Individual Membership with Squash BC

Squash BC is a registered non-profit society dedicated to the “Promotion, Growth, and Organization” of squash in British Columbia. Squash BC has a volunteer board of directors made up of people from around the province who are responsible to set the policies, goals, and direction of programs for the organization.

Why be an Individual Member of Squash BC?

There are many squash players who question why they should be members of Squash BC. They all want to know, “What do I get out of it?” There are many reasons to join, some have tangible benefits to players, and others are of a more philosophical in nature.

FIRST AND FORMOST, YOU ARE INSURED:
If you have an accident while participating in a sanctioned Squash BC activity, you will be covered for some of your costs associated with that injury. Dental work is one of the more common claims, although in some instances players have received leg braces after an injury. As with most insurance claims, it depends on your circumstances. For complete information go to, http://www.squashbc.com/membership/insurance.htm

In addition you will:

• Be able to play in sanctioned tournaments at the reduced rate.
• Be able to play in Squash BC sanctioned leagues.
• Be in a province wide ranking system.
• Be able to sign up on-line for tournaments, courses, and other special offers on the Squash BC web site.
• Be able to take officiating courses at a reduced rate.
• Be able to sign up for an e-mail weekly newsletter to keep you up-to-date on the latest squash news and upcoming events.
• Be eligible to play on Provincial Teams. Elite, Masters, Juniors, CanAms.
• Be able to take part in Squash BC sanctioned Junior Programs and tournaments.
• Be able to take coaching courses.
• Help fund Junior Provincial Teams.
• Be helping fund programs like Instant Squash and the Skill Awards.
• Be a member of Squash Canada, the World Squash Federation and able to play in sanctioned events world wide.

Other reasons that are a little harder to pin down, but are equally important are the philosophical ones. Ask yourself this question. If Squash BC, Squash Canada and the WSF were not active and viable organizations, would squash be where it is today and would it stay there? Once the organization of a sport is gone, that sport is likely to disappear as a credible competitive unit in a few years.

Squash BC and its affiliate organizations have spent years and countless amounts of money to develop and maintain programs including Coaching, Officiating courses and the Skill Awards program to name a few. You may think, “I don’t want to take a Coaching Course,” but do you ever want to take a lesson? Have you ever asked anybody about a rule? Just think if everyone played by their own rules!! Shouldn’t we have Provincial Squash teams? All the programs Squash BC runs will probably affect you in some way and they cost money.

Squash BC relies on three main sources of income, Government Grants, Gaming Money, and Memberships. The government/gaming money we receive has been fairly steady through the years but has not kept up with inflation. We have very little control over how much we receive from government and it usually comes with strings attached.

Individual and Club memberships are our most reliable source of income. People who play squash do it for many reasons, but we think it’s safe to say that people do become “Hooked on Squash.” Losing your sport addiction of choice would not be a pretty sight!

It would be great if all participants in the squash world supported their sport not only in a monetary way, but in a voluntary role as well. We at Squash BC encourage all members to participate fully in areas of interest, and are very thankful to those individuals who volunteer their time and money to keep the sport healthy. If not for all the hours of volunteer time, Squash BC memberships would probably cost around $200.00 per person.

The cost of joining Squash BC for an individual member is $35.00 plus GST ($37.45) for an adult member and $12.00 plus GST ($12.84) for Juniors. There are several ways to join. Our web site has a secure page where you can register and pay by credit card, or you can send a check made out to Squash BC to the address above. Some clubs and leagues in the province have opted for the mass member sign up. (Check with your club or league before you sign up online or send your check.) Squash BC individual memberships run from November 1st to October 31st.

Thank you for supporting Squash in B.C. If you have any questions about any aspect of the individualized membership program, please contact the Squash BC office.