THIS MESSAGE HAS ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT DETAILS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS NEXT WEEK, JAN 25 - 29.
It is important that every player, as well as every parent's family, read and understand the details of this message. I AM ASKING THAT EVERY PLAYER OR PARENT OF A PLAYER REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL, SO THAT I KNOW THAT EVERYONE HAS READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS INFORMATION. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL PLAYERS AND FAMILIES KNOW THIS INFO.
Host Clubs: The host clubs for the 2012 Oregon High School Racquetball State Championships are Cascade Athletic Club (Gresham) and Mt. Hood Athletic Club (Sandy). Complete tournament details are included in the attached entry form.
Carpooling: I will rely on players and player's parents to develop carpools with their teammates. IF YOU NEED A RIDE OR NEED TO GET IN WITH A CARPOOL, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL CONNECT YOU WITH SOMEONE ON THE TEAM.
Missing School Friday 1/27 - Players will be playing several matches throughout the day on Friday 1/27, so each player will miss school that day. Players need to get an excused absence form from the office, have your teachers sign it, and return it to the Office (Room 104).
Match Starting Times (these are scheduled match start times and subject to change)
Cascade Athletic Club
* Wednesday, Jan. 25: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
* Thursday, Jan. 26: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
(Note: Matches could begin earlier depending on # of entrants)
* Friday, Jan. 27: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
* Saturday, Jan. 28: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
* Sunday, Jan. 29: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mt. Hood Athletic Club
* Thursday, Jan. 26: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
(Note: Matches could begin earlier depending on # of entrants)
* Friday, Jan. 27: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
* Saturday, Jan. 28: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Currently there are approximately 300 players entered in the tournament, with 117 boys in Boy's #6 division, and 40 girls in Girl's #6 division. We may need to begin tournament play for students in Division 6 (boys and girls) as early as Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m. Tomorrow the head coaches are meeting to set up the draws, so I should know by tomorrow night which players may be playing in Sandy (Mt. Hood AC).
When will I play? You'll be able to see start times for your first matches, posted online by noon Tuesday at http://oregonracquetball.org/
But in general, you'll play as follows:
* Wed night - Most players will players (especially #6 players) will play 1 or 2 matches Wed evening after 5 pm
* Thursday night - Most players will play 1 or 2 matches Thursday after 4 pm (I realize 4 pm is tight for getting to Gresham or Sandy)
* Friday - All players will play probably 3-4 matches on Friday, starting Friday morning
* Saturday (Quarterfinals / Semifinals) - Nearly all players will still be in the tournament on Saturday, and will likely play 4-5 matches on Saturday
* Sunday (Finals All Divisions) - If you are fortunate to be playing in a final or 3rd place match, you'll play 1 or 2 matches on Sunday ! Last year we had 16 singles players and 10 doubles players playing on Sunday, and I project similar numbers this year.
* CHECK INTO YOUR MATCHES AT LEAST 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED MATCH
Food at Tournament - There will be snacks / lunches / dinners at both clubs, on the following days:
* Wed Night - Snacks (granola bars, bagels, etc)
* Thurs - Snacks (granola bars, bagels, etc)
* Friday - Light breakfast food in morning (fruit, bagels, granola bars); Lunch (make your own sandwich, chips, fruit); Dinner (pizza)
* Saturday - Light breakfast food in morning (fruit, bagels, granola bars); Lunch (make your own sandwich, chips, fruit); Dinner (pulled pork sandwiches, chicken)
* Sunday - Light breakfast food in morning (fruit, bagels, granola bars); Lunch (pizza); No Dinner
Tourney Format: This is an Olympic Draw format. This means there are four colored brackets in each division. In order of best finishes, there are Gold, Blue, Red, and White divisions. In most divisions, you will play two games to 15, tiebreaker to 11 (this is a big difference from League Matches). Sometimes the #6 Singles divisions and #3 Doubles divisions play only one game to 21 (because there are so many matches in those divisions). But we'll see.
*
Gold Bracket - All players start out in the Gold bracket; if you keep winning, you keep staying in the Gold bracket
*
Blue Bracket - If you win your first match in Gold, then lose your second match, you go to the Blue bracket
*
Red Bracket - If you lose your first match in Gold, then you go to the Red bracket
*
White Bracket - If you lose your first match in Red, then you go to the White bracket
Once separated into the Blue/Red/White brackets, you are in a single elimination bracket (one more loss and you are out)
The idea here is that eventually we end up with really competitive groups of players, all with a chance to win a first place medal !
Finals / Award Ceremony on Sunday: The last match of the day on Sunday will be the Boys #1 Singles Final. There will be a hundred and fifty or so people crammed into the temp grandstands to watch this final match (lots of other great finals matches prior to this match also). All players earning a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finish will be awarded a really nice medal from USA Racquetball. After the Boys #1 Singles match, there will be an awards presentation, with medals awarded to 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place Boys Team, Girls Team, and Overall Team. I expect that Lincoln has a very good chance for a strong finish in all 3 divisions. Also, the overall winning team of the League Matches will be awarded a team trophy. Let's cheer on Lincoln Black !! PLEASE PLAN ON BEING AT THE BOYS #1 FINAL AND AWARDS CEREMONY ON SUNDAY. THE AWARDS CEREMONY TYPICALLY TAKES PLACE APPROX 3:30 - 4:00 PM ON SUNDAY.
Refereeing - Winners of all matches must ref a match; report to tournament desk after your win, and the tournament director will assign you a match to ref; Failure to do this results in a MAJOR POINTS PENALTY to the offending team
Lincoln Jerseys - Try to wear either your red Lincoln RB shirt while playing, or some other Lincoln shirt (Obviously you'll need to wash your jersey at night)
