Exciting Events for the 2024/2025 Squash Season!

The new 2024/2025 squash season is fast approaching and we have some exciting upcoming events!  Please get out your calendars and be sure to read this entire email so that you don’t miss out.  

Upcoming Events at a Glance

  • Provincial Singles Championships & Harvest Hit Tournament:
    October 25-27, 2024
  • Monday Night Singles House League:
    Starts September 16th, 2024
  • Doubles House League:
    Starts Week of September 16th, 2024
  • Fun Round Robin & AGM:
    Tuesday, September 24th, 2024 at 6:00 PM
  • T&D and OSDL Leagues Registration Deadline:
    Approaching Soon
  • Junior Squash Clinic:
    Weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays
  • Friday Morning Drop-in Doubles Round Robin:
    Fridays, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
  • Instructional Clinics:
    Various Dates – Contact for Details

See below for more details.

Provincial Singles Championships and Harvest Hit Tournament combined!!

Oct. 25th-27th 2024

Yes, you read this right!  We will be hosting the Ontario Singles Closed Championships (Oct. 25-27th) which will include Men’s and Women’s Open, A, B, C, D, E draws.  This means everyone can play! 

At the same time, we’ll also be running our annual Harvest Hit doubles tournament, including Men’s and Women’s B and C draws, plus a Mixed B draw. Women can participate in both the women’s and mixed doubles events, subject to court availability.

Be sure to find yourself a partner for the doubles event. 

How to Register:

Sign up for both tournaments (listed separately) on the Squash Ontario website here. Don’t forget—register early to secure your spot and take advantage of the early bird discount for the Provincials!

Looking for sponsors and volunteers

We would like to make the Provincial Championships a huge success and we need sponsors!  Your sponsorship will go towards mandatory prize money for the open players, a doubles pro exhibition match (if we raise enough money), and providing pizza for all the players on Friday night.  

Any donation amount would be really appreciated.  Tax receipts are available for all sponsorships. Sponsorships over $1,000 will get your company logo on the tournament shirts.

We also need volunteers to help with Saturday’s lunch service. If you can assist, please reach out!

Monday Night Singles House League

Starting Sept. 16th

Our Monday night singles house league kicks off on September 16th. Sign-up sheets are on the board across from Court 4. If you can’t make it in to sign up, email Nicole, and she’ll add you to the list. Please note, all players must have a Chestnut Hill Developments squash membership and be a member of the Pickering Squash Club ($40 fee—see our membership form).  

Doubles House League

Starting week of Sept. 16th

We’ve posted the sign-up sheet for the doubles house league (all levels) in the doubles court area. Depending on your level, you’ll play on Monday (Div. 1), Tuesday (Div. 2), or Wednesday nights (Div. 3). You’ll need to find your own partner, or if you sign up solo, we’ll place you on the sub list so you can still get plenty of playing time.

Fun Round Robin and AGM

Tuesday Sept. 24th 6:00pm

Join us for a fun round-robin on both singles and doubles courts on September 24th at 6:00 PM. This is a great opportunity to meet other players, sharpen your competitive edge, and have some fun! We’ll start with a short AGM in the doubles court area to update everyone on club events and gather input on future plans.

We encourage everyone at all levels to come out for a fun evening of squash followed by a fun social. 

Join Our Executive Team:

If you’re interested in joining the executive team, please let us know. We’re always looking for passionate members to help shape the future of the club.

Bring Non-Perishable Food Items

We will also be collecting non-perishable food items for the Pickering Food Bank that same evening.  

T&D and OSDL Leagues – For competitive players

The T&D/OSDL league registration deadline is coming up soon. Nicole needs to submit our teams in the next couple of weeks, so please let her know if you’d like to be on a team this season.

Junior Squash Clinic

Our junior clinics are a great way for kids to learn and improve their squash skills in a fun environment!

The beginner players will learn the basics of squash including proper technique, footwork, rules, scoring and how much fun this sport can be!  Intermediate players will learn more advanced techniques to continue improving their skills through drills, fitness, and strategic play.  

  • Beginners/Intermediate (Ages 7-12): Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 PM
  • Teen Beginners (Ages 12-16): Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 PM
  • Lil Ones/Novice (Ages 4-8): Saturdays, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

Contact Nicole for more info or to register.

Friday Morning Drop-in Doubles Round Robin (F55)

Join us Friday mornings- 8:30am – 10:30am

Contact Nicole for more details.

Instructional Clinics

We offer a variety of clinics for adults:

  • Beginner Clinics (Wednesdays)
  • Women’s Daytime Clinics (Thursdays)
  • Competitive Group Lessons (Book a 4-week group clinic with Nicole and/or Sameer—first come, first served)

Contact Nicole for upcoming dates and to secure your spot.

Membership Form

To participate in any club activities, you must be a member of the Pickering Squash Club and have a squash membership at the recreation complex. The PSC membership form is available on our website and is easy to submit. After completing the form, you can e-transfer your $40 fee. Contact Nicole or anyone on the executive team for the email address to send it to.

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!

Pickering Wins 3 Gold Medals!

Report from Nicole Pirko – Pickering Squash Professional

3 of Pickering’s top junior players take home gold medals in the Grand Prix Silver Tournament!

Pickering was well represented at this weekends Grand Prix Silver #3 tournament at Parkview Athletic Club.   A very special congratulations to Ranya Malik, Rayn Malik and Raamis Malik who all took home gold medals by winning their respective age group title. I was extremely proud of all our juniors who participated this weekend not only for their hard work and dedication on the court but most importantly for their positive attitude and sportsmanship throughout the entire tournament.
Great job!