Information is now available regarding team registration for the USQ regional championships. Details on team registration for the US Quadball Cup 2023 will be available in October; however, some general information is also posted below.
Questions about the team registration process for USQ events should be directed to membership@usquadball.org.
RETURN TO PLAY POLICY UPDATE
For the 2022-23 season, all USQ members who wish to participate in USQ hosted events will be required to either submit proof of vaccination to USQ either when you register for membership with USQ, or post-member registration. Members who submitted vaccination proof in the 2021-22 season will not need to re-submit proof of vaccination. Due to limited supplies of the recent COVID-19 boosters (either the Moderna COVID-19 booster, Bivalent, or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster), USQ is not requiring that event participants receive a second booster, though it is strongly recommended.
If you choose not to submit proof of vaccination, you will be required to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test (rapid or PCR) prior to participation in a USQ hosted event. You can do so via this form in the days leading up to the event.
Full information on policies and programs impacted by COVID-19 is available on this page of our website.
USQ REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
There is no additional cost for member teams to attend a USQ regional championship because it is included with team and player memberships.
For the 2022-23 season, club and collegiate teams will be allowed to attend any regional championship they wish. Collegiate teams may attend any (1) regional. Club teams may attend multiple regionals. Teams will select their top three preferences when registering their team for USQ membership. Deadline to register and have your preferences considered is September 30. Teams who register on Oct 1 and beyond will be automatically placed into a regional championship by the gameplay team based on preferences specified. Gameplay will begin the regional selection process on October 1, and will notify teams of registration next steps once assigned. For more information, please review our gameplay policies update.
Throughout the season, USQ will be tracking event registration and the following requirements for teams.
Event requirements
Regional championship requirements
College division season play requirements
Club division season play requirements
At large bid requirements for USQ Cup
USQ Cup requirements
Membership requirements
Membership registration requirements, including team referee requirements, coach certification, and team snitch runners
Detail of coach certification requirements
Detail of team referee requirements
Details of team snitch runner requirements
Coaches and team officers (president, captain, etc) can view player requirements and certification status on this page here. You must be registered with USQ for the 2022-23 season in a leadership role (coach, etc) to have access to view this page - all others will not have access to view.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Great Lakes Regional Championship
South Bend, IN
October 29-30, 2022
Northeast Regional Championship
TBD
November 5-6, 2022
Midwest Regional Championship
Cedar Rapids, IA
November 12-13, 2022
Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship
Goldsboro, NC
November 19-20, 2022
South Regional Championship
Columbia, SC
February 11-12, 2023
West Regional Championship
Livermore, CA
February 18-19, 2023
Southwest Regional Championship
Round Rock, TX
February 25-26, 2023
Over the summer, USQ surveyed LGBTQIA+ members regarding USQ hosting events in states with anti-trans laws. Feedback was mixed, with some wanting USQ to avoid these locations all together and some expressing a desire for USQ to still host in these states. More individuals wanted USQ to host events in states with anti-trans laws and find other ways to make an impact, rather than moving event locations or avoiding certain states entirely. Based on the survey results as well as feedback from teams who were affected by events being moved in the 2021-22 season, this season USQ will be hosting events in states even if they have anti-trans laws. We found that moving events in response to anti-trans legislation was very disruptive to members and had unintended consequences that placed additional financial burdens on teams.
We will continue to advocate to our city partners and their elected officials for the rights of trans and non-binary people, and we will work with local LGBTQIA+ organizations to spotlight activism happening at the local, regional, and state level. Title 9 ¾ will continue to be a core part of our mission and values as an organization. Additionally, we will continue to evaluate potential host cities using the diversity, equity, and inclusion rubric we developed for the bid manual, and the presence of anti-trans laws will be weighed against other factors.
Here are some examples of advocacy work that USQ has done in the last year around anti-trans laws:
Interview with Outside Magazine about Title 9 ¾, the gender rule, and the impact of anti-trans laws on quadball community members
Direct outreach to city partners in Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Utah regarding our opposition to anti-trans laws
Direct outreach to elected officials in South Carolina and Utah regarding proposed anti-trans laws
Public statements in support of trans and nonbinary people, such as here, here, and here
TOURNEY MACHINE
Starting for the 2022-23 season, USQ will be using a new tournament management system. Tourney Machine gives USQ the ability to create and manage tournament schedules, update standings, and communicate with coaches in a quick and efficient manner. USQ’s Event and Gameplay departments decided that using a tournament management system was the next step in providing a better team experience at events. Coaches, players, and the general public can easily know scores and standings, and won’t have to look at spreadsheets that aren’t mobile friendly. USQ will have the capability to instantly communicate with all coaches throughout an event
Tourney Machine has an app available on Apple and Android devices. Here you can set notifications for score updates or schedule changes for any tournament.
Each team looking to attend a USQ event will need to make an account on Tourney Machine. Instructions on how to do so can be found here. Coaches will need to use the log in email they registered with under USQ’s new membership website, Sports Engine.
Once a tournament has made their registration live, coaches can log in and will automatically see all USQ events listed. Registration won’t open until Oct 1, 2023.
REGISTRATION STEPS
The registration process and requirements are the same for collegiate and club teams. Each will need to do the following:
Sign up for a USQ Membership. College teams will rank their top 3 choices upon team registration. Club teams will rank up to 3 regionals they plan to attend. More information can be found in the latest gameplay policies update.
On September 30, team preferences will be used to decide regionals
Between September 30th and October 5th, teams will be told their assignments for regionals based on their indicated preferences.
For teams who register after October 1st, USQ Gameplay and USQ Events will assign teams to regionals based on their preferences.
Register for the event on the USQ tournament management site, Tourney Machine. Registration will open October 1.
Coaches will need to make an account before they can register. This can be done prior to October 1. Instructions on how to do so can be found here
Reserve hotel rooms (per stay and play policy mentioned below) and notify USQ of their team’s hotel arrangements by completing this form.
To be eligible to officially compete in all events, teams must also complete the requirements listed here to be eligible to compete officially in all events (please note: this includes events that are not USQ-hosted regional and national championships).
The following items are optional:
Designate additional team staff using this form.
Submit trading cards for players.
REGISTRATION DEADLINES
In order to compete at a USQ regional championship, a team must be registered for the tournament at least 2 weeks prior to the event.
For club and collegiate teams, there are no season play requirements for regional championships.
STAY & PLAY POLICY
The policy for all USQ hosted events states that all participating teams that are not located within 100 miles driving distance of the tournament site address are required to stay in a hotel within the competition’s designated city, county, or region.
If your team is located within 100 miles, you must apply for a stay and play exemption. Please fill out this form approximately two weeks prior to your regional championship (see deadlines above).
For more information on USQ’s stay and play policy, visit the website here and click Stay & Play.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Teams are responsible for booking their own accommodations at one of the reserved hotels with USQ’s special rate (see below) or another hotel in the championship city or county. If you need confirmation if a hotel is in the correct city or county, please reach out to USQ’s Championship Events Manager, Jeremy Schleicher at jeremy.schleicher@usquadball.org.
To best support USQ’s community partners, alternate methods of lodging, including vacation rentals (e.g. Airbnb) or staying in private residences, are not permitted.
Once hotel rooms are booked, teams must fill out this form. Teams are not considered fully registered for regionals until this form is completed, which must be completed no later than two weeks prior to the event.
Great Lakes Regional Championship
South Bend, IN - October 29-30, 2022
GLRC Hotel Reservation Link: here
Holiday Inn Express & Suites South Bend - South, an IHG Hotel:
Nightly rate is $113.37
La Quinta/Best Western South Bend
Nightly rate is $110.00
Quality Inn & Suites South Bend Airport:
Nightly rate is $121.24
Or
Teams must stay within St. Joe’s County. A list of hotels can be found here.
Northeast Regional Championship
TBD - November 5-6, 2022
This location will be finalized by September 30
Midwest Regional Championship
Cedar Rapids, IA - November 12-13, 2022
MWRC Hotel Reservation Link: here
Hampton Inn & Suites Cedar Rapids - North:
Nightly rate is $132.47
Holiday Inn Express Cedar Rapids (Collins Rd), an IHG Hotel:
Nightly rate is $130
Homewood Suites by Hilton Cedar Rapids-North:
Nightly rate is $143.71 based on 6 people per room or $132.47 based on 4 people per room
Or
Teams must stay within the Cedar Rapids area. Approved hotels can be found here.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship
Goldsboro, NC - November 19-20, 2022
MARC Hotel Reservation Link: here
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Goldsboro - Base Area, an IHG Hotel:
Nightly rate is $127.98
TownePlace Suites Goldsboro:
Nightly rate is $120.11 based on 3 people per room & $125.73 based on 4 people per room
Hampton Inn Goldsboro NC:
Nightly rate is $129.10 based on 5 people per room & $138.09 based on 4 people per room
Or
Teams must stay within Goldsboro-Wayne County. A list of hotels can be found here.
South Regional Championship
Columbia, SC - February 11-12, 2023
SRC Hotel Reservation Link: here
Fairfield Inn by Marriott Columbia Northwest:
Nightly rate is $110.00
Hampton Inn Columbia I-26/Harbison Blvd:
Nightly rate is $139.21
Hampton Inn Columbia-I-26 Airport:
Nightly rate is $121.24
Home2 Suites by Hilton Columbia Harbison:
Nightly rate is $114.49
Or
Teams must stay within the Columbia, SC Region which includes the City of Columbia, Richland County, Lexington County, Town of Lexington, City of Cayce, West Columbia and Town of Irmo (where the fields are located). A list of hotels can be found here.
West Regional Championship
Livermore, CA - February 18-19, 2023
WRC Hotel Reservation Link: here
Aloft Dublin-Pleasanton:
Nightly rate is $132.47
Courtyard by Marriott Pleasanton:
Nightly rate is $121.24
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pleasanton at the Club:
Nightly rate is $143.71
Or
Teams must stay within the Tri-Valley Region which includes the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, Danville. A list of hotels can be found here.
Southwest Regional Championship
Round Rock, TX - February 25-26, 2023
Hotels for this event will be released in early 2023
SPECIAL EVENTS
This season, USQ is planning to host additional tournaments beyond regional and national championships.
Last January, club teams were able to attend the Sin City Classic. The Sin City Classic is a multi-day LGBTQ+ sports festival hosted annually by The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA) in Las Vegas during the four days prior to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. First held in 2008, the event has grown to become the largest annual LGBTQ+ sporting event in the world. USQ joined the event in 2022, at which point quadball became its 25th sport.
USQ will be reaching out to club teams via email to gauge interest in attending Sin City Classic in January 2023. The email will include possible registration prices, facility and lodging information, and onsite activities. An interest form for the event will be released shortly.
This tournament will be for club division teams only. Please note that USQ’s attendance at this event is dependent upon club team interest, and a final decision to host the event will not be made until mid-October.
US QUADBALL CUP 2023
USQ Cup 2023 will take place at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania on April 15-16, 2023. The event is hosted in partnership with Valley Forge Sports. USQ Cup 2023 will have multiple divisions. 24 collegiate teams will be able to compete at this event in the D1 division, and 16 collegiate teams will be able to compete in the D2 division. 2o teams will be able to compete in the club competitive division. The collegiate open division and club lower division remain uncapped at this time. All teams must complete the season play requirements, including attending at least one regional championship of their choice, by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, March 26, 2023. For more information regarding tournament structure and eligibility, please review our gameplay policies update.
More information on the USQ Cup will be released later this year.
QUESTIONS?
Email membership@usquadball.org.
Photo credit: Zach Shaffer