A major role of each state affiliate is to coordinate a balanced tournament schedule of sanctioned events in their respective states. Only the state president or respective state sanctioning chairman can sanction events at the state level. Clubs, tournament directors and racquetball programmers interested in hosting a sanctioned event must contact their state association to sanction their events through USA Racquetball. Click here for a list of state contacts.
The cost to sanction a standard tournament is $100. The cost to sanction a one day shootout is $50. If all requirements are met a 50% refund will be issued to the state association.
Sanctioning Your Event – Step by Step – Start to finish
Step 1:
The state president or sanctioning chairman can log onto the tournament scheduler to list their sanctioned event a minimum of 21 days prior to the first day of the tournament. Only an authorized member of a state association may file requests for event sanctioning.
Step 2:
Complete all the required information including the name of the event, dates, host club, contact name, telephone number, e-mail address, etc. and submit credit card payment. [Mailing option: mail the completed sanction form, with payment, to the national office in sufficient time to be received six weeks prior to the event or a minimum of 21-days.]
Step3:
Click "submit" to send your event to a pending file which will be activated by the national office who will update your tournament from "pending" to "approved" on a daily basis. [Mailing option: this step will be completed by the national office.]
Step 4:
Immediately upon approval of your event you will be able to manage the following Online benefits and services:
- Download mailing addresses in your region
- Verify that all players are members
- Rank all players for seeding
- Access ranking/competition history of all players
- Utilize the National Tournament Management System
Step 5:
At the close of the event the following requirements must be fulfilled in the allotted time frame to receive the full refund:
- Submit event roster – mail or online within 14 calendar days
- Submit event memberships with required payment – mail or online within 14 calendar days
- Submit event match results - online only within 30 calendar days
The 50% refund will be forfeited if you do not use one of the two online systems that will be made available to you or your state association representative to electronically submit the match results.
If you elect to mail the match results into USA Racquetball for a national staff member to enter, the refund cannot be obtained.
Step 6:
When all requirements have been fulfilled in the allotted time, a refund will be issued to the state association.
Special Provisions & Processing Requirements
- Completed tournament draw sheets for each division and a tournament roster of names are required to process the official results into the ranking system if you are mailing them into the national office.
- Tournament rosters & results containing the names of expired or non-members cannot be entered and will be returned to the state association or event director for follow-up membership processing and collection of payment.
- All Cancellations of events must be done prior to the event start date.
Sanctioned Tournament Kits
Each event that receives approval for sanctioning will receive a DHL shipment of the following items 7-12 days prior to the event:
- 10 issues of RACQUETBALL
- 4 copies of current rulebook
- 25 membership applications
- List of approved eye guards
Sanctioning Benefits
Upon approval of the sanctioning form, the national office will provide the tournament director with the following:
- Online access to the membership database for download of mailing labels for states in your region;
- Online exclusive tournament manager to build your roster of participants, capture members into the roster, schedule your event, and submit results electronically;
- Online verification of membership status of event participants;
- Online submission of new and renewing memberships on a secure server;
- Online search capability for obtaining state rankings by division to assist with tournament seeding;
- $5,000,000 General Aggregate per event liability coverage;
- Secondary accident medical insurance for all current licensed members;
- With sufficient advance notice the sanctioned event will be listed in the tournament calendar of RACQUETBALL Magazine – observe deadlines listed in each issue of the magazine;
- The sanctioned event will be listed in the Online tournament scheduler;
- Weekend exclusivity as defined by the state association;
- Assistance and support from the state association;
- Opportunity for players to earn state, regional, and national ranking positions;
Important Note: All new and renewing members should be informed that a portion of their membership fee remains with the state association to assist with promotional efforts aimed at competitive, recreational, and beginning players alike.
Event Scheduling Tips & Planning
- The state association serves as the sanctioning body for all events held in their state, including regional and master’s events.
- The event will be of high quality and uphold standards as set forth by the state association and national governing body.
- Identify the events for the calendar year that have requested sanctioning in advance.
- Coordinate with club tournament directors to set available weekends and schedule events accordingly.
- As a state association, you may only request sanctioning for events that will be hosted and held in your state.
- Assure USRA rules and sanctioning guidelines, as established by your state, will be adhered to and followed.
All participants in a USRA sanctioned event must be current members of USA Racquetball. To avoid confusion, only a valid membership card, membership confirmation, or bona-fide receipt of membership is valid for proof of membership. There are no "one time" waivers, reduced fees, or special promotions that substitute for a full dues paying member. Contact Heather at hizzett@usra.org for further assistance.