Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki of Dim Mak Records is all the buzz around Seattle right now-- he came up yesterday for a visit to do some signing and whatnot around the U-District.

For you electro house fans, this is what he's known for:

Yesyes. Steve Aoki.


But did you know....

He used to play badminton?


Yes, boys and girls.  According to his Wikipedia page:

"....he graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1995; he was a star player on the varsity Badminton team"

He's one of us!

So, how's about it? And, Mr. Aoki, if you happen to be seeing this message...how about you come visit the courts next time you're here and we'll duke it out? :)

65th Washington Closed Badminton Tournament

Happy Valentine's Day.

Time is passing by too quickly.

I'll take that as a good thing for now, because that means the WA Closed is right around the corner! Have you been training?

If your answer to the above question is yes, well then good for you! If no, don't worry! First of all, it's a closed tournament so you'll likely be competing against people you know and love...(for now). If that's not enough to convince you, sign up for Funky Doubles!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen-- Funky Doubles! The more competitive tournaments that have larger enrollment usually don't have room, but we're lucky! Funky doubles allows you to have a little fun and play with non-competitive people, preferably siblings, spouse, or family members! Two players in OPEN and COMPETITIVE are not allowed to play in this category--DON'T RUIN THE FUN, GUYS.

SO here we are!

65th Washington Closed Badminton Tournament
Where?: Seattle Badminton Club
When?: March 16-18, 2012
How much?: $30 for the first event, + $5 for every other event. FUNKY DOUBLES is only $20, instead of $30! What are you waiting for?
Deadline: February 26, 2012
Link: PDF File or Enter Online
Why?: Yonex sponsored tournament! That means free tournament grade birds, yonex T-shirt and as always, FANTASTIC door prizes. Funky doubles is always the most fun event to watch (Anyone remember Toru and Brandy?)  It's not too pricey!

DON'T FORGET: The badminton community in Washington is rapidly growing, so it's become harder to accomodate to everyone that signs up. SIGN UP ON TIME. LATE ENTRIES WILL NOT RECIEVE A T-SHIRT. You're going to want a T-shirt.


I have an idea. Just sign up now.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Husky Badminton Open (Recap)

When/if you lose, add a bit of humor to win back your audience :)

That concludes the second annual Husky Badminton Open!

Not only were there the typical players in Washington--but we had a few surprises as well! Players from the University of Oregon showed up and gave us quite a challenge on our own turf-- big thanks to them for visiting! 5 hour drive....well worth it, I hope!

Not only did the Oregonians surprise us-- but it looks like Nicholas Jinadasa showed up to give us quite a scare, taking home the mixed doubles trophy with Rochelle N., beating last year's champions Curtis and Amy in two games. Snazzy! I hope we'll be seeing him in London 2012-- he sure deserves it!

The Husky Badminton Club did a fantastic job running a fairly large tournament. With over 120 participants, they ran the tournament smoothly with the help of their friendly volunteers. Food was plentiful, announcers were fantastic, the opening and closing were organized and timely...as the years go by and the tournament gets bigger, I can definitely see the Husky Badminton Club dominating the Washington badminton scene very soon.

I do hope that the badminton community around the country gets bigger and bigger-- most tournaments can be joined by anyone, so give it a shot! You'll never know until you try, and it definitely gives an incentive to practice. So grab your racket, find your nearest badminton facility, and get smashing!

Thanks again for the great tournament, Husky Badminton Club. See you all next year.

WSBA BCD+A Tournament 2011

 Posted so many times to Facebook...I can't accurately credit it. :(

It's not the fact that he's juggling birdies while they're being fed to him-- it's the awesome, triumphant look he has at the end.

BADMINTON RAINBOW~

\_____(* 0  *)_____/

How fast time flies! It's almost the one year anniversary of BadmintonSquare, and I'm happy to announce that it is, once again, time to sign up for Washington's BCD+A Open Tournament!

WSBA BCD+A Open Tournament
When?: November 11-13, 2011
Where?: Seattle Badminton Club
10858 117th Place NE, Kirkland, WA 98033
How much?: $25 for the first event, +$5 for every additional
Deadline: October 23, 2011 (MUST BE RECEIVED BY THAT DAY)
Link: Here!
Why?: Unlimited Yonex AS-50's, a free T-Shirt, great courts, and draw prizes! At such a good price, what's not to love?
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: If you've played BCD+A before, and you've won BCD twice in the last two years, YOU CANNOT SIGN UP FOR THE BCD DIVISION. Come on, guys. Let other people have a chance at it. :) BCD and A divisions are separate in this particular tournament, and you can only sign up for one event--meaning if you signed up for Men's Doubles in A, you cannot sign up for Men's Doubles in B.

As quoted from the entry form: "For players in B, C and D skill levels. Within the last 3 years, you must not have reached “A” Semifinal (men) or “A” Final (women) in WSBA Closed, Semifinals in WSBA Open or have won a WSBA B-C-D tournament twice in last 2 years for the event in which you wish to participate, subject to tournament director’s discretion. A division is open to everyone. You are not allowed to sign up the same event for both BCD and A. Canadian players are welcome!"

 In addition, the badminton community in the NorthWest has been growing at an extremely rapid pace. Because of this, for you procrastinators, late entries might not get you in. There. I said it. The tournaments are filling up fast, and sometimes the courts can't accommodate to such a large draw, so if you don't turn in your entry on time, you might not be able to play.

And, for the record...

WSBA is famous for their amazing ability to execute such a large draw in an organized manner. Everyone always knows when they'll get there and when they'll be done, regardless of number of entries. Not exclusive to the BCD+A, it's nice to know that every tournament will always be the same schedule so I can organize ahead of time. Thanks, volunteers of WSBA. I don't know where our badminton community would be without you. :)


Start juggling those birds and we'll see you there! :)

Husky Badminton Club: For students at the UW

Hey new/potential Huskies!

HUSKY BADMINTON CLUB WANTS YOU!

If you go to the University of Washington, the Husky Badminton Club can be found tabling in Red Square. 

I went to visit and help them out a bit today, and it's great to see how rapidly the badminton community is growing in the Northwest! They went through at least 7 pages of sign-up sheets! From beginners to competitive, it looks like this sport is well on it's way!

For you students that are interested:

Husky Badminton Club

Meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00-10:00PM and Saturdays 4:00-7:00pm

Located in the IMA in Gym B

If you're a UW student and you need a racket, no worries! The University of Washington will lend them out for free, as long as you have your UPass ID on you. :)  Go join, have fun and meet students of all majors and ages. 

BSquare Tip: As all older college students know, it's hard to make friends in such a big school! Clubs are the easiest ways to get to know people, and befriending people older than you will definitely make your college life a lot easier-- they provide great tips! 

If you don't go to the UW, don't fret! Ask around if there's a badminton club near you. If not, start one! Colleges are always open to students who want to create their own clubs, so get a group of friends and get it started! Before you know it, you'll have 7 pages of signatures LINING up to join you! 

Don't be afraid to e-mail or comment if you need tips and tricks on how to publicize your club! We'll be more than happy to help you out! :)