael Thompson for helping support the training session and to VLTBC and Jericho for providing facilities.

We would also like to formally congratulate the following athletes (listed in alphabetical order by last name) for making it onto the Year 3 Canada Winter Games Squad:
Boys
Girls
Matt Bicknell
Lucia Bicknell
Emilio Carrillo
Cynthia Cao
Mitchell Kahnert
Sarah Cao
Jacob Lin
Brooke Herring
Sayeed Mavani
Julia Horsey
Sam Scivier
Yu Quan Ng
James Toth
 
Christian Yuen
 
Gabriel Yun
 
 
The Interior continues to draw kids to the game

Last weekend 13 juniors (ranging in ages from 6 to 11) from Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Trail participated in a 2-day event held by Regional Training Squad (Interior) coach Adam Terheege. 

The event started with some squash training (working on basic technique and hand eye coordination) and finished off with a tournament. The juniors where amazing and included some new kids to the sport of squash.







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