As momentum continues in the return of players to the squash courts, US Squash has announced a preliminary schedule of summer junior tournaments and posted additional information on policies and procedures that will apply to Stage 2 of the phased transition to junior national competition and tournament points-based rankings, beginning May 28, 2021. Families can read the prior announcement of the three-stage transition here, and more detailed information is available on the return-to-competition page on the US Squash website: www.ussquash.org/return.
Stage 1 of the transition – “Prepare for Play” – begins this week, with players able to continue recording results in accredited tournaments, leagues and match play to improve the accuracy of their rating, and to get fit for tournament play. The start of Stage 2 on May 28, 2021 will see players able to earn ranking points in tournaments, which will be banked on their profiles until the resumption of points-based rankings in Stage 3, beginning September 8, 2021.
Tournaments in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 are now posted on the US Squash tournament listing:
Currently posted in the summer schedule are three levels of tournaments:
- Regional Junior Championships:
- Registration available to players residing in the region of the tournament
- Tournaments held on two weekends: May 29, 2021 and August 13, 2021
- Maximum ranking points offered: 2000
- Junior Gold:
- Registration available to all players
- Tournaments held throughout the summer across regions nationally
- Maximum ranking points offered: 2000
- Junior Open:
- Registration available to all players
- Two tournaments offered: East Coast Junior Open (July 16-18, 2021) and West Coast Junior Open (September 4-6, 2021)
- Maximum ranking points offered: 3500
Additional important details to note regarding Phase 2 tournaments:
- Each level of tournament will have a maximum draw size by age division; division sizes are determined by the total number of ranked players nationally in each age division
- Entry and waitlist status will be determined in order of player rating as of the registration deadline.
- Similar to the prior points structure, distribution of points based on finishing position in a division is also determined by the total number of players in that division’s draw.
Junior Silver and Bronze tournaments will be added to the summer tournament calendar as they are confirmed in the coming weeks.
Also included in the policy information released today is the allocation table for Phantom Points. Phantom Points provide a starting position for player rankings for when points-based rankings return in Stage 3, and are assigned based on a player’s rating and Ratings Confidence Index (RCI) as of the end of Stage 1. More information about the methodology for Phantom Points allocation, and the points table, are available in the “Ratings and Ratings” section of the return to competition webpage:
Division size allocations and points tables by event type, as well as full updated policies and procedures for Stage 1 and 2 of the return to national competition and points-based rankings, are available on the junior squash policies page:
US Squash is grateful for the engagement of the junior community as we work with families, regions, and facilities to establish safe and meaningful competitive opportunities as we work towards resumption of full competition over the coming months.
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Addendum: April 16, 2021:
We have received questions from the community regarding the number of tournaments that can be played during the summer that will apply to rankings in Stage 3, as well as the number of tournaments that will determine the ranking divisor upon the resumption of junior points-based rankings in the fall. Given the unique circumstances for the return to competition due to the pandemic, US Squash is making the following adjustments to past junior rankings policies:
- Players may participate in as many tournaments (of any level) as desired during Stage 2 (May 28 – September 8, 2021).
- During Stage 2, points earned from a maximum of four tournaments per division will be factored into player ranking and exposure count. If a player chooses to participate in more than four tournaments during Stage 2, only the four highest points-earning tournaments per age division will be used – any additional tournaments played in Stage 2 beyond these four tournaments will not impact ranking or exposure count.
- When a player has played fewer than 4 tournaments during Stage 2, then beginning in Stage 3 that player’s ranking will include the assigned phantom points. For instance, if a player competes in 1 tournament during Stage 2, then his/her ranking will be calculated using the points from that 1 tournament plus the points from the 3 remaining phantom tournaments.
- When points-based rankings begin in Stage 3, the amount of tournament exposures that determine the ranking divisor will be adjusted to the following:
- Up to 12 tournaments: divisor of 4
- 13-15 tournaments: divisor of 5
- Divisor number continues to increase by 1 for each subsequent 3 tournaments added (16-18: 6, etc.)