2011 "Best in the West" Access Youth Academy Squash Tournament
Show your support for your team and players by donating today!
SATURDAY, FRIDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2011
Welcome to the fundraising and event page for the 2011 "Best in the West" Access Youth Academy Squash Tournament! This premier squash event will take place November 12th, 2011, with all funds directly supporting the important educational, athletic and youth enrichment work of Access Youth Academy.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Last year, supporters from around the country gave their generous support in helping raise over $100,000 for Access Youth Academy programming. This support has played a powerful role in the growth of the organization and made a big difference in all of our students' lives:
-Helped send the first urban squash program to participate in the U.S. High School Squash Nationals at Yale University
-Rank 11th overall in the nation by U.S. Squash (Girls' High School Team)
-Raised funds for the construction of our very own Academic Learning Center (construction scheduled for late 2011)
-Provided SAT Preparation courses for our entire junior class of students
WHAT YOUR SUPPORT MEANS
This year marks Access Youth Academy's fifth anniversary of providing exceptional study, sport and service opportunities to San Diego's underprivileged youth, and will be seeing its very first class of students graduate high school and go on to the universities of their choosing.
Support from this tournament help determine the strength and progress of these opportunities, and allow Access Youth Academy to provide some of the following:
-SAT and other college entrance exam preparation courses
-Full academic tutoring and athletic training sessions
-Furnishing and operation of soon-to-be-constructed Academic Learning Center
-Participation and competition in regional and national squash tournaments
-Squash and athletic uniforms
-Cultural and group outings
-College visitations and tours across the country
-Transportation to and from squash facility
THE TOURNAMENT EXPLAINED:
This year's tournament will feature a ten-team format. Each five-member team will feature one pro squash player, three amateur players and one senior Access Youth Academy student athlete.
Our tournament is a fundraiser and squash competition. The first portion of the tournament features the members of each team vying for contributions, all of which go to support the multi-faceted youth enrichment programming and operation of Access Youth Academy, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit urban squash program in San Diego, CA. Participants raise funds by reaching out to their friends and families and by inviting people to attend the event.
Only donations credited on the web site or checks in hand count; verbal commitments do not count.
THE PRIZE:
Teams and individuals will compete for the chance to win the 2011 "Best in the West" Access Youth Academy Squash Tournament trophy and the bragging rights that go along with it. All participants and supporters gain the personal satisfaction of knowing their contributions directly improve the lives and prospects of motivated young people from less fortunate backgrounds.
ROUND 1:
Team will first compete in a preliminary round robin competition whereby there will be two pools of four teams. Within each pool, teams will play head-to-head, round-robin matches with the pro playing the pro, the A player playing the A player and so on down the line. Each match will be best of three games of squash to 11 points, point scored with each rally (PAR). At the close of the round-robin, the two teams that accumulate the most individual matches (or points in case of a tie) will advance to the finale.
THE FINALE:
The two finalist teams will face one another in the championship match. The format will change slightly: matches will be best of three games, with five individual matches matches scored to 11, point a rally scoring (PAR). The team with the most individual match wins shall be declared "Best in the West"!
9:00 AM Round-Robin Match Play Commences
5:00 PM Guests Arrive; Cocktails and Appetizers Served
7:00 PM Special Presentation
7:15 PM Live Auction
7:30 PM Finals Commence
8:30 PM Event Concludes; Trophy Presentation
PARTICIPATING SQUASH PROS:
Sarah-Fitzgerald (Australia, five-time World Champion)
Bine Malund Lind (Denmark)
David Norton (San Diego)
Kristen Lange (Seattle/San Diego)
Ivy Pochoda (Los Angeles)
