Oh dear....!

With the two biggest holidays circling the same week, I find myself slacking on posts! Argh!

I hope many of you are scheduling tournaments into your calendar books for 2011! The year hasn't even started, but the tournaments are already all lined up!

January 2011 is filled with plenty of opportunities to test your skill already!

January 14th is the Portland State University Winter Open. A group of my friends have already signed up, and I hear there are good prizes to be given out!

January 22nd is the start Holiday 'Turkey Bowl' at the Bellevue Badminton Club...?!?! It starts off with Division-C...? Check out this link for more information! It looks like a great, cheap team tournament for you to get some practice in!

January 28th gives you another excuse for a roadtrip down to Oregon for the Winter Oregon Open at Portland Badminton Club, followed up with

January 29th Holiday Turkey Bowl Division D at Bellevue Badminton Club!

All this information was gathered thanks to the help of NorthwestBadminton.org, so make sure you check out that site for more information!

__________________________________________________________________

Frankly, I am preparing myself to hopefully play singles in the Washington State Closed in Seattle Badminton Club on February 25th! Unfortunately, I dove back into 'training' after a month off from badminton...I'm definitely out of shape! Not good! So no guarantees there, but I'll do my best! Which tournaments are you guys getting ready for? The entry form is already out, so go make your plans now!
___________________________________________________________________

My parents were actually asking me why I haven't gone to the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue to play....I used to play there every Monday night when I first began....that was way back when our Washington badminton clubs hadn't existed yet!

They made fun of me and said I've gotten too high class-- I won't settle for anything less than a private club. That's quite the opposite!

For those of you beginners, there are plenty of other places to play other than BBC and SBC! The First Presbyterian Church is still popular with many people who just want to play for fun, and I've met many friends there that are still friends with me today! It's free to play, although they would like a small donation, if possible! They have 3 courts with a rotation system of every 15 minutes.

1717 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue WA 98004

Mondays from 6pm to 9pm!

Make sure you go check it out!

Anyways, leave a comment, subscribe and enjoy the rest of your vacation for the new year!

Happy Holidays!

Tired from work/school/doing nothing? It's about time for a few days of relaxation! I hope all of you are enjoying your few days off...!

SBC has been getting awfully busy lately-- it seems like popular evenings to play are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays....but...I guess it's also safe to say that every evening is quite packed!

BBC (Bellevue Badminton Club) is having a "Holiday Turkey Bowl Tournament" on February 19th, 2011 for those of you who won't be attending Badmintology's Roller Coaster Open.

The Holiday Turkey Bowl is for those of you who don't obsess over the extremely advertiser-friendly Super Bowl, which takes place around that time. And for once it's a team tournament!!!

If you're a BBC member, then the entry is free, if you're not, the entry is $7.00. Team entry is $5.

Adult Divisions and Family Divisions are on different days (from the end of January to mid-February), so be sure to check out the rest of the information on the main website:

http://www.bellevuebadminton.com/bbc/torunaments/144-holiday-turkey-bowl-tournament

Speaking of team tourneys, make sure to look out for Badmintology's Roller Coaster Open, coming up the weekend of February 18-20th! Don't forget that to qualify for their end-of-the-season team tourney in May, you must have played in at least two of their tournaments and registered under a team name! I hear it's plenty of fun, so be sure to plan a roadtrip up! Again, it's a great tourney for playing against those in your same skill level! Friendly tournament for beginners to advanced!

___________________________________________________________________

Thanks again to my many readers! I've gotten over 300+ views from more than 10 different countries!

Here's my Christmas gift to you-- Interpretive Dance from our favorite Mens Doubles team Fu/Cai!

This picture reminds me of all the times I've almost (or actually have) run into my partner on various occasions. Not good!

??!?!?!

Jokes aside, I think it's fantastic that a Men's Doubles team could be so in sync all the time...! They're fantastic, and I'm always watching their games on the big screen at work. Currently ranked 5th in the world...hopefully they'll start showing up in more tournaments!

____________________________________________________________________

With all of that said, I do hope all of you enjoy your holiday. Stay warm, happy, and spread some holiday cheer.

End 2010 with a blast, and let's all get ready for 2011!

BCD+A letter + Tournaments in Oregon

Tournament Director Katherine Ip wrote a letter to sum up the fabulous BCD+A tournament that took place two weekends ago. Big thanks to her and all the volunteers that made it happen! Hope to see all of you (and more!) in 2011!

______________________________________________________________________

I don't know when we started to have BCD tournament in the Seattle area. For sure, this is the first BCD+A tournament I experienced. To commemorate the inauguration of Seattle Badminton Club (SBC), WSBA not only postponed this tournament to December (usually this happens in November), but also decided to add an "A" or "Open" category to this year's BCD tournament. This is how we come up with BCD+A. It was an exciting weekend for 124 players and many, many spectators.

With 8 courts available for the tournament (SBC reserved 2 courts for their members), things really run fast and smooth. Especially on Friday, we only needed 3 hours to finish all the Mixed Doubles (except Finals). On Saturday, we are done with all the matches (except Finals) at 6pm, which is a record compared to the tournaments in the last few years. On Sunday, there were some challenges with traffic due to flooding. A lot of players were late due to the "Road Closure", we were all done at 2pm.

Apart from our usual Seattle supporters, we have lots of out of town guests this year. Barbara and Henry from Westbank, Lindy, Siu-Imm, Leslie and Johnny from VRC, Wendy and Dave from Kootenay, Eric and Kris from ShuttleFreaks Spokane, Chungfung and Shuichi from CWU, Robert and Adrian from Portland, Leslie, Calvin, Tomohiro, Huy, Noel and Phu from PSU. Hello, Welcome to Seattle!

With the A or Open events separate from the BCD events, all the A players are challenged from the very first game. There are no more easy first round matches. At the same time, BCD players had lots of fun playing tight matches with players of the same level. Hmm, this seems to work out pretty well. I will think about using the same format next year.

There are lots of good comments about our T-Shirt design this year. Natalie told me it is a Chinese "Yin Yang" idea added to two of the most sacred animals in ancient China – tiger and phoenix, chasing shuttlecocks. Great job, Natalie! We have around 20 T-shirts left if you want to purchase them for $10 each. Please contact me at katherine.sm.ip@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or katherine@seattlebadminton.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

As for the tournament results, Curtis Stensland and Victoria Chen are no surprise to all of us for taking the Mens and Womens Singles A Champions. Vicky, turned 13 in May, is fearless. At this rate of improvement, she may one day be representing US in one of the Olympic Games. No pressure, Vicky. Open Mixed Doubles was won by Curtis and Amy, defeating Leslie and Siu-Imm in three games. For some reason, Siu-Imm just couldn't get her "net" magic to work today. Hmm, must be distracted by her shopping on Saturday, hehe…. Open Women's Doubles is the battle between experience and youth. This was happening for the last few tournaments now. Hurray, experienced Wendy and Anette won Jenny and Vicky again this time by losing the first game and winning the next two. In this year's Open Mens Doubles finals, we have a new pairing of Kevin and Paco vs usual pairing of Long and Neat. One game each and then third game, led by Kevin and Paco 20-19, 20-20, 21-20, 21-21, 22-21, 22-22, 23-22, 23-23, 23-24, 23-25. Game! Long and Neat won. Thanks Patrick for umpiring and making a decisive "let" call.

Thanks to all of you for coming to the tournament and the unveil of Seattle Badminton Club. Many thanks to Seattle Badminton Club's management and staff and all the volunteers including Clinton Chen, Melissa Tang, Solomon So, Joyce Chung, Joe Leung, Tina Jiang, Nino Gonzales, Raquel Gonzales, Jason Lin, Fred Yu, Ying-Fang Lai, Toru Takayanagi, Patrick Ip…….. Oh, of course to Jasmine Lau for her beautiful voice as announcerJ See you again on February 25-27, 2011 at SBC for Washington Closed Badminton Tournament.

___________________________________________________________________

As she noted, there are a few tournament Tshirts left for $10 dollars each. Sponsored by Yonex, the design were the same on the tshirts and the trophies. The only sizes available now (to my knowledge) are Larges, XL's and one XS...so get them soon!

Any ideas for future Tshirts? Share some ideas by posting comments, or send me an email at onattyso@gmail.com

__________________________________________________________________

Both PSU (Portland State University) and tournament directors for the state of Oregon are having tournaments for the start of the new year!

Copied from NorthwestBadminton.org

"Winter Oregon Open 2011

Date: January 28/29, 2011

7275 NW Evergreen Parkway, Hillsboro OR 97124.

Li Ning sponsored Winter Oregon Open. Events: Open/Jr1/JR2. More than $2,000 worth of Li Ning equipment to be given away! If you are a Badminton player, you can not miss this new years tournament. Li Ning discount booth available to all.

www.portlandbadmintonclub.com"

Winter 2011 PSU Open Badminton Tournament

Date: January 14-15, 2011

Location: Academic & Student Rec Center at Portland State University

1800 SW 6th Ave. Portland, OR 97201.

Entry form at: https://orgsync.com/forms/show/25927

_____________________________________________________________

Both tournaments sound like great opportunities for roadtrips...anyone up for it?

the last Husky Open had some students from Eugene, OR visit...so hopefully some of us can do the same for them! PSU has plenty of great players, and it's about time for us to help them build an even greater badminton community. Sign up soon!

Happy Holidays!

Seems like I've been slacking on posts lately!

I'd like to give a big thanks to all of you following my blog! 300+ views from more than 10 different countries...it's great to finally realize just how vast the badminton community really is! Hope to get to see you all on the courts some day! :)

On top of all of that, I'd love to have some of your feedback! Don't forget to leave comments or e-mail me about things you'd like to see on the site, from covers on various tournaments, upcoming tournaments, pictures, or interviews from specific people! I'll try my best!

______________________________________________________________________

Congrats to SBC for making it up to 100+ members before their big promotion was over!

Sorry for those of you who haven't signed up yet-- the Yonex Promotion is over! But don't fret...if you still apply for a membership now until December 31st, you don't have to pay an initiation fee! :)

____________________________________________________________________

Just wondering...besides badminton, what do badminton players do to work out?

I've been told frequently by friends to hit the treadmill--obviously, that'll build stamina and make you a little faster on the court...I speak from experience! But just running on the treadmill is...sort..of...boring!

I know a couple of my friends like to hit the nearest Bally's or 24 hr fitness and lift weights, bike...the works. I think I remember watching a video of Lin Dan and Fu HaiFeng running work outs in the sand...builds crazy strength in the legs! Looks tough!

I've also seen plenty of players carry jump rope in their gym bags and jump whenever they can. Don't take this as a joke---jump roping is very tiring! I find myself getting frustrated because I'm not very coordinated, and by the end of 1000 jumps, my ankles are all filled with red whip-marks from tripping over the jump rope :(

I guess a good tip to getting started is start with running and jump roping! At least, that's what plenty of people have told me to start out with. I'm not extremely athletic, so I gotta start out slow ;)

What do the rest of you do?

Long (left) with Men's Doubles Partner Neat
(picture courtesy of Facebook/Panu Sam-ang's Husky Open album)

How long have you been playing?

I've been playing since I was in high school like 17 years old

What racket do you use?

I am using Z-slash right now, and I love them.

Favorite event?
Washington Open (more competitive)

Where do you play?
I'm playing at SBC right now

How many tournaments have you played?

A lot actually. Lets see umm 40 to 50 events around there

How do you train? Who do you train with?

When I train, I always do three different section. Like one day I do a physical training( running, foot work, etc...), another day I do feeding birdies stuff, and finally I play some fun game with my friends.

Through your experience in badminton, what's the most important lesson you've learned?

Through my experience in badminton, I have learned so many good thing. But the most important lesson I have learned was that I give telling myself that training always make you better.

Any tips for your fans?

Well just practice more instead of playing. I meant doing drills with the shot that you think you should work on, and this way make you have better shots.


Long 'Sisavat' Keobunmy is a high leveled A- player in the Northwest. Originally from Laos, he moved to WA 4 years ago. Plays all 3 events - Mixed Doubles, Men's Doubles and Singles. He's regularly found in tournaments in Washington and Canada.

Two more days...!?

...until exams are over and I can put a proper post up for you all!

Sorry about the delay!

For now, I'll give you all a quick summary. I hear the BCD+A tournament at the Seattle Badminton Club had a fantastic turn out of both players and watchers! Plenty of photographers...you can check out the photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintonc111/sets/72157625573872576/

Curtis took the crowd yet again for Men's Singles over Sisavat Keobounmy, who was unfortunately unable to sleep the night before. Congrats to Pablo for winning A consolations-- he's been training for Singles since the beginning, and it shows!

Check out the winners and the scores here: http://tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=E5AEFE24-D5BE-4B10-8C17-77EE5251FD01

Minh won B division singles yet again this year--Looks like he'll have to play A next year! Watch out, A level!

I noticed a bunch of UW huskies playing at the tournament this year... on the weekend before finals! Lucky enough for them, the chemistry professor Xiaosong played at the tournament as well, and got himself 3/4 place in B Men's Singles! Professors are people of many talents!

Men's doubles was dominated by Sisavat&Neat. Top men's doubles A Division winners are quite well-known around the badminton community of Seattle, so it was definitely no surprise. MD's C division was won with a little home court advantage-- Fred&Jason know what they're doing! MD's C was followed up closely by Nino&Eric. I have faith that the both of them will grab themselves a trophy next year!

BCD women's singles trophies were snatched away by Canadians this year! I'm glad the tournaments have now become international! I hope Barbara&Wendy made some new friends on their trip down, and will be back in the future!

Open A was won by junior Vicky, along with Renata&Christine following close behind. C and D won by Rina and Isabelle respectively-- winners are getting younger!

Wendy easily brought the crown home with her win in WD A division with Annette. Wish I was there to watch the game! All 3 A consolations were Canadians as well!

Curtis&Amy took another A trophy home this tourney. They're always so focused while warming up-- it's no surprise they do so well! Congrats to Curtis for double crowning, as well! Consolations won by JK&Vicky!

Be sure to check out the rest of the winners on TournamentSoftware!

Good job too all the winners-- you all put up a great fight! Don't forget to start training for the Washington Closed tournament in February! See you all then!

BCD+A Draws

The WASHINGTON STATE BCD+A OPEN TOURNAMENT draws are OUT!!!!

Players, go to tournament software to check out who you'll be playing against!

The rest of you should check out the draws and make a guess as who you think will be taking home the trophies as champions this year!

Wonderfully enough, the results are hard to guess thanks to all of the new names! It's great to watch the badminton community continue to grow. Competition will be high, though, so get your game face on!

I hear long-time reigning champions Sisavat K. and Masako C. (who were defeated by Curtis S. and Amy J. during the Husky Open) won't be playing together this tourney. Word's gone around that Masako's ankle (?) isn't feeling too great. But don't let your guard down too soon--Ufiliya D. will be taking her place, and that's definitely no step lower.

4 girls from the junior team make up the round robin draw of Women's Single A...and they're all friends...and they all train together. It'll be fun to see how that one turns out.

Although there are no 'seeded' entries, you can pretty much tell (by the organization of the brackets) who would have been placed as a seeded player/pair had there been numbers.

Just a reminder: Be friendly to your opponents. Don't be afraid to smile and introduce yourself beforehand, even if you lose...you'll realize that once you get to know them, #1) you make more friends, and #2) they'll often give you pointers on how you can improve...(SO YOU CAN BEAT THEM NEXT TIME....!!!)

Be sure to get there EARLY just so you get a chance to warm up and you don't have to line up for registration.
Starting times:
Friday: 5:30 PM- Registration
6:00 PM – Mixed Doubles
Saturday
8:30 AM – Registration
9:00 AM -- Men’s Singles
11:00 AM -- Women’s Singles
1:00 PM -- Men’s Doubles
3:00 PM -- Women’s Doubles
Sunday
10:00 AM -- – Semi if necessary and finals

Again, it will be held at SEATTLE BADMINTON CLUB this year. Make sure you know how to get there. There's plenty of parking, so no need to worry. But if you can, do your best to carpool.

See you then!

_____________________________________________________________

((For those of you who have subscribed, don't forget to verify it through the e-mail sent to you! Or else you won't receive updates!))
((For those of you who HAVEN'T subscribed, please do so at the right through e-mail or Google Follow!))

Next blogpost will be about badminton bags...if you want your unique bags posted, send me a picture at onattyso@gmail.com!

History Lesson.

Hello students, and welcome to your first class of BMT101: Introduction to Badminton.
As my TA passes out the invisible syllabus, I'd just like to inform you all that the major applications for Badminton are due next Monday.

Now if you'll put away your laptops and cel phones--that means you, Mr. Gade...we can begin.

According to the incredibly accurate source of Wikipedia, the sport originated in the 17th century in British India. (Feel free to use Wikipedia as a source in your papers due next month). Originally called Battledore and Shuttlecock, it was played a town called Poona. (Stop laughing, please). The British officers brought the sport back to England, where the game was further developed.

I had thought that the name 'Badminton' was derived from some special Latin roots, but the name was actually given due to the fact that the sport was 'launched' by the Duke of Beaufort in 1873, in the Badminton House. They referred to it as the Game of Badminton. You can still visit this house in England today, where they hold annual Badminton Horse Trials. (Mr. Hidayat, please stop falling asleep in my class.)

Rules were finally set in 1887, and the first All England Open Badminton Championships began in 1899, the first badminton championship in the world.

Read chapters 1&2 of BadmintonSquare. Pop Quiz on Thursday on the new post on BadmintonSquare. Read carefully!
__________________________________________________________________

I'm so happy~ I've reached 200+ views from all over the world!!!

Once I reach 1000, something VERY SPECIAL WILL HAPPEN! SO subscribe, link your friends and share!

I do hope you guys are enjoying my posts...please feel free to comment or e-mail me if you have any recommendations or suggestions. I will take everything into consideration!

Also a reminder:

DO YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EARLY, boys and girls!

Make sure the things you want are in stock, or they'll get shipped to your house in time!

(And if you're sending Lee Yong Dae to me in a pretty wrapped box, please poke air holes!)

Stringers, anyone?

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments on how people have missed my brother since his long trip to Japan...most of this comes from breaking their strings.

I guess it's safe to say that most of the main players at BBC had him stringing their rackets while he was here! Babolat stringing machine, cheap fee ($10USD), and of course the dedication...do not fear, he will be back in February! :)

Until then, heres some other places you can get your stringing done:

Seattle Badminton Club

String type	Non-member price	Member price
Yonex BG65	$19.50 + tax	$16.50 + tax
Yonex BG65Ti	$20.50 + tax	$17.50 + tax
Yonex BG70PRO	$20.50 + tax	$17.50 + tax
Yonex BG80	$21.00 + tax	$18.00 + tax
Yonex BG85	$22.00 + tax	$19.00 + tax
Yonex BG68Ti	$22.00 + tax	$19.00 + tax
Yonex NBG95	$24.00 + tax	$21.00 + tax
Yonex NBG98	$24.00 + tax	$21.00 + tax
Your own string	$16.00 + tax	$13.00 + tax

* Rackets will usually be ready in 3-4 days

^ This was copied from the SBC website...! Check it out here

You can also get it strung at Bellevue Badminton Club.

I checked their website but I can't find where the stringing prices are :(

I believe that you do get 5% more off when you're a member...and they finish roughly within 3-4 days as well.

I'd suggest you call them just to find out their rates so you can compare, and see what the best deal is!

___________________________________________________________________

Oh man. For those badminton boys who have high maintenance girlfriends, I have the perfect gift idea for you this Christmas.

What!??!? LV badminton bag?

I found this on one of those "AAA REPLIICA BAG LA~" sketchy sites, but I'm pretty sure the legendary Louis Vuitton has carried these at one point in time. Badminton IS an honor sport...

Mmmkay...after my research, it WAS sold at one point in time on the now-closed eluxury.com site...for a whopping $2,400.00USD. Worth every penny. Can't afford it? Easy. Get 24 of your closest friends to spend $100 on you for Christmas. Or 100 of your closest friends to spend $24. Or 2,400 of your friends to donate a dollar.......................

This reminds me-- a few weeks ago I was watching Gossip Girl's more current episodes (I've never really watched it before, but hey...the stories repeat themselves) and Chuck Bass was eyeing a group of 'badminton girls' at Columbia. I must say...he has good taste...it's quite a classy sport ...

___________________________________________________________________

BCD+A is coming up this COMING WEEKEND! Good luck to everyone playing! Hope you're all maintaining a healthy diet and training hard!

Draws will come out on Thursday. Mark the date!

Congratulations SBC!

Tomorrow the Seattle Badminton Club will be open for memberships! Be sure to get there early so you can take advantage of the fantastic promotions that they'll be having!

Grand Opening will be held in the beginning of 2011, so look out for that date!

Go take a look at the pictures on their main website. It looks fantastic! Spacious...! I know I speak for a lot of us when I say that we've been waiting very long for this! Badminton is a growing community!

Hope to see you all there very soon! :) I will upload pictures as soon as I get there with my camera!

____________________________________________________________________

In other news, I decided to take a look at the draws for the China Super Series Open 2010. I won't lie, I haven't really been keeping up--finals are coming up with school and all...but i try.

The Men's Singles draw is populated with flags of China...no surprise there, I suppose. BUT I am surprised to see Bao Chunlai in the draw...I guess I didn't notice his name there the first time around!

Men's Doubles team Chieh Min Fang/Sheng Mu Lee of Taipei, Taiwan have been doing well defending their title as sixth seed-- up next against first seed Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogsen of Denmark! We'll see how that plays along...but I guess that match may be overshadowed by the upcoming match of Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae against Fu Hai Feng/Cai Yun, 4th and 5th seed respectively. Snap!

Wen Hsing Cheng/Yu Chin Chen of Taipei, Taiwan are doing great in Women's Doubles, defending their title as first seed. Interestingly enough, Malaysia's Eei Hui Chin/Liu Ying Goh beat out China's Xiaoli Wang/Yang (F) Yu with the scores being reported as 11-8, then retired....perhaps I'm not well versed in reading tournament software...does anyone want to clarify? Was someone injured...forfeit?

Needless to say, I'm very confused.

__________________________________________________________________

I'll do my best to do a thorough update on upcoming events within the next week. Unfortunately, final exams have me swamped in school work and textbooks all day, I haven't had time to play badminton in quite a while! D: I don't know how I get through the day...!

If only my essays could be about the Communications of Badminton....or the Applying Law and Discretion in Badminton.........I think I would ace all my tests with swimming colors and graduate magna cum laude...!

Much thanks to those of you who do read my blog, though. :) Subscribe, Link Me, and feel free to post comments!

I'll see you all soon!

First memories of playing badminton + China Open 2010

I remember back in middle school, I was introduced to badminton in my 7th grade PE class. My Asian friend demanded that I be her partner because naturally, I quote, "Asian teams will dominate". Sadly, I disappointed her. :(

It's funny how things change so drastically. My teacher held her racket, which was bent out of shape, and was teaching us the rules of serving. Under the waist, has to go past the service line, etc etc. One student curiously raised his hand and asked "What if we serve it, it hits the top of the net, but it still goes in?"

My PE teacher chuckled and said "Hahaha, I've never seen THAT happen before, and I doubt it will, but I suppose that would count as in."

Little did I know, a few years later, I'd be seeing those kinds of serves at least a few times a day. Not only would I be seeing them, I would be serving them, intentionally keeping them as close to the net as possible, praying deep down that that very scenario of clipping the net would help me in confusing the receiver.

____________________________________________________________

IT IS NOVEMBER 30, 2010 and the China Open Super Series 2010 has begun!

You can check the seeded entries, tournament organization and scores here on tournament software.

A big GOOD LUCK to the Americans making us proud this year! Tony Gunawan, Howard Bach, Iris Wang, Rena Wang, Paula Obanana, Iris Lee, Halim Haryanto & Mathew Fogarty.

Tony Gunawan&Howard Bach are going up first against Fu Haifeng&Cai Yun-- that should be a fun game to watch!

In addition, it's nice to see Taipei's Wen Hsing Cheng and Yu Chin Chen as FIRST SEED in Women's Doubles!!! A big congratulations to the both of them for putting Taiwan on the Badminton map!

Frankly, though, I'm most excited to see Vita Marissa and Hendra Gunawan of Indonesia. Seeing them play at the Taipei Open has me excited to see them win another one (I hope!). Vita Marissa is undoubtedly my favorite mixed player...not only does she play well, but she always seems so happy on and off the court. Wish I could be like that....!

Anyways, keep updated on the China Open 2010! Feel free to comment below to guess who you think will win each event, or who you're rooting for this year!
_______________________________________________________________

SBC is ready to be open to the public!

Planning to be open Dec. 3rd, 2010! Don't forget to go check it out and sign up for a membership to make use of their awesome promotions!

Hope you're getting ready for the BCD+A! See you at the club!

BCD+A T-Shirt Preview + SBC?

The holiday has come to an end, and I heard many people scored some good badminton-related Black Friday deals online!

Don't forget that although Black Friday stampedes are over, Cyber Monday is JUST around the corner, and that means online stores are getting ready to have their digital shopping carts filling up for the holidays!

Make sure you do your research and look for some good Thanksgiving holiday deals online...it's never too late to stock up!

___________________________________________________________________

For those of you playing in the BCD+A Open Tournament 2010 , make sure you check tournament software to scout out your competition! Not only can you use it to look at the players you're going to be up against-- you can look up past tournaments and see how they've faired against earlier opponents. You can never be too prepared!

Here's a little preview to the T-shirt:

Here's another tip: (although it seems obvious, many people don't do it). Try watching a match of your favorite players before training and before your game. Not only will this keep you engaged in improving the way you play, but this will also pump you up to do your best at the tournament!

And be sure to make friends with your opponents--whether you win or you lose-- and other players as well. You'll never know what good tips they'll provide!

_____________________________________________________________

Seattle Badminton Club opening has been delayed, and they expect to open within the first two weeks of December, in time for the BCD+A.

Make sure you e-mail them to ensure your spot as a member so you can benefit from the awesome promotions they have going on!

If many of you have been exploring the various tabs that are on SBC's main website, then you should be excited about Wendy Carter, who will be the new Head Coach!

Excerpt from the website:

"The club’s head coach, Wendy Carter, represented Canada and was one of the top players in the world through the late 70s and early 80s – ranking as high as third in the world in Women’s Singles in 1978. She has a Level 4 Canadian Coaching Certification, and is currently the USA Badminton Region 4 Head Coach. Wendy has also coached the US Uber Cup Team and World Championship teams in recent years. As one of the highest qualified coaches in North America, Wendy Carter will lead the coaching staff in our club to provide professional services to players of all levels!"

Wendy's been quite famous in WA badminton history, and it's safe to say that many of us are excited to see her there!

_________

I've also received a lot of questions regarding the drop-in fee at the new club.

To my knowledge, it goes like this:

Adult drop-in fee: $7.00 a day (tax included)

Seniors (60 and over), Junior (under 18) or Student (with valid student ID): $5.00 a day (tax included)

Renting courts are

$15.00 per hour + tax for Members

$18.00 per hour + tax for Non-Members

These are both for Non-Peak times, and reservations must be made 48 hours in advanced through e-mail or phone.

_____________________________________________

So mark your calendars!

Don't forget to comment, subscribe to the right, and link BadmintonSquare!

See you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. Stay warm!

_____________________________________________

Badmintology's Weekend Warrior Open 2010 is coming up...starting tomorrow evening!

Their T-Shirt designs were just released...you can check them out at

Badmintology Main Website

The draws are out, too! And they were nice enough to post up bussing information in case you're afraid of braving the ice!

For those of you not able to attend this time, they plan to have their next tournament, the Roller Coaster Open, on Febuary 18-20, 2010. Gives you a little time to find a mixed doubles partner after Valentine's day....? (I've actually heard many many badminton-related Valentine's day stories...but I'll be saving them until February! :D)

________________________________________________________________

Oh...me? Why...I double majored in Communications and Badmintology. Yes. The study of badminton. (harharhar)

For those of you wanting to start playing tournaments...or have been scarred by higher level tournaments, I would highly recommend signing up for Badmintology. It's a great experience--it's well organized, very friendly, and they split it up into 3 different levels so you can feel comfortable at playing your best-- Blue, Red and Green. (If it makes anyone feel better, I played in Green!).

It's a great place to meet other badminton players, experiment different levels...and best of all, there are other activities to engage in while you're not playing! (I hate waiting! RAGH!) At least, that's how it was last time I went!

For a minor recap, I went during the MoonLight Open 2010 during the end of September. It was a sort of...mini-vacation before school started for me.

MyJPScion, one of their sponsors, had set up a booth with a PS3 for you to race cars and win prizes. (I lost. so, so horribly.)

There's a wide age range of players as well, and they're all so friendly...no matter what level.

Best of all, it's cheap, and you get a free t-shirt for just participating!

So go for it! And feel free to e-mail or comment with your own thoughts and/or pictures, and I'll be happy to post them up here :)

__________________________________________________________________

Anyways. I hope all of you are enjoying your holidays! Keep reading--I'll be posting the BCD+A design ............some...time...soon! ;)

I'll see you at BCD+A 2010!

Snow-ed in?

Well, my part of the world cannot survive with snowfall-- the roads get all iced up, and it's courageous to venture out with your car...it doesn't matter whether you're a fantastic driver, cars will come sliding backwards out of nowhere. It's pretty terrifying.

Even after all of this, I still have people asking me whether I'm going to the gym today. Love it.

For those of you who are snowed in and need your badminton fix, there are plenty of things you can do:

Badminton Online

I actually had a friend send me that link when I was in Taiwan and hadn't played for 3 weeks. It's terribly hard, mind you, but I've had some friends who were determined to beat it. Needless to say, they tend to do well in real-live tournaments....

Everyone knows about Wii's Deca Sports. I actually have this game...a whole group of us have a tendency to all go play badminton, have dinner at my house and end up playing this. Apparently, we just never get sick of it.

And then....I hear of Super Badminton 2010 for the iPhone/iTouch/etc.

Youtube Link

Made for the iPhone/iTouch for badminton addicts like us, I've get to try it out. I do own an iTouch, but for some reason, prices for gadgets on the iPhone appear more expensive than they are.

"What? 99 cents? I'll have to think about that..."

This 3D rendition is $2.99 in iTunes, and it claims to have gotten more than one million app downloads. :O So far, the reviews have been pretty positive...although the overall ratings aren't...?! Anyone have it?

Link to Buy

_____________________________________________________________

BCD+A

For those of you wondering, the shirt has been completed. Sponsored by Yonex, they'll be a charcoal color and the design...well, you'll see.

We have a fantastic turn-out, and seeing that people have found the ability to toy with the country, it seems very diverse! (American, Korea, Canada, Phillipines...!)

Open A Men's Singles: 9

BCD MS: 24

Open A Women's Singles: 3

BCD WS: 7

Open A Men's Doubles: 10

BCD MD: 18

Open A Women's Doubles: 7

BCD WD: 7

Open A XD: 12

BCD XD: 15

CRAZY exciting, seeing that this is the FIRST EVER TOURNAMENT FOR THE NEW SEATTLE BADMINTON CLUB! There will be no home court advantage here, so watch out!

I see plenty of new names on the lists, so I can't make any predictions! I'll say one thing, though-- past winners of BCD HAVE signed up, so do your studying on tournament software!

Draws will be posted Thursday Dec 9, 2010, the Thursday before the tourney. Mark the date and check back then!

Washington State Badminton Association has been notorious for giving our big trophies (WA Open had ones that could twirl!) so make sure you secure your spot! :)

Start training, athletes, and we'll see you there!

Victory Dance

Hey badminton boys and girls!

There are so many badminton tournaments coming up soon (Badmintology, BCD+A, ClearOne New Years). With preparing for these, there are a few things an athlete can/should do:

+ Keep a healthy diet (drink water, eat your fruits and veggies!)

+ *AT LEAST* weekly training (If not 3-4 times a week!) / Staying Fit

+ Finding your partners

+ Looking up your competition

+ Establishing your victory dance.

No, this is no joke. For any of you that like to linger on BadmintonFreak to watch videos on your favorite players, many of you can't help but notice the triumphant things that players do to express their enthusiasm.

IE:

The air guitar.

The fist pump?

The roar.

And my favorite:

Ah! I was so happy when I saw this one! Love it. Wave and pop, Lin Dan....!

When I went to the Taipei Open this year, the mixed doubles finals were so close (22-20, 14-21, 22-20) that when Vita Marissa finally won, she quite literally JUMPED on Hendra Gunawan.

Well, I won't lie--most regular players don't really have a victory 'dance'...it's mostly for the screen, I suppose. But some of you will be surprised at yourself-- you put it into your victory without even knowing it! I kind of hide in the shadows and take pictures of people in their matches, and I've seen quite a few!

Although I won't post them, I'll be scouting the next few tournaments to see if I see anything impressive! :)

Afterall, it's all about the fun.

"Just have fun. Play. Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IT IS THE LAST DAY to sign up for the BCD+A Tournament!

Please roll on over to TOURNAMENT SOFTWARE AND SIGN UP NOW!

________________________________________________________

HAPPY 100! (+ CLEARONE New Years)

I'm celebrating too early.

Upon reaching 100 views, blogpost has decided to reward me generously by creating a disfunctional "Stats" tab so I can't see where all my lovely viewers are coming from.

:( sad face.

Make me happier by linking my blog to your friends so I'll have more incentive to post great stuff on here :)

In other news, I can quite literally hear my racket suffocating inside my girli-fied badminton bag, begging me to go play. Today is Thursday, meaning I'm scheduled (by myself) to play at night. But thanks to my COM201 paper due tomorrow, that's not going to happen.

Neither did I play last Saturday...I was studying for my COM201 midterm.

WHY DOES COM201 HATE BADMINTON SO MUUUCHH?!??!??111?!?11!//?/

Neglected. Bags have feelings too.

My laptop that has photoshop got a virus this past weekend. I'm really computer stupid, so I tried to system restore, will killed my saved file for the BCD tournament. On the bright side, I had e-mailed it to Clinton shortly before, so it's safe and sound--but no blogpost on it! YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO SIGN UP AND WAIT FOR THE TOURNAMENT :) (I swear I did not plan this.)

******************
So last year I made a weekend trip up to Canada for the C1 Boxing Day Tournament. It was amazing-- waking up, exiting your hotel and seeing all your friends getting breakfast together in the same lobby. That was a fantastic vacation.

Besides the fact that the car broke down.

....

but that's a story for another day. I'll provide illustrations for that one.

Anyways, the same friends and I decided that we'd make it a yearly thing and make a trip up to Canada, so we've been planning it for ages until...

CLEAR ONE CHANGED IT TO THE NEW YEARS TOURNEY.

NOOOOOoooOooOoooOOOOOO...

There goes my awesome trip plan :( Anyways. Heres the tourney information:

ClearOne Badminton Centre Center (rofl)
New Year's Tournament
When?: January 1, 2, &3, 2011
Where?: ClearOne (Browngate)
Unit #100
4351 No.3 Road,
V6X 2C3 Richmond
B.C.
Canada
Tournament Link: Sign Up Here
Perks?: They're sponsored by Yonex, and they'll be using Yonex Nylon birds. I hear last year they made people supply their own birds--really? I don't remember, but I hope that was a rumor...ungh. Anyways, tournament also comes with a Free Tshirt. yeaahh!*

*I believe two years ago, they had really nice dry fit long sleeve shirts. I remember last year many WA players went up mostly for the shirt, and were really disappointed. So, fair warning, don't go for the shirt.


The annual ClearOne tourney is considered a more competitive tournament...at least for the players in WA. Good if you're up for a little competition and a wide range of new people to play with. Give it a shot if you find local tournaments too boring for your taste.

And of course, for those of you who prefer not to be competitive, or don't really know what you are...Badmintology is always a good alternative...although sign up for their tournament next weekend is over, you could always drop by and take a look and sign up next time. Who knows, I might poke my head in for a bit...

-----------------------------------

ALSO....DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BCD+A.

Two Canadians have already signed up! Don't be sluggish, Washington! This year should be a fun tournament! (And I see a Korea in there, too...whathuh?!?!!!!)

__________________________


Don't forget to subscribe to the right -->
And feel free to spread the word about BadmintonSquare :)

Seattle Badminton Club

I'm happy to say that there are a grand total of....

7 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THE BCD+A.

Wow guys. World record. Really.

Go sign up now they can ensure enough food and trophies for everyone! All US players: Make sure you send payment ahead of time...you don't want to pay for the $10 surcharge at the door.

____________________________________________________________



Speaking of the Seattle Badminton Club (I know you were thinking it), the grand opening date has been pushed back a tad...just to create a little bit more suspense.

whaaaaat.

I won't lie-- it's really exciting to be getting a new club in the Seattle area. Even though it's not really Seattle--it's Kirkland. But hey, all the closer to Hoffman's Bakery in Kirkland Downtown.

I hear SBC looks fantabulous-- there at 10 courts. Hardwood floors ...green courts with white lines. Reminds me a little of tennis...I guess that's just to give us the little hope that there's such thing as an outdoor sport in Seattle.

The place is really spacious. There are areas to socialize and a little kitchen area with a refrigerator (I like to play with cold birdies). The ceilings are really high, and the court area is really spacious. There will also be a separate carpeted area for sitting in between games and cuddling with your loved ones.

By loved ones, I mean you and your racket.

I'm hoping they'll remember to put chairs outside near the front desk-- there's a lot of room there, and the cute guys need a place to sit....I hear they've hired a pretty cute front desk girl who's working part time (Thursdays and Sundays. .....I heard.)

All the jokes aside, I'm crazy excited for this place to open. Nothing like expanding the market of badminton and infesting others with our addiction. :)

You can actually look at the photos of the renovation process on the website here:

TA DA!

It's probably not as fun as tracking Apolo Anton Ohno or your favorite Jonas Brother on Twitter. But hey, check it out anyways.

FREE!!!!

Ok. nothing's free, but now that I've got your attention...there's actually a promotion going on if you sign up for a membership early.


If you join by November 30, 2010 then there's no initiation fee, and you get either 20% off first 6 month membership or 10% off yearly.
Join between December 1, 2010 and December 15, 2010, and you'll get 20% off the first 3 months or 5% annual.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

OXYMORON CLEANS STAINS.

Wait. Wrong commercial.

If you're one of the first 100 members, you get to choose either a free SBC/Yonex polyester shirt or 50% off a pair of shoes.

Personally, I went with the 50% shoes...I have too many badminton Tshirts. Just counting the ones from tournaments, I have about 24 cotton Tshirts...

SPEAKING OF TSHIRTS !!!!!!!!

BCD+A.

DO IT.

NOW.

I GUARANTEE AN AWESOME SHIRT. (made by someone who is awesome. obviously.)

I don't think Lin Dan would appreciate this post.

Good morning! It's a lovely Sunday, and thanks to America's lovely first amendment, I am free to practice my own religion: Badmintonism.

There's your lovely history lesson. You can go tell your parents that reading blogs is more productive than attending school. A wise man once told me, "School is for fools!" True story.

The other day, as I was updating my blog, I noticed the left column had a Google article on badminton:

WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!??!11111!?11

Maybe it's because I've been Googling the wrong images these past few years.

Well, I tried it again, and this is what it gave me:

I prove my point.

Haha just kidding. It looks pretty hot...I like the color of the grip. Oh, you mean the guy? Oh...uh. No comment.

Maybe Lin Dan doesn't have the PERFECT face, but I'm sure he'd be guaranteed a title at the next American Idol (if he was American. Which he's not. Chinese Idol?)

He puts so much emotion into the music. It's like an angel's voice graced the surface of the earth....oh wait. Those are birdie feathers.

Karaoke, anyone?

Simon Cowell would not approve.

No? How about a guest appearance on Glee?

Anyways, he's considered pretty hot stuff. Lin Dan is to Asia as David Beckham is to......well...everyone. Including Asia. He models for various brands, and it's been an ongoing rumor that he took his girlfriend (Women's singles player Xie Xingfang) to an Armani (??) store and the owner flipped out and gave him a free suit. Snap. Baller status.

Ahh. Who knows. I have yet to see this guy in person. I'm sure he's lovely.

..............................

Don't forget to sign up for BCD+A Tournament

Today's also the last day to sign up for Badmintology (CANADA)!

...............................

Next post on Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe to the right! :)

//EDIT FROM BCD+A POST: The birdies MAY be AS-40's rather than AS-50's...oh well. :) Join anyways. //EDIT//

Badminton puns. (+ Badmintology)

(A day late! Ah! Let's pretend I posted this yesterday. Happy Veteran's Day!)

Badminton.

Bad-mint-on.

Bad-min-ton.

I'm sick of all these lame puns that people come up with to put on T-shirts about badminton. I remember back in my high school team, I would cringe whenever I saw our t-shirts and bulletin board proudly displaying how lame we were.

"We put the bad in badminton!"
"Bye Bye Birdie"
"GOODminton"

And as they say it, they EMPHASIZE the words as if we don't GET IT.

OMG, BAD? OH HOHO LIKE IN BADMINTON. I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT! HARHARHAR.

As time goes on, the imagination goes wild and the puns just get worse.

"My dog Minton just ate two of my expensive shuttlecocks!
"Bad Minton!"

Please shoot me.

"That mint is spoiled? Well, go put that bad-mint-on the trash."

HAHAHA. GET IT? GET IT? THE BAD...MINT? IN...THE TRASH?

Oh my god you're so funny.

not.

Don't even get me started with 'shuttlecock'. Get your minds out of the gutter...this blog is PG-13. Yeesh. Sick-o.

I'm no expert in slapstick comedy, but I'm smart enough to know that these aren't.

Please. Stop. These dumb puns are ruining the image of the sport. (At least, I like to blame it on the puns and not on the fact that mainstream American media thinks non-contact sports are lame. YOU ARE THE ONLY PLACE THAT CALLS FOOTBALL 'SOCCER', AND THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT PLAYS WHATEVER YOU CALL 'FOOTBALL'.)

We're not the only sport with a lame name.

But I guess I won't get started on that.

(side note: I looked on Urban Dictionary for 'shuttlecock', and this was one of the results:

"Its a "birdie" used in playing badmitten or however you spell it."

B-A-D-M-I-N-T-O-N, BUTTFACE.)

---------------


JUST A REMINDER

BCD+A Tournament info was on the last post, and the deadline for the application is November 21, 2010.

BCD is fantastic. Really. Do it.
___________

BADMINTOLOGY: WEEKEND WARRIOR OPEN 2010

For those of you not doing anything this Thanksgiving weekend (Yeah, Canada, Thanksgiving is in NOVEMBER. Haha, just kidding. Kind of.) Badmintology is having their 3rd tourney of the Season.

When: November 26-28, 2010
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 14, 2010 (SEND IT IN SOON)
Where: Moscrop Secondary, 4433 Moscrop Street, Burnaby, BC
Cost: $20CAD for the first event, +$10CAD every other
Perks: Their Tshirts are ADORABLE. Winners get an extra Tshirt, and they give out trophies and medals as well, and little gifts here and there. They have sponsor tables set up by JPScion and Rocktape, I believe...BUT PLEASE NOTE that you have to sign up for at least 2 events to get a free Tshirt...otherwise, they're $9 if you preorder and $12 if you buy at the table. (Correct me if I'm wrong?)
More information: Link to Badmintology

Personal note: I actually attended their last tournament, the MoonLight Open, and I had to say it was a lot of fun! People there are really friendly, and you don't have to fear if you're a beginner--they separate events into 3 different levels. Perfect for a beginner like me ;) Not sure if I'm going this time...but if I do, look for me there!