Squash Canada to Launch National Junior Circuit and Junior High Performance Ranking System

Squash Canada is pleased to announce the National Junior Circuit (NJC) and an accompanying Points Table for a new Junior High Performance Ranking System (JHPRS) that will take effect January 1st, 2023.  The program will align with US Squash and England Squash to provide a clear and transparent High Performance junior ranking in Canada.

The system is designed for High Performance juniors in the U15, U17 and U19 age categories in the Train to Train and Train to Compete stages of the Long Term Development model that have graduated through provincial/regional pathways and are now competing at the national level. The JHPRS will be used to select athletes for events such as Junior World, Pan Am Junior, and Battle of Border teams and for International Event endorsements (USJO, BJO, etc.) beginning in January 2023.

The System will run in tandem with the existing Canadian junior rankings based upon Club Locker ratings which recognizes all eligible Canadian juniors including U13 and U11 categories.  Juniors will therefore have two opportunities to be ranked:  amongst all Canadian juniors, and then how they rank against other top juniors who are vying for international selection.

Athletes must play a minimum of three National Junior Circuit events to obtain a ranking over a 15-month period and will be awarded points based on their finishing position. An average of the best three results during that period will be calculated for each athlete, which will include carrying points up and down age categories at a specified ratio. A full policy, point allocations and educational pieces will be published in the coming months for athletes, coaches, parents, and other stakeholders to get familiarized with the system. Additionally, the Squash Canada Junior Athlete Pathway Committee and High Performance Committee will evaluate the system throughout the fall before formalizing the points table as of January 1st, 2023.

At this time, Squash Canada is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 National Junior Circuit events as follows:

  • October 21st – 23rd, 2022
  • November 11th – 13th, 2022
  • December 10th – 13th, 2022
  • February 10th – 12th, 2023
    • Pacific NorthWest Jesters Junior Open, Cedar Hill Recreation Center, Victoria, BC
  • March 31st – April 2nd, 2023
    • Ontario Junior Open, The Club at White Oaks, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
  • May 6th – 9th, 2023
    • Canadian Junior Closed Championships, Atwater Club, Montreal, QC

Additionally, the following historical events will be used to help populate the points table and educate the community on how the system will behave:

  • 2021 Canadian Junior Closed Championship, Toronto, ON
  • 2021 Alberta Jesters Junior Open, Calgary, AB
  • 2021 Canadian Junior Open, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
  • 2022 PNW Jesters Open, Victoria, BC
  • 2022 Ontario Junior Open, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
  • 2022 Canadian Junior Closed Championships, Victoria, BC

Canadian athletes with aspirations of competing nationally and beyond should consult with their coaches and support teams on how to best incorporate the National Junior Circuit into their competition plans.  The community can look forward to more information in the coming weeks and can reach out to Director of Athlete Development Jamie Nicholls at jamie.nicholls@squash.ca at any time.