Competitive Calendar Updates

Regrettably, Squash Canada has taken the decision to cancel all of the rescheduled Fall national championships due to lingering COVID-19 restrictions and concerns.  The 2020 Canadian Mixed Doubles, the 2020 Canadian Junior (Closed) , The Canadian Senior National, the Canadian Masters and the Canadian U23 championships have been  cancelled. There were still existed too many restrictions in effect such as no competition yet permitted in current Phase, limits on the number of people allowed in the facility and 14-day quarantine requirements for people returning to as many as eight provinces/territories.

Given the current uptick in cases in the certain parts of the country, SC has also postponed the 2021 Canadian Junior Open from Dec 2020, with plans to hold it in early summer 2021.

Given this information, and the dearth of open courts in the province, and the continued uncertainty over the opening of the courts at SMU, it is with sadness that I am officially cancelling the 2020 NS Open and the 2020 Atlantics.

Please note that the Board is looking at how we can look at providing some opportunities for sanctioned play and limited tournament play, however given the current public health constraints, whatever competitive play opportunities we can present will look different.  As part of that we are putting together a survey to get an understanding of what you feel about return to competitive play and your safety.  This will be sent out next week.

Given this the Board voted unanimously on Thursday to extend existing memberships for a further 120 days.  This has the effect of extending memberships that were in place on 15 Mar 2020 for a total of 300 days.  Please remember that memberships run on a 365 day basis vice a seasonal basis and so memberships will restart counting time on 9 Jan 2021.

 

Squash Canada Webinars

Squash Canada is holding a number of webinars which might be of interest

Simplify your game & training for better results ** Open to Juniors Only
Synopsis: Learn the areas to prioritize to get the maximum out of your training & practice
Cost: Free
Presenter: Martin Heath, Squash Canada High Performance Director
Date: Wednesday April 22, 2020
Time: Noon to 1:00PM EST
To Register – Click Here
Tips for Applying to US College** Open to all interested 
Synopsis: Advice for student-athletes & parents to navigate college application process & choice
Cost: Free
Presenter: Martin Heath, Squash Canada High Performance Director
Date: Wednesday April 29, 2020
Time: Noon to 1:00PM EST
To Register – Click Here
SC Coach PD Session: Understanding Officiating for Coaches
Synopsis: Explains what  Referees are looking for in terms of player movement  relate to the striker playing the ball and non-striker clearing, to help coaches train players for success.
Cost 15.25
Presenter: Dave Howard, Canadian National and Pan American Regional Referee
Date:  Thursday April 30th, 2020
Time: Noon to 1:00PM EST
SC Coach PD Session: Developing High Performance Habits
Synopsis:  Train Smart by developing HP Habits that are LTPD based, support healthy mindsets, flexibility and creativity, and a positive training study balance. Includes facility and personnel requirements.
Cost: $15.25
Presenter: Presenter: Martin Heath, Squash Canada High Performance Director
Date: Wednesday May 20th, 2020
Time: Noon to 1:00PM EST

Management and Screening of Squash Coaches

Squash Nova Scotia needs to introduce some changes to how coaches are managed, screened and tracked because of federal regulatory changes resulting from an investigation by CBC into abuse in sport https://www.cbc.ca/sports/federal-sport-minister-new-steps-eliminate-abuse-sport-1.5026911.

Among other things, Squash NS will implement the responsible coaching movement guidelines in the coming months.  To this end we will be looking to meet with active coaches to discuss the way ahead in the next month or so. More to follow as we know it.