Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sorry girls-- no pants for you.

Imagine the toughest, strongest female badminton player.


Now imagine them wearing a skirt.

Thanks for the Badminton World Federation General Competition Regulations, female players in Level 1-3 tournaments and above (BWF- Grand Prix) will be required to wear a skirt to participate.

Why?

In order to "ensure attractive presentation of Badminton". Apparently, women are only attractive with skirts and/or dresses on.

Badminton has been raising in popularity within these past few years, but they seem to be aiming...a little high. The BWF is probably looking to tennis for inspiration, with models like Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams gracing the covers of fashion magazines. Oddly enough, according to Badzine, even tennis has no restrictions on shorts or skirts.

But see-- BWF doesn't realize that the dress doesn't do much. Maria Sharapova could wear a potato sack and still look good.

This new regulation, taking place on May 1, 2011, will definitely affect a lot of players. Playing with a skirt is much different than playing with shorts. Neither is 'better', but that should only further the argument that choice should be allowed.

Lilyana Natsir...Vita Marissa...I'm sure many others will prefer not to wear skirt.

Viewers will also feel discomfort for professional players who are usually seen wearing shorts. I thought championship badminton was about playing well and racking up the points-- not some fashion show. Besides-- variation on shirt and shorts designs can fix that too, can't they? Looks like there'll be plenty of protest, on and off the court.

"I think I will continue playing wearing shorts", Imogene Bankier told Badzine. You go, girl.


Feels like the 1950's. Let's play with corsets and high heels, too.

Taken from Lapham's Quarterly.

On a brighter note, we'll be able to tell who'll be wearing the pants. Bazing!

Monday, March 14, 2011

T-Shirt Designs.


In my few years in badminton, I've seen some of the coolest T-Shirt designs that I've ever seen.

It's great to see such a big variety, and with each year and each open tournament in varying countries, the designs continue to blow my mind. Honestly-- I haven't seen any other sport with such cool T-shirt designs.

One of my favorites is the one below...(and I think I can say the same for many others. I've seen this shirt on multiple players in all of our tournaments!)
Yonex Open Super Series 2009. The bright color choices really get me.



Chinese Horoscope Tshirt: This one is adorable, but I haven't seen anyone wear it yet! Shows every animal in the Chinese zodiac playing badminton...! Where can I get my hands on one of these...?


Yonex World Championships: This one's nice, too. People tend to like the Asian-esque designs...I believe this one also comes in assorted colors. There are plenty of other shirt designs that are like this one-- Chinese Calligraphy surrounded by mythical creatures...I'll let this one represent the rest...



And, one can't forget the 2009 Yonex Tiger shirt worn by Malaysia team KoonKienKeat&TanBoonHeong. They're on FIIREEEE.........

Image taken from BadmintonCentral.

Fashion during badminton tournaments tends to be a big thing-- especially to guys, believe it or not! Most of the men that I know worry more about what they're going to wear than the women......especially when deciding on a "SEMI-FINALS" or "FINALS!" shirt...

(One Canadian player actually switched rackets when he switched his shirts, so his grip would match his shirt...! I'm sure a few of you will know who I'm referring to...very stylish.)

Most memorable attire has to be High School-- when my mixed doubles partner showed up in a Tootsie Roll costume. Obviously, the tournament wasn't very professional...but it was definitely a game to remember.

As the years continue, badminton shirts continue to impress me. Can't wait for new designs to come out!


Start planning what shirts you'll be wearing for the WASHINGTON OPEN 2011! DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP! DO IT NOW AT TOURNAMENT SOFTWARE! (Don't let those late fees get you, guys!)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Battle Royale 2!

Now's your chance to be part of Battle Royale!

Badmintology is having their last tourney of the year before they kick off their team tournament! For those of you who have participated before, now is the last time to rack up those points for your team!

They changed the format to ABCD, so players will get at least 3 games in. Not only that-- this time they're giving out towels with ALL 4 of their designs from this past season. (Their designs are adorable! You don't want to miss out!).

Baddi Royale 2 will be held at Cambie Secondary School. Plan your roadtrips! The deadline is March 19th, 2011 for this April 1st tournament, so sign up now!

Badmintology Baddie Royale 2
Where?:
H.J. Cambie Secondary School
When?: April 1st-3rd, 2011
How much?: $ 25 for the first event, +$10 for every other (Online entry: $27/37/47)
Deadline: March 19th, 2011.
Link: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=D1E0F6F7-7131-4E21-B106-C3A31C433092
Anything new?:
The ABCD format will ensure you at least 3 games. According to their website, you get a towel with all 4 of the season's designs for registering for more than two events. There are also bigger trophies this time around, and a draw prize for a lucky random player in the crowd. Sounds like a good deal to me!

_______________________________________________________________


I hope none of you are forgetting to prepare for the WASHINGTON OPEN 2011.

It's the 74th annual Washington Open, and it gets stronger every year! You can definitely prepare yourself for more players, more draw prizes, and definitely more fun and games!

This is the first year that Seattle Badminton Club will be hosting it. The weather will be great that time of year! Sign up NOW to ensure your ticket to our annual banquet, and we'll see you THERE!

Link: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=6ADB855F-A959-442A-8916-53EB79E861E3


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Washington State Closed RESULTS!

From Clinton's Flickr, taken by your's truly. :)

Congratulations to the winners of the Washington Closed 2011!

This year's definitely had some surprising results! With Neat in the picture, Long's definitely got to keep his game up to defend his titles! Looks like he's got some competition!

MIXED:
Neat&Ying-Fang became an unbeatable pair this time around...Long and Masako have some competition! Frankly, I'm pretty surprised--the first game wasn't even close! (21-10!). I'm pretty sure everyone expected 3 games out of this one, and were sorely disappointed when Neat and Ying Fang took'em out in 2! Congratulations to the new champions of WA...for now!

MENS DOUBLES:
Tim&Toru took out Long&Neat in two games this year! Congratulations to them! Can't wait to see them go at it again at the Washington Open!

MENS SINGLES:
Neat double crowned this year, winning a trophy to match his mixed doubles victory! The first game with Long was INCREDIBLY close, winning at 29-27. Better luck next time, Long!

WOMENS DOUBLES:
The kids are catching up! Vicky&Amy took out the competition this year, winning over fellow juniors Renata&Christine! Looks like those lessons are definitely paying off--they're flying off the charts!

WOMENS SINGLES:
The women's singles draw, though small, was taken away by the juniors. Congratulations to Christine for her victory over Amy! She put up a great fight, and there's no doubt that she's improved! Watch out, Juniors!


Funky doubles, with both competitive and non-competitive divisions, definitely brought a lot of laughs! Bets were definitely put on Neat and Ufilya, who wiped out the competitive draw--no questions asked! There were plenty of couples that signed up this year, and Sunday was definitely a day of leisure for badminton folks! It's not all about rough competition! Looks like Funky Doubles is a growing event--sign up next time!

Congratulations to all of the players at the Washington Closed 2011! There were plenty of new faces, and I bet I can speak for the organizers when I say we hope to see you next year!

_________________________________________________________________

For those of you who missed the Washington Closed, no matter! Now's the time to start training for the Washington Open 2011!!! The tournament will be bigger than ever this year! Sponsored by Yonex, you can definitely expect more games, more prizes, and more competitive players! Enter the summer with a BANG and show us what you got!

This is our biggest tournament of the year, and we have participants from Washington, Oregon and Vancouver/Richmond....and we even have players that come from as far as California and CALGARY!

The tournament isn't scheduled until May 20th, 2011, but lock in your entry now, and spread the word! It's about time for a roadtrip, anyways!

Entry deadline is May 1st, 2011---BUT DON'T WAIT! SIGN UP AT TOURNAMENT SOFTWARE NOW!


We'll SEE YOU THERE!