Junior Policies | US Squash

US Squash Policies:

Junior Policies for the Points Based Ranking System

Updates for 2024-2025 Season

Junior Rankings Structure PoliciesCut List Calculations, Processes, and PoliciesSeeding Calculations, Processes, and PoliciesTournament Withdrawal and Match DefaultTournament Procedure PoliciesEntry Management and Tournament Timelines Tournament Eligibility Criteria

The Points-Based Ranking System

The Points-Based Ranking System

Players earn points towards their ranking based on the type of tournament in which they play, the finishing position they achieve in the tournament, and size of their division at entry close.

Tournaments are broken up into the following four main categories, listed in order of descending point value: Junior Championship Tour (JCT), Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Additionally, players can earn points in U.S. Championships, and Regional Junior Gold tournaments.

All facilities hosting these tournaments must be current US Squash facility affiliates, and all tournament staff must hold a Coach Pass which includes Safesport training. Also note that from August 30, 2024, Junior accredited tournaments will only be scheduled at facilities which do not mandate white clothing on court. Where a facility does have such a policy in place it must be waived in order for the tournament to go forward.

The points table is structured in a way where there is overlap in points between each level of tournament. Therefore, the top finishers in one level of tournament will earn more points than the bottom finishers of the higher-level tournament.

Therefore, a player can increase his or her ranking by performing well at a level of tournament in which he or she can qualify for. Consistent, strong performances at one level of tournament will increase a player’s point average to a point where that player will be able to qualify for the higher points earning tournaments.

For a full breakdown of the points available in different tournament types please view the Junior Ranking Points Table.

Junior Ranking Points Table

The Rankings

The Rankings

To determine a player’s ranking, an average of their highest points-earned tournaments is taken and compared against the averages of other ranked players in their age group.

Only tournaments from the previous 11 months (determined as forty-eight weeks) will be factored into a player’s ranking point average. After 11 months, tournament points become inactive and no longer affect a player’s ranking.

NOTE: Tournaments will not be included in the ranking calculation on or after to the drop-off date listed on a player’s profile.

A minimum of three tournaments in a specific age division within an 11-month period are required to receive a ranking.

The rankings calculation takes place every Wednesday by 5:00am EST and will take into account all active tournaments, including those from the previous weekend.

Players must be current U.S. Citizens or U.S. Residents to be listed in the rankings.

International players who are not permanent U.S. residents may earn junior tournament points by participating in accredited tournaments. These points will be used to calculate their seeding points and cut list points average for future tournaments, but international players are not eligible to receive a US Squash ranking.

Players must complete the age-appropriate online referee exam to be listed in the rankings. Players will need to recertify with a new referee exam every two years as they move into older age divisions.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

NOTE: Should a player be removed due to not successfully completing their referee exam requirement, that player will be added back to the rankings in the first rankings calculation after successfully completing the missing requirement.

Ranking Average Divisor

Ranking Average Divisor :

If a player participates in 4 or fewer tournaments, their ranking average is calculated as the sum of these points for all active tournaments, divided by 4.

If a player participates in up to 8 tournaments, their ranking average will be calculated by taking the average of their best 4 tournaments (sum of top point-earning 4 tournaments, divided by 4).

If a player participates in 9, 10, or 11 tournaments, their ranking average will be calculated as the average of their best 5 tournaments (sum of top point-earning 5 tournaments, divided by 5).

As a player’s exposure count increases by three tournaments, their divisor will continue to increase by one.

Aging Up into a New Division

Aging Up into a New Division

When a player ages into a new division, their ranking is removed from the younger age division.

Tournaments from the younger age division are carried over into the rankings for the older age division. These tournaments will count as exposures in the new age division. The points earned in each of these tournaments will be converted to older age divisions at the below rates before being factored into the rankings of the older division.

Division            Conversion Percentage
U11 to U13       45%
U13 to U15       50%
U15 to U17       60%
U17 to U19       65%

Once a player ages up into an older division, a maximum of four tournaments will be converted. Each tournament in which a player competes in the older age division will then replace a converted tournament from the younger age division in the ranking calculation, until no converted tournaments remain on a player’s ranking.

NOTE: The four tournaments that are converted into the older division are the top active point earning tournaments from the younger age division.

EXAMPLE: If a player ages up into the GU17 division and has already played two tournaments in that division, her average would be based off those two tournaments (regardless of what she earned in those events) and her two highest points-earned GU15 tournaments are converted at a rate of 60%. When she plays a third GU17 tournament, another converted GU15 tournament will drop off her GU17 ranking; when she plays a fourth GU17 tournament, no converted tournaments will remain part of her ranking.

Competing in Higher Age Divisions

Competing in Higher Age Divisions

Players are expected to participate in the division in which their age places them.
Except for Bronze tournaments (Bronze tournaments, players may only participate in the one division that corresponds to his or her age), players may play up one age group when either of the following criteria are met:
- a player is within 12 months of aging up;
- and/or a player is ranked in the top 16 of a division below the one they wish to enter, regardless of their age. For example, if a player is ranked in the top 16 of the GU15 division, she will be able to compete in the GU17 division of a tournament regardless of her age.
NOTE: For a player to play in an age group more than one above their standard age division, they must first earn a top 16 ranking in the division one age division higher.
NOTE: Exceptions may be allowed to this policy due to geographic isolation leading to limited playing opportunity for players and is at the discretion of US Squash. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In this instance players should email tournaments@ussquash.org before registration deadline of the tournament which is in question.

When a player plays in an older age group, he or she will earn points towards a ranking in the older age division. The points earned in the older age division will stay on the player’s ranking in the older age division until the points become inactive.

Points from an older age division cannot be converted downward to apply to a player’s ranking in a younger age division.

NOTE: In the case of a combined age division, players may choose to formally apply their points to a younger age group. For more on policies concerning a combined age division, please see “Tournament Procedures and Policies” in the “Rules and Policies” section.

Summer Gold Tournaments

Summer Gold Tournaments

Points from a maximum of two gold tournaments may apply to a player’s ranking in any given age division held from June 1, 2024 through August 29, 2024.

If a player participates in more than two gold tournaments in any given age group, their top two point-earning events will automatically be used.

Summer gold tournaments not counting towards a player’s ranking average will not be included in that player’s overall tournament exposure count.

NOTE: If a player incurs a 0-point ranking penalty due to a second late withdrawal or mid-tournament default, that tournament will count on the player’s record even if they have played in more than two summer gold tournaments.

Cut List Calculations, Processes, and Policies

When a division is oversubscribed, a cut list is created to determine which players directly enter the tournament, and which are placed on a wait list. A player’s cut list points generally equates to their ranking points average, but differs in certain circumstances, e.g. when a player does not have four or more exposures in an age division. The criteria for calculating cut list points is the following:

If a player has four or more active tournaments in the age group for which they are registered, their cut list points are based on their ranking points average in that division.
If a player chooses to “play up” in an older age group, the player’s cut list points will be based on their ranking points average as if they had aged-up into that division per the age-up policy for rankings.
If a player has fewer than four active tournaments in the division he or she intends to play and also has active tournaments in an older age group, tournament points will be converted “down” to the younger age group at a rate of 120% of the tournament points in the higher age division.
If a player has fewer than four active tournaments, their cut list points will always be based on a divisor of four, e.g. if a player only has two active tournaments within the last 11 months valuing 1500 and 500 tournament points, their cut list points calculation for the Cut List will be 2000/4 = 500.

Seeding Calculations, Processes, and Policies

In any given draw, players will be seeded in order of their US Squash “seeding points” in the appropriate age division. Generally, seeding points equate to a player’s ranking points average, but differ in certain circumstances, e.g. players with fewer than four exposures in a division.

In the event of a tie in seeding points, player rating will be used as a tiebreaker.

Note that all seeding point calculations and assignment of player seeding, including randomization are automated processes through Club Locker.

Seeding will be based on the seeding points calculation from the Wednesday 1.5 weeks before the start of the tournament.

Late withdrawals after the draws have been released:

If the withdrawal is submitted before 24 hours before the tournament starts and there is a waitlist, the next player on the waitlist will be moved into the draw.
- If the replacing player is in the same seeding group as the withdrawing player, the replacing player will take the position on the draw of the withdrawing player.
- If the replacing player is not in the same seeding group as the withdrawing player, US Squash will reseed the draw to keep its integrity with respect to player seeding.
- If there is no waitlist, the withdrawing player will be removed, and US Squash will reseed the draw to keep its integrity with respect to player seeding.
If the withdrawal is within 24 hours of the start of the tournament, the withdrawing player will remain in the draw and the first-round match will be recorded as a default.
US Squash may use its discretion, when seeding foreign players or U.S. players with little or no tournament exposure, to seed players accurately with the goal of balanced and fair draws.

The seeding points calculation is based on the following criteria:

If a junior is playing in their current age group and has a “full” ranking in that division, as defined by four or more tournaments in the last 11 months, seeding points are based on their ranking points average in that division.

NOTE: Ranking penalties are not factored into the seeding points calculation.

If a player chooses to “play up” in an older age group, that player’s seeding points will be based on the ranking point average as if they had aged-up into that division per the standard rankings age-up policy. Age-up percentages are listed in the “Junior Ranking System” section.
If a player has fewer than four active tournaments in the division in which they intend to play, but also has active tournaments in an older age division, tournament points will be converted down to the younger age group at 120%.

NOTE: Points in the division of participation take priority over any possible point conversions from younger or older age divisions.

All seeding points are calculated after tournament points have been converted into the division in which seeding is occurring.

If a player has fewer than four active tournaments in their age division, as well as no active tournaments in an older or younger age division, the following calculations will be used to calculate seeding points based on the number of active tournaments:
- One active tournament: the seeding point average is calculated by taking 50% of that one tournament.
- Two active tournaments: the seeding point average is calculated by taking 70% of the average.
- Three active tournaments: the seeding point average is calculated by taking 90% of the average.

For Junior Bronze, Silver, Gold and JCT accredited tournaments and Junior Bronze Championships randomized seeding groups are used: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-24, 25-28, and 29-32, 33-64, 65-128. Players in each seeding group are drawn at random, using an automated random number generator through Club Locker, to fill the positions on the draw for those groups.

EXCEPTIONS: The only seeding changes that are permissible are when siblings are scheduled to play on the same half of a draw. If this occurs, the lower seeded of the two siblings may be moved within their seeding group to the other half of the draw to avoid playing their sibling until later in the tournament (e.g.: switching a 17 seed with an 18 seed).

NOTE: Siblings will not be moved to opposite halves of the draw for Junior Bronze, Silver, Gold and JCT accredited tournaments and Junior Bronze Championships, if both players are seeded in the top four positions.

Junior Nationals and Silver Nationals

Seeding for the Junior Nationals and Junior Silver Nationals will follow the same process as Junior accredited tournaments except for the following:-

Straight bracket seeding will be used for the Junior Nationals and Junior Silver Championships (1 v. 32, 2 v. 31, etc.). National Championships seeding is based on the “seeding point” calculations listed above. This calculation is automated through Club Locker
Those players qualifying to play in Junior Nationals through PSA ranking will be seeded higher than any player qualifying through the points based ranking. If there is more than one player qualifying through that pathway, they will be seeded in order of their PSA ranking.

Late Withdraw

For all junior accredited tournaments, a player may withdraw without penalty before 12:00pm (noon) in the time zone of the tournament on the Monday prior to the start of the tournament. Any withdrawal after this deadline and before the start of a player’s first match is considered a late withdrawal. Any player who is registered for a tournament and does not show up to play is also considered a late withdrawal. Doctor’s notes are not accepted to waive late withdrawal penalties.

Consequences of late withdrawals are as follows:

1st late withdraw within an 11-month period: No penalty, but the late withdrawal will be noted on the player’s record.
2nd withdraw within an 11-month period: The player receives a rankings penalty. The penalty is a zero-point tournament being added to the player’s record. The zero-point tournament counts as a tournament exposure and will be treated like any other tournament with regards to rankings and will be active for an 11 month period.
3rd or further withdrawal within an 11-month period: For any additional late withdrawal within the 11-months, the player will continue to receive a late withdrawal rankings penalty for each tournament in question.

NOTE: Any ranking penalty which results from a late withdrawal in a Summer Gold tournament will count on that player’s record as a penalty/exposure, even if he or she has played in more than two summer gold tournaments. In other words, the penalty associated with a late withdrawal cannot be waived, removed, or otherwise opted out of.

Mid-Tournament Defaults

The tournament director may default a player if that player has not arrived on court by 15 minutes after the scheduled match time. Players who default a match in a tournament also default any subsequent scheduled matches. Players may be permitted to continue in the tournament at the discretion of the tournament director. In making these decisions, the tournament director will take into consideration the level of communication with the player, court availability, and any other relevant specific factors. In no case is the tournament director obligated to make special accommodations for a player.

Players are expected to arrive at each tournament with the intention of playing and completing all scheduled matches. Any player deemed to have needlessly defaulted out of a tournament will receive a mid-tournament default ranking penalty. The penalty will be a zero-point tournament being added to the player’s record. The zero-point tournament counts as a tournament exposure and will be treated like any other tournament with regards to rankings.

If a player begins a tournament but is unable to complete all scheduled matches due to illness or injury, the zero-point mid-tournament default ranking penalty can be waived with a doctor’s note. The doctor’s note must be submitted using this form within one week of the last day of the tournament. The doctor’s note cannot be written by a family member and must be from an independent source.

In the case of an approved and received doctor’s note, the player will receive the lowest amount of points available based on the round achieved at the time of the withdrawal. For instance, if a player defaults a semifinal match, he or she will receive points for a 4th place finish if there was a 3/4 playoff match scheduled.

Players may not opt out of zero-point rankings penalties when a penalty is assessed during a points-optional tournament (e.g. Summer JCT or U.S. Junior Open). In the event the rankings penalty occurs during a Summer Gold tournament, the tournament will count as one of the two Summer Gold tournaments allowed to count towards a player’s ranking.

Scoring

Standard point-a-rally scoring (PAR) to 11 points will be used in all accredited junior tournaments. All matches in accredited junior tournaments are best-of-5 games.

Refereeing Requirements

In all US Squash accredited junior play, players are responsible for refereeing their peers. Winners and losers are responsible for officiating after their match–the winner acts as referee and the loser as marker–unless released by the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director may also ask players to referee matches at other times or on other courts.

Referees should know and understand all World Squash Federation Softball Singles Rules.

To sign up for and participate in Bronze, Silver, Gold, Regional, JCT, and National Championship tournaments, all players must have passed the appropriate age-specific referee exam based on their age at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

The referee and marker must be ready and present immediately following the completion of their match. While the losing player must remain at the court to time the four-minute warm up, the winning player may go to the tournament desk to turn in their score sheet and obtain the score sheet for the next match on their court if digital scoring is not being used.

A player not fulfilling their refereeing responsibilities may lose their current US Squash referee certification and will need to retake the online age-specific referee exam. Current referee certification is required to maintain a US Squash junior ranking.

Additionally, a player who abandons their referee responsibilities will be given zero points for their participation in the event.

Number of Guaranteed Matches

A minimum of 3 scheduled matches will be provided for all players in an accredited tournament. Players are expected to complete all scheduled matches.

Late withdrawals, injuries, or other unexpected events may lead to some players receiving 2 or fewer matches.

*Note: Due to scheduling issues resulting from the structure of the draws, division sizes of 13, 17, and 25 are exceptions to the 3 minimum match policy. In the case of a 13, 17, or 25 player draw, one player will receive only 2 matches.

Break Between Matches

For National, Gold, and JCT events, players will have a minimum of 3 hours between scheduled match start times.

For Silver events, players are recommended to have a minimum of 2 hours between scheduled match start times.

For Bronze events, players are recommended to have a minimum of 1.5 hours between scheduled match start times.

From August 30, 2024 the break between matches will be adjusted to the following:-

Gold tournaments, JCTs and National Championships
- U17 and U19 – 4 hours
- U11-U15 – 3 hours
Silver Tournaments
- U17 and U19 – 3 hours
- U11-U15 – 2 hours
Bronze Tournaments
- All divisions 1.5 hours

Number of Matches per Day

From August 30, 2024 the maximum number of matches scheduled in a tournament per day will be enforced as follows:-

Gold tournaments, JCTs and National Championships
- U17 and U19 – 2 matches per day
- U11-U15 – 3 matches per day
Silver Tournaments
- All divisions – 3 matches per day
Bronze Tournaments
- All divisions – 4 matches per day

Combined Age Divisions

In some cases, a tournament director may choose to combine age divisions due to low entries or other extenuating factors.

EXAMPLE: If the GU11 division receives 2 entries and the GU13 division receives 5 entries, the tournament director may choose to combine the GU11 and GU13 divisions. In the event divisions are combined, players who are age-eligible for the younger age division may choose to have their points earned from that tournament applied to their ranking in the younger age division.

NOTE: If a player who registered in the lower age division wishes to have their points applied to their standard age division, he or she must communicate this request via email to tournaments@ussquash.org in order to have the points division adjusted. Players must make the request to have points earned applied to the younger age division within 4 weeks of the completion of the tournament. Once the points have been applied to the younger age division, the points cannot be reapplied to the original division at a later date. If a request is not formally sent to US Squash, the points will not be applied to the younger age division.

NOTE: In the rare event that three or more age divisions are combined, players may only request to have points applied to a maximum of one division below what was played. For example, if the GU15, GU17, and GU19 divisions are combined, points are only available for the GU17 and GU19 divisions.

If there are four or more players who are eligible for the younger age division that has been combined into the older age division, the requesting player will earn points equivalent to their relative finish compared to only players eligible for the younger age division that also participated in the combined division.

EXAMPLE: If five players qualify for the BU11 division by age and the BU11 and BU13 divisions were combined, the player with the best finish out of those five players will receive points for first place in the BU11 division if a points are requested to be applied to the younger age group.

If there are three or fewer players in a combined age division who are age-eligible for the younger age group, any players requesting to have their points applied to the younger age division will earn the same number of points in the younger age division as they did for their finish in the older combined division.

The player may also choose to not keep the points in the older age division and not request to have points applied to the younger age division.

Regular Tournament Registration Deadline (Entry Deadline)

For National, Gold, and JCT Events: Regular tournament registration closes at 12:00pm (in the time zone of the tournament) on the Wednesday 3.5 weeks before the start of the event.

For Silver events: Regular tournament registration closes 12:00pm (in the time zone of the tournament) on the Wednesday 2.5 weeks before the start of the event.

For Bronze events: Regular tournament registration closes 12:00pm (in the time zone of the tournament) on the Wednesday 1.5 weeks before the start of the event.

The U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships operates on a different timeline then all other tournaments. Please see the tournament page for the entry deadline.

Entry into a tournament is only guaranteed once regular entry deadline has passed and the cut list has been announced. Prior to the deadline players will be placed on the entrants list in order of their cutlist points. At the regular entry deadline, a cutlist will be formed in oversubscribed divisions.

All players who register for a tournament after the regular entry deadline are considered late entries and will be entered into the division on a first come, first served basis if the division is under the division size cap.

Players per Division

Division sizes will be limited to 8, 12, 16, 24, or 32 players. The specific division size cap per division varies based on tournament type, region of the tournament, and division. Each tournament page will clearly specify the size of each division. To summarize the division sizes for each level of tournament:

National and JCT Tournaments: Divisions will have a maximum of 32 players, except for the U11 divisions, which will be capped at 16 players
Gold Tournaments: The BU13, BU19, GU13, and GU19 divisions will have a maximum of 24 players. The BU15, BU17, GU15, and GU17 divisions will have a maximum of 32 players. U11 divisions will be capped at 16 players
Silver Tournaments: All divisions will have a maximum of 16 players
Bronze Tournaments: All divisions will have a maximum of 8 players. In certain areas, bronze tournament division sizes may be increased to 12 or 16 player draws.

In addition to the division size caps stated above, the U.S. Junior Open and the U.S. Junior Bronze Championships will allow division sizes to increase past 32 players.

Divisions at all types of tournament require a minimum of 4 players to be an accredited division and offer ranking points. Tournament directors may combine divisions to reach this minimum.

Number of Divisions

For National, Gold, Silver and JCT events, players may only enter and participate in one division.

For Bronze events, players are only eligible to participate in the division that corresponds to their age (i.e. a 12-year-old may only participate in the U13 division at Bronze tournaments).

Cut List

The cut list is released for tournaments after the regular registration deadline to confirm the final player entry list and to indicate which players have been placed on a waitlist in the event of oversubscribed divisions. The cut list will be made public at the regular registration deadline.

All divisions at tournaments are initially open to any player who would like to participate. If entry numbers for any specific division are below the division size cap at the regular registration deadline, all players will be accepted. However, if the entry numbers for any specific division exceed the division size cap at the regular registration deadline in Silver, Gold, JCT, Regional Junior Gold, or National Championship tournament, players will be entered into the tournament in descending order of their cut list points. Players who do not make the cut in these tournaments will be placed on a waitlist in descending order of their cut list points and will only be granted entry if a player withdraws and a position becomes available. Entry in Bronze tournaments is granted on a first come, first served basis.

The cut list point’s calculation can be found in the “Cut List Calculations, Processes, and Policies” section above.

Waitlist

All players who sign up for a tournament after the regular registration deadline (late entrants) will automatically be placed on the waitlist, regardless of draw size at the time of entry. If the draw has not reached the division size cap, the player will be moved to the main draw for the tournament.

If entries exceed the division size limit and a waitlist already exists in a specific division, late entrants will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist behind all players who were originally placed on the waitlist when the cut list was released.

Any player on a waitlist will be considered to be available to participate in the tournament should a space open up due to a withdrawal.

Concurrent Tournament Entry

Players may register for more than one tournament per weekend. However the following policies will be applied:-

At registration deadline of any of the tournament(s)

If a player is waitlisted in all registered tournaments they may stay on the waitlist of those tournaments. If a player is subsequently offered a place in one of those tournaments, and they accept, they will be removed from the waitlist of the other tournament(s). If they reject the offer they will be removed from that tournament and remain on the waitlist of the other(s).
If a player is in the main draw of one tournament and on the waitlist of other(s) at registration deadline they will be removed from the waitlist of all other tournament(s) and a refund for those tournament(s) will be processed.
If a player is in the main draw of more than one tournament at registration deadline, they will remain in the tournament that is geographically closest to their primary residence, regardless of level of tournament. They will be removed from all other tournament(s) without a refund.

Late Entry Management

If there is an available playing position in a division for which a player is registering as a late entrant for, or a playing position otherwise becomes available, that player will be moved from the waitlist into the main draw. Players on a waitlist will be considered to be available to participate in the tournament in this case.

In Gold, JCT, and National Championships, the waitlist will officially close at 12:00pm NOON (in the time zone of the tournament) 24 hours before the tournament starts. Once the waitlist closes, no player will be moved to the main draw, regardless of last minute withdrawals. Once the waitlist closes, players who did not gain entry into the tournament will be withdrawn and issued a refund.

Registration Close and Locked Division Size

For National, JCT, Gold and Silver tournaments, division sizes lock and registration closes at 12:00pm (noon) in the time zone of the tournament on the Wednesday 1.5 weeks before the start of the tournament.

For Bronze tournaments, division sizes lock and registration closes at 12:00pm (noon) in the time zone of the tournament on the Tuesday before the start of the tournament.

Division sizes will not increase in size once they lock even if those divisions are below the tournament size limit. Registration will be taken down and players will no longer be able to register or request a change in division.

NOTE: Any waitlisted players will still be moved to the main draw to replace any withdrawing players until the waitlist closes at 12:00pm (noon) 24 hours before the tournament starts.

Late Withdrawal Deadline

For all junior accredited events, the late withdrawal deadline is at 12:00pm (noon) in the time zone of the tournament on the Monday prior the start of the tournament.

Late withdrawal penalties can be found in the “Tournament Withdrawal and Match Default” section above.

Division Start Times

Division start times indicate the earliest possible match time a player can expect to receive within their division.

National, Gold, and JCT events: division start times will be released online by Friday at 5pm in the time zone of the tournament one week before the tournaments starts.
Bronze and Silver events: division start times are not required to be released.

Player Start Times

Player start times are the assigned match time for a player’s first match in a tournament:

Silver, Gold, JCT, and U.S. Championships: individual player start times will be released upon release of the full online draws by 5:00pm Wednesday in the time zone of the tournament.
For Bronze events, player start times will be released upon release of full online draws by 5:00pm Thursday in the time zone of the tournament.

Draws

For JCT, Gold and Silver tournaments, online draws will be available by 5:00pm in the time zone of the tournament on the Wednesday before the start of the tournament.

For Bronze tournaments, online draws will be available by 5:00pm in the time zone of the tournament on the Thursday before the start of the tournament.

Eligibility to Compete in Accredited Junior Tournaments

All players in US Squash accredited junior squash tournaments must be current members of US Squash through the last day of the tournament in which they are competing.

All players must be age-eligible through the last day of the tournament in which they are competing.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

A player may enter any level of junior tournament regardless of their ranking. However, divisions in Silver, Gold, JCT, Regional Championship, and U.S. Championship tournaments are limited in size, and entry is granted to the highest-ranked players that apply by the regular registration deadline. Entry in Bronze tournaments is granted on a first come, first served basis.

Junior Championship Tour (JCT)

The Junior Championship Tour (JCT) is designed to bring together the best players from around the country, and hence has the highest available ranking points.

JCT tournaments are restricted to the top 32-players who apply in the Under-13, 15, 17, and 19 divisions. The Under-11 divisions are restricted to the top 16-players who apply. Entry into JCT events is determined by cut list points in that age group as of the release of the cut list. Please see the tournament information page of each JCT for additional regulations and other pertinent information.

All players must have passed the appropriate referee exam based on their ages at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

All players must be current U.S. Residents or U.S. Citizens.

All players must be current US Squash members.

U.S. Junior Squash Championships

The U.S. Junior Squash Championships is considered the culmination of the junior squash season and crowns the ten U.S. Junior National Champions (one from each age division). All players must be age-eligible through the last day of the competition.

The U.S. Junior Squash Championships is restricted to the top 32-players who apply in the Under-13, 15, 17, and 19 divisions. The U11 divisions are restricted to the top 16-players who apply.

In the event that a player has competed in an older age division during the season, they may be allowed to compete in the younger age group if their ranking average using converted points from the oder age group qualifies them in the younger age group. For example, if a player has a point average of 1450 in the older division, 1450 x 120% is the average that will be used to determine qualification in the younger age division.

There is one exception to this qualification criteria. Players may qualify to participate in the U19 division of the U.S. Junior Squash Championships if they are ranked between 1 and 100 for girls or between 1 and 150 for boys, on the PSA rankings, at registration deadline. In this case players will take precedence over payers qualifying through the U19 rankings. For example if 1 player qualifies to participate in the U19 division of the US Junior Championships through their PSA ranking then 31 places will be open to players qualifying by their US junior ranking.

All players must be current U.S. Citizens.

All players must be current US Squash members.

All players must have passed the appropriate referee exam based on their ages at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

All participants qualifying through their US junior ranking, must have a minimum of three active junior tournament exposures (within the past 11 months) as of the tournament entry deadline.

US Squash has final discretion to allow or disallow participation of players based on their involvement in organized squash programming during the past year.

U.S. Junior Silver Squash Championships

The U.S. Junior Silver/Bronze Squash Championships is restricted to players ranked number 33 and below (17 and below for players in the U11 divisions) using the rankings run from the regular registration deadline of the Junior Nationals. Players who are age-eligible through Junior Nationals may compete in their age division in Junior Silver/Bronze Nationals even if they age out of the division before the competition.

The ranking run for the cut list will be the same date as that used for the U.S. Junior Championships.

Players who are unranked will not be permitted to compete if their manually calculated points average would place them at number 32 or better in the rankings (number 16 or better in the rankings for U11 players) in the age division in which they registered for the tournament. US Squash reserves the right to refuse entry to any unranked player for the U.S. Junior Silver/Bronze National Championships.

Draw sizes will be limited to 32-players in the U13, 15, 17, and 19 divisions. Draw sizes will be limited to 16-players in the U11 divisions. Entry will be based on descending order of cut list points. If a player does not make it into a division based on their cut list points, he or she may participate in an older age division if space remains in that division after release of the cut list and in accordance with the late entry management guidelines.

All players must be current U.S. Residents or Citizens,

All players must be current US Squash members.

All players must have passed the appropriate referee exam based on their ages at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

All participants must have played in a a minimum of three accredited junior tournaments within the past 11 months as of the tournament entry deadline. (Bronze, Silver Gold, Regional Gold, JCT)

U.S. Junior Bronze Squash Championships

The U.S. Junior Bronze Championships is restricted to players ranked number 65 and below (33 and below for players in the Under-11 divisions) as of the rankings run of the US Junior Championships. Players that are age-eligible as of the dates of the US Junior Championships may compete in that age division even if they age out of the division before the competition.

The cut list will be based off the rankings run of the US Junior Championships

Players who are unranked will not be permitted to compete if their manually calculated points average would place them at number 64 or better in the rankings (number 32 or better in the rankings for U11 players) in the age division in which they registered for the tournament. US Squash reserves the right to refuse entry to any unranked player for the U.S. Junior Bronze National Championships.

Draw sizes will be limited to forty-eight players per division, selected based on descending order of cut list points. If a player does not make it into a division based on their ranking, he or she may participate in an older age division if space remains in that division after the release of the cut list and in accordance with the late entry management guidelines. If court capacity allows it, some division sizes may be extended to sixty-four players.

All players must be current U.S. Residents or Citizens

All players must be current US Squash members.

All players must have passed the appropriate referee exam based on their ages at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

All participants must have played in a a minimum of three accredited tournaments within the past 11 months as of the tournament entry deadline. (Bronze, Silver Gold, Regional Gold, JCT)

U.S. Junior Open Championships

The U.S. Junior Open Championship is open to junior players from around the world who meet gender and age requirements. Additionally, the tournament has the two following entry criteria:

Players from the U.S. must be ranked in the top 100 in their division of competition on the regular entry deadline in order to qualify.
Note that any player deemed active in the US junior tournament system must meet this ranking criteria to participate regardless of citizenship or country of representation. Players are considered active if they have 1 or more active junior tournaments on their Clublocker profile at registration deadline. The only exception is if that tournament is the previous year US Junior Open.
Entries from non-U.S. countries are limited to 8 players per division per country

Draw sizes will be limited to 128 players per division prior to the regular entry deadline. Once the regular entry deadline passes, US Squash reserves the right to mandate draw size limits on a division by division basis. A cut list will be created for divisions that receive more than 128 entries as of the regular entry deadline. In the case of oversubscribed draws, the following criteria will be used to determine entry:

U. S. Players: the top 48 U.S. players based on cut list points are guaranteed entry. The cut list points will be based on the regular registration deadline.
Non-U.S. Players: the first 80 non-U.S. players to enter the tournament will gain entry (as long as they meet the limit of 8 players per country per division). Admittance is based on the time of entry received (i.e. first come, first served).

If both categories are oversubscribed at the regular registration deadline, US Squash will create two separate waitlists – one for U.S. players and one for non-U.S. players.

All players must be age-eligible through the final day of the tournament.

All U.S. Citizens and Residents who participating in the tournament must be current US Squash members. Non-U.S. players are not required to be current US Squash members.

US Squash will make its best effort to seed non-U.S. players appropriately.

Players may opt to not receive the points and exposure from their participation in the U.S. Junior Open. To remove the points and exposure, players must email tournaments@ussquash.com within one week of the completion of their tournament.

Participation in Multiple U.S. Junior Championships

Players may compete in only 1 of the 3 U.S. Junior Individual Championships (not including the U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships).

Regional Junior Gold Championships (Closed)

In the 2024-2025 season two weekends will be identified to host Regional Junior Gold Championships (Closed). These tournaments are restricted to players who maintain their primary residence in the region where the tournament is hosted.

ELIGIBILITY

Players must have primary residency in the region of the Regional Junior Championships (Closed) tournament in which they are participating. A primary residence is defined by where a player resides for the majority of a year. For example: if a player lives in PA, and they attend boarding school in MA, they may only participate in the New England Junior Championships (Closed). Residency is determined by the State on their clublocker profile. Note a player with no state will not be eligible to participate,

All players must be current US Squash members.

All players must have passed the appropriate age-based referee exam at the time of the tournament.

Age Group	Exam Required
U11 & U13	Level 1
U15	Level 2
U17	Level 3
U19	Level 4

Players are eligible to participate according to the following regional divisions: Please ensure you have city and state on your profile before you register or your entry will be considered incomplete.

North East
- CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI
South East
- DC DE FL GA MD NC PA TN VA
Central and West
- CA CO HI IL IN KY MI MN MO NV OH OR TX WA

POINTS

Regional Gold tournaments will follow the same points distrbution as a Gold tournament.

Universal Squash Rating (USR) Junior Circuit Accredited Tournament Guidelines and Policies

USR Junior Circuit Tournament StructureUSR Player ListsCut List Calculations, Processes, and PoliciesSeeding Calculations, Processes, and PoliciesTournament Withdrawal and Match DefaultTournament Procedure PoliciesEntry Management and Tournament Timelines

Tournament Types

USR Junior Circuit tournaments are a perfect way to compete in squash, especially in the following scenarios:-

Geographically isolated areas – players often need to travel a lot to play in tournaments and gain a ranking
There are not enough players in an age group to run a junior tournament – divisions are often canceled or the tournament is canceled.
A group of players want to travel together to a tournament – there is no guaranteed entry until registration deadline and players don’t find out until it is too late if they all qualified to play
Practice and fun – Often the only time players compete is in a junior points based tournament. There are no alternative competitive playing options.
The first tournament – players first experience of competition is often a Bronze tournament which is subject to strict policies since it is part of the points based system. USR tournaments allow players to start competitive play in an environment where they can learn how tournaments work.

USR tournaments are designed to allow junior players to develop their game wherever they are based in the country, whatever their experience or playing level.

Duration

Tournaments can be 1, 2 or 3 days long. The tournament can be planned around each programs schedule. In thinking about the duration tournament directors should consider the size of their divisions:-

8 player draw – 1 day tournament
16 player draw – 2 day tournament
16+ player draw – 3 day tournament

Divisions Offered

Divisions offered per event will be dependent on the tournament director. Options include:-

Based on age: U11, U13, U15, U17, U19
Based on rating: U2.5, U3.0, U3.5, U4.0, U4.5, U5.0, U5.5, 5.5+
Both types offer options for both single sex and co-ed divisions
Determine the maximum number of players for the tournament as a whole and divide into divisions based on entries, in order of rating. The size of divisions to be determined by duration of tournament. For instance:
- 4 courts, 1 day = maximum 40 players
- 5 courts, 1 day = maximum 48 players
- 6 courts, 1 day = maximum 64 players

Division Size

Divisions will be limited in size as follow and may further depend upon the occupancy limits as stated by local authority guidelines.

1-day events – division size limit 8
2-day events – division size limit 16
3-day events – division size limit 32

The USR System

The USR seamlessly integrates competition between players of different genders and ages, and between juniors and adults.

USR Lists

USR player lists are viewable on Club Locker through the USR specific page
Players will be listed in their own age group only.
Player lists can also be filtered by country of residence
The USR shown is based on the USR on the Wednesday each week

Aging Up Into a New Division

When a player ages up into a new age group they will take their USR and be placed in the list at the appropriate place relative to their peers.

Cut List Calculations, Processes, and Policies

When a division is oversubscribed, a cut list is created to determine which players directly enter the tournament, and which are placed on a wait list.

Junior USR tournaments can choose to take entries based on USR or by registration date. Pleyers will then be listed by USR or by date of registration.

Seeding Calculations, Processes, and Policies

In any given draw, players will be seeded in order of their USR as of the registration deadline for the tournament in the appropriate age or skill division.

Late withdrawals after the draws have been released may be replaced with the next player on the waitlist.

Tournament directors may choose to entirely reseed the draw in the case of a late withdrawal.

Tournament directors may use discretion, when seeding foreign players or U.S. players with little or no tournament exposure, to seed players accurately with the goal of balanced and fair draws.

Mid-Tournament Defaults

Scoring

Standard point-a-rally scoring (PAR) to 11 points will be used in all accredited junior tournaments. All matches in accredited junior tournaments are best-of-5 games.

Refereeing Requirements

In all US Squash accredited play, players are responsible for refereeing their peers. Winners are responsible for officiating after their match–the winner acts as referee and marker–unless released by the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director may also ask players to referee matches at other times or on other courts.

Referees should know and understand all World Squash Federation Softball Singles Rules.

A player who abandons their referee responsibilities will be subject to the code of conduct.

Number of Guaranteed Matches

The minimum number of scheduled matches depends on the duration of the tournament. Players are expected to complete all scheduled matches.

1-day event – 2 matches
2-day event – 3 matches
3-day event – 3 matches

Late withdrawals, injuries, or other unexpected events may lead to some players receiving 2 or fewer matches.

Break Between Matches

For USR events, the tournament director has discretion regarding break between scheduled matches.

Regular Tournament Registration Deadline (Entry Deadline)

The tournament director has discretion regarding setting regular entry deadline for the tournament.

Before the regular entry deadline players will be placed on the entrants list either in order of USR or on a first come first served basis. At regular entry deadline a cutlist will be formed in oversubscribed divisions.

Number of Divisions

For USR events, players may only enter and participate in one division

Cut List

The cut list is released by tournaments after the regular registration deadline to confirm the final player entry list and to indicate which players have been placed on a waitlist in the event of oversubscribed divisions. The cut list will be made public at the regular registration deadline.

All divisions at tournaments are initially open to any player who would like to participate. If entry numbers for any specific division are below the division size cap at the regular registration deadline, all players will be accepted. However, if the entry numbers for any specific division exceed the division size cap at the regular registration deadline, players will be entered into the tournament by rating or registratuib date. Players who do not make the cut in these tournaments will be placed on a waitlist and will only be granted entry if a player withdraws and a position becomes available.

Waitlist

Any player on a waitlist will be considered to be available to participate in the tournament should a space open up due to a withdrawal.

Late Entry Management

The tournament director can choose when the waitlist will officially close. It is recommended to be at 12:00pm NOON (in the time zone of the tournament) 24 hours before the tournament starts. Once the waitlist closes, no player will be moved to the main draw, regardless of last-minute withdrawals. Once the waitlist closes, players who did not gain entry into the tournament will be withdrawn and issued a refund minus the $10 processing fee.

US Squash Policies:

Junior Policies for the Points Based Ranking System

Universal Squash Rating (USR) Junior Circuit Accredited Tournament Guidelines and Policies

More Policies Sections: