Athletes Named

The Board of Directors congratulates the following athletes who have met both eligibility and selection criteria and who will receive a Quest for Gold Ontario Card:

Adam Engel

Arjun Gupta

Brian Hong

Nick Sachvie

Rebecca Lau

Jennifer Pelletier

Lauren Sachvie

Micaala Seth

Please note that Laura Gemmell was selected for an Ontario Card but declined the selection.

Objectives

The overarching goal of the Quest for Gold – OAAP is directly related to the Enhanced Excellence goals of both ACTIVE2010 and the Canadian Sport Policy – i.e. to improve the performance and number of Ontario athletes performing at the national and international level; thereby contributing to the improved performance of Canada at international competitions. Specific objectives of the Program are:

• To help athletes continue their pursuit of athletic excellence at the highest levels of national and international competition;
• To encourage athletes to stay in Ontario to live and train;
• To compensate athletes for earnings lost while training during summer school break;
• To enable athletes to successfully pursue excellence in sport while  fulfilling their educational goals;
• To increase athlete access to high performance coaching;
• To enhance training and competitive opportunities for athletes

General Athlete Eligibility Criteria (applies to Canada and Ontario cards):

NOTE:  This eligibility criteria is in accordance with the guidelines as provided to the Provincial Sport Organizations by the Ministry of Health Promotion.  Squash Ontario has not added anything to the criteria outside of what the Ministry has provided.

• Athlete must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
• Athlete must be a resident of Ontario for one year prior to his her nomination for carding status
• Athletes must be training and continuing to train in Ontario. Exceptions will be made providing that the athlete can substantiate that:
• He/She cannot receive the required level of training in Ontario (i.e. due to lack of facilities, coaching, competition);
• He/She must attend a post-secondary institution out-of-province because the course of study is not available to him/her in Ontario;
• It is more financially feasible to attend a post-secondary institution out-of-province, or other extenuating circumstances that require the athlete to be out of the province.
• Athlete must be a member in good standing with PSO/ MSO and National Sport Organization (NSO) where applicable.
• Athlete must demonstrate a commitment and dedication to a proper training and competitive program.
• Athlete must be instructed by a coach that has been trained and certified in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level 2 or equivalent.
• Athlete must not be under sanction as per the Canadian Anti-Doping Policy.
• Athlete must be attending an educational institution full time (primary and secondary schools)
•  
• Exceptions with regard to full time studies;
• Athlete must be attending an educational institution full-time (i.e. primary and secondary schools)
• Exceptions will be made providing that the athlete can substantiate that his/her training will not allow for full-time attendance or if an athlete requires special needs that preclude full or part-time attendance (e.g. Athlete with a disability (AWAD) athlete)
• Athletes who have completed their area of study at the secondary level (i.e. high school) and who continue to train towards participation in major national or international competitions will also be given consideration.

2007 – 2008 Quest for Gold Selection Criteria

Selection Criteria:

• The cards will be allocated equally between male and female athletes (i.e. 4 cards to be allocated to female athletes and 4 cards to male athletes)

• Selection priority will be given to eligible athletes on the national junior squads.  If more than 4 Ontario athletes are on the national junior squads, the athletes will be selected based on overall Ontario junior rankings as at 30 November 2007.

• The athlete must be a member in good standing of the current (2007-2008) national junior squad as named by Squash Canada. 

• If the quota for all 8 cards is not filled through selections from national squads, the overall Ontario junior rankings will be used for selection * and an athlete must be age - eligible to participate in the 2008 Canadian Junior Closed Championships, the date of which is April 17 – 20, 2008. 

     *       These rankings will be as of 30 November 2007 which will have been                                   updated to include results of junior sanctioned events between:

                       1  September 2007 and 30 November 2007.  These would include 2                       Gold high performance events and the 2007 Ontario Junior

                      Closed Championships

• To be eligible for selection, athletes must participate in 2 of the 3 events (Gold # 1 which is being held on October 12 – 14, 2007, Gold # 2 which is being held on November 2 – 4, 2007 and the BMO Ontario Junior Closed Championships which are being held on November 23 – 25), 2007.

Selection Committee:
The selection committee will be comprised of:

Robert Brooks, Chair, Jim Paton, Nicole Pirko, Patrick Ryding

Appeals

Athletes who have not been nominated and who wish to appeal can do so by filing an appeal in writing only with the Quest for Gold Ontario Athlete Assistance Program Appeals Committee. Appeals must be submitted through regular post, registered mail, in person or by courier. Appeals that are delivered personally or by courier shall be deemed to be received on the date of delivery. Appeals that are delivered by regular post or registered mail shall be deemed to be received three days after the date of mailing. Appeals submitted by e-mail or fax will not be accepted.

Grounds for appeals will be limited strictly to:

• whether or not the PSO/MSO has completed the selection process in accordance with their own published selection criteria and related procedures;

• whether or not the selection criteria developed and applied by the PSO/MSO were fair, objective, transparent and free from discrimination or conflict of interest.

After hearing an appeal the Appeals Committee will have the authority to:

• Direct the PSO/MSO to redo the selection process using the correct criteria/process and submit a new list of nominated athletes;

• Deny the appeal;

• Allow the appeal and nominate the appellant for carding status.

• The deadline for athletes to submit to the Appeals Committee is February 8, 2008

Appeals can be directed to:

              Quest for Gold Ontario Athlete Assistance Program Appeals Committee

              c/o Sport and Recreation Branch

              Ministry of Health Promotion

              18th floor, 393 University Avenue

              Toronto, Ontario

              M7A 2S1

NORTH AMERICAN JUNIOR SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

December 2007, St. Catharines, Ontario….Mark Sachvie Squash Inc. is pleased to announce the creation of a new north American junior squash circuit.  Together with sponsor Harrow Sports, the circuit, the first of its kind in junior squash in north America, will provide an outstanding competitive opportunity for high performance Canadian and United States juniors.

 The circuit’s first stop will be The Club at White Oaks in Niagara on the Lake on the weekend of August 1 – 3, 2008,  with a second stop in the United States.

Events will be offered in Boys and Girls Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19 with draws capped for males at 32 and girls at 16.  The event will be a monrad draw, guaranteeing every competitor 5 matches.

Entry qualifications are yet to be determined but clearly the emphasis will be on an individual’s results and national rankings.  Players Will be accepted based on their American, Canadian or International ranking with the goal being to establish a North American ranking for the future.

Mark Sachvie has been a driving force in junior squash in Ontario for over a decade.  Through his efforts the structure of junior squash in the province was redrafted to offer and provide competitive opportunities to all junior squash athletes.  He has created the North American Junior Squash Championships to help ready our  

high performance athletes to compete on the world stage by giving them international competition “close to home”.

Watch for further details on the North American tour website which is currently under construction.  There Will be several squash camps scheduled in between and after each tournament.  Once the website is Up and running, you will be able to access further information on their schedules and locations.

For more information, contact Mark Sachvie at Mark Sachvie Squash Inc. at 905-401-2277 or email him at msachvie@whiteoaksresort.com

For more detailed information and a registration form, please click here.