Reflecting on the 2024 Lee Hanebury Memorial Tournament

What an unforgettable weekend it was at the Lee Hanebury Memorial Tournament! From intense matches on the court to heartwarming moments off the sidelines, it’s safe to say that the spirit of squash and camaraderie was alive and thriving!

We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the participants, supporters, and volunteers who made this event possible. Your passion for the sport and dedication to honoring Lee’s legacy truly made this tournament one for the books!

And now, without further ado, have a stroll down memory lane with some snapshots from the event. Here’s to celebrating the incredible sport of squash and the wonderful community that surrounds it.

Until next time, keep swinging and spreading those good vibes! #LeeHaneburyMemorial #SquashLife #CommunitySpirit #GoodTimes

Lee Hanebury Memorial Tournament

The Lee Hanebury annual tournament is almost here! If you signed up to play, congratulations! This is a fun busy and social weekend, with all sorts of signgles and doubles play going on, from beginners all the way through to highly skilled.

For those who have registered to play in the tournment, please keep the following points in mind:

Start Times

Show up early!

  • Show up early to give yourself plenty of time to check in, find out where you need to be and warm up.
  • Give yourself extra time to find parking as there are other events going on throughout the weekend at the centre.

Start times are now posted on the tournament Club Locker page. Draws will be posted on this webpage under the draws tab by the end of day Thursday.  For those new to tournaments, only your first matches are scheduled. Whether you win or lose dictates the time of your next match. You can get an idea of those times based on the flow chart on the Club Locker page under the draws tab. All particpants are registered in the main draw. If you win you continue in the main draw. If you lose tyou go into the consolation draw and so on.

Tournament times throughout the weekend are subject to change. Things happen and sometimes the schedule needs to be updated as we go! Be sure to look at Club Locker throughout the weekend. If you are unsure of your next match, please see Nicole or a volunteer for help.

If you are running late or unable to make your match, it is extremely important you let Nicole know ahead of time, so she can alert your opponent. Check your email for contact details.

If you win your match: Reffing

Congratulations on winning your match. Don’t leave just yet, now you get to referee the next match played on that court!

If you are not very experienceed playing or or have never reffed before, please check in with Nicole or a volunteer to see if there is someone more experience to help you.

Scheduled Events

Friday

  • Squash Matches 5:00pm – 10:00pm (some players may play two matches on Friday night so come prepared)
  • There will be our famous samosas and complimentary pizza on Friday night.

Saturday

  • Saturday- Squash Matches 9:00am – 7:30pm
  • Breakfast 8:30am – 10:30am
  • Lunch 12:30pm – 2:30pm

Breakfast and lunch will be served on the second floor in the meeting room outside the singles courts

Please note there is no towel service at our club so please bring your own towel.

Saturday Calcutta/Pub Night

Following the final matches on Saturday evening (around 7pm), we will be having a super fun Calcutta on the doubles courts! This event is fast and furious…

Eight teams will be evenly selected throughout the day and posted on Saturday afternoon. You will have a chance to pick the team that you think will win to bring home the dough $!

There will be a group heading out to a local restaurant for a drink (or two) following the Calcutta, please join us!  Check your email for the address or ask one of the volunteers while you are at the event.

Sunday

  • Squash Matches 9:00am – 2:00pm
  • Presentation and Awards – 3:00pm approx.

Parking

There are numerous events happening at the recreation complex over the weekend so again, please give yourself extra time to find parking, it’s going to be busy! 

There is additional parking in the back of the building where the arenas are located.

Our club address is Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Rd. Pickering, L1V 6K7

Upcoming events at the PSC for the 2024 winter season

Happy New Year! We hope you have enjoyed the holidays! It’s been great to see so many of the “regulars” on court throughout the holiday season. If you’ve taken time off away from the club, we know you are itching to get back on court. So here is what we have got coming up.

Monday Night Singles House League

Starting Monday Jan. 15th.

All levels are welcome and the house league is a fun way to meet other players and get a great work out.

Nicole has included everyone from the final round in December is automatically included, so if you were playing in the final weeks before the break, no need to sign up.

If you are new to the league and would like to participate, there are two ways to join.

  • Sign up on the sheet across from single court 4 , or
  • Contact Nicole Pirko via email and say “I’m in”. She will add you to the list!

If you aren’t sure if you are included, just send Nicole and email and she will confirm.

Doubles House League

Starting the week of Jan. 15th.

Our doubles coordinator, Jim D, is working hard on the doubles house league and plans to send out the schedules early in the new year. Stay tuned!

Friday Morning F55 Drop-in Doubles

Starting January 5th, 8:30am to 10am

We’ve got a great group of people that come out to play Friday mornings for a fun round robin style. It’s a good format for any singles player who want to see what doubles is all about, or anyone wanting to work on some aspect of their game or simply for anyone who loves doubles and up for some fun and friendly games with a mix of people.

Come play!

Our annual Lee Hanebury Memorial Tournament

Tournament dates: Feb. 2-4, 2024

Deadline is Wed. Jan. 24th, (assuming draws still have space!)

We would like to invite you all to participate in the Pickering Squash Club’s annual Lee Hanebury Memorial Tournament on the weekend of Feb. 2-4th. This is a tournament weekend you do not want to miss!

Tournament events include:

  • Men’s and Women’s singles events levels A, B, C, D, E (This means everyone at every level can play!)
  • Doubles Men’s and Women’s B and C draws (you will need to register with a partner).

Women may play both singles and doubles (only required to pay one entry fee) but due to limited court time, men may only play one event.

Your entry fee includes a great tournament souvenir, licensed bar, Saturday breakfast and lunch, Saturday night doubles Calcutta (if court time permits) followed by a social night at our local restaurant and lots of squash.

You must register on the Squash Ontario website at: www.squashontario.com. The sign up deadline is Wed. Jan. 24th but please sign up early to avoid disappointment as some draws may fill up fast!

Please feel free to contact Nicole Pirko if you have any questions or concerns.

Junior Programs

Starting Tuesday Jan. 16th & January 20th

Nicole’s junior program runs on Tuesday evenings with a beginner group from 5:30-6:30 and an advanced group from 4:30-5:30 for kids ages 7-15 years old. We will be starting this program on Tues. Jan. 16th. Sameer will also be running a junior program on Saturday’s from 1:00-2:00 starting on Jan. 20th.

At this time our programs are full but we would be happy to put your child on a waiting list and contact you if any spots open up. We are always looking for volunteers to help out with our programs so we can include more kids. If you are interested in volunteering your time to help out, please feel free to reach out.

Adult Beginner Clinics

Adult Clinic starting the Wednesday Jan. 10th.

Women’s Only starting Wednesday Jan. 17th.

Nicole will be running two 4 week adult beginner clinics starting Wednesday Jan. 10th. The first clinic is for adults that are new to the game and interested in learning the basics of squash.

The second clinic is for women only want to learn how much fun this sport can be (Jan. 17 start date). Please contact Nicole if you are interested in signing up or would like more information. Absolutely no experience is needed. All equipment is provided.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the courts!

2023 Toy Drive A Great Success

On behalf of the PSC executive team, a sincere thank you for joining us for a fun evening of squash, social and contribution to our toy drive in support of the Children’s Aid Society of Durham Region. A better turn out than expected and significant contributions!

Special thanks to Nicole, Steve Dizig, Sara Jane Cresswell, Jim Delouchry, and others (apologies for others missed) who helped organize this special event. We are very pleased to inform you Steve delivered a very large load of toys, including several hand made and donated by previous member, to the CAS this morning. Rest assured all donated toys will be provided to children in need, under the care of the CAS. There are so many heart breaking stories with children we are helping to brighten their day.

Thank you all again for your kindness and generosity, during such difficult times. A huge thank you as well, passed along from the Children’s Aid Society of Durham Region! 

Best regards, Merry Christmas, happy holidays and prosperous 2024 to all! 

Fred Dizig

President, PSC.

Check out a few pictures from the 2023 Toy Drive Night.

Reminder: Holiday Toy Drive & Fun Squash Night, Monday Dec 18!

Just a reminder that this year’s Holiday toy drive & squash fun night is this Monday, Dec 18, start time 6:15 pm sharp.

Please remember to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to a local charity (Durham Children’s Aid) to help support families in need of buying gifts for their children this holiday season.

For those who have yet to sign-up, sign-up sheets are still posted outside of the singles & doubles courts. You can sign-up for either the singles or doubles round robin. But if you don’t get a chance to sign up – show up anyway!

All levels are welcome to come out and play! We will be meeting in the doubles courts at 6:15 to collect the toys and go over the game rules for both the singles and doubles play for the evening.

If you are unable to attend Monday evening, please drop off an unwrapped toy either Sunday morning between 10am and 12noon in the doubles courts. It means so much to those less fortunate this holiday season!

When the round robins are done, we will be going out for some food, beverage & holiday cheer!

We hope to see everyone there!

Check out the toy drive from last year!

So long and Thank You

The Pickering Squash Club has had a presence on the web for over 17 years. For that time, I have functioned as the WebMaster, along with my other duties in various roles on the Executive Committee. I have been an active member of the club since it’s inception in 1985 and have served on the Executive more years than I care to count.

There comes a time when one must step back from their duties even though they have been enjoyable. Today is the day that I step back from the position of WebMaster.

A much younger member of the club has stepped up to take my place. She has a background in Web content production and web development with marketing agencies, small businesses and individuals. She is competent in WordPress, which our web runs under. As well, she is extremely enthusiastic about taking our web platform to a new level.

In the few short years that she has been a member of the club, she has become an excellent squash play and represents The Club in InterClub play.

Please join with me in welcoming Jackie Ferrier as our new WebMaster and Director of Communications.

Terry Bruce

Thank You For the Donation

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you VERY MUCH to all who have donated so generously with food and funds to the St Paul’s on the Hill Food Bank, located on Pickering Parkway, serving the needs of many families across the City of Pickering and Town of Ajax. We are extremely pleased to inform you this past Friday Dec 08 we delivered 2 full large containers (approx 250 pounds) of the various food types, along with over $1,200 in cheques (estimate total $1,500 including direct e-transfers) in funds to the food bank. On behalf of Lindsey Morrill (Food Bank Director), Rick D’Souza and myself (Pickering Squash Club), a sincere THANK YOU for your continued support of our community in need. 

Best of the season, happy holidays and Merry Christmas to you and loved ones. 

Kind regards,

Rick D’Souza & Fred Dizig

Pickering Squash Club