Badminton trouble at the Olympics

What the heck happened?

Following #badminton on twitter?

In the women's doubles game, China vs. Korea, both teams were booed for not trying as hard, hoping they would lose to get an easier draw.

Is that cheating, or that strategy?

In my opinion, I think in an honorable event like the Olympics, you give it your all, no matter who you're up against. To think that Chinese and Korean fans, both of whom are incredibly proud of their athletes, were all boo'ing their own players.

Badminton is an honor sport. As an athlete, your sportsmanship is paying both respect for your sport, and to your opponents. Playing well during a game, no matter how difficult or easy it is, proves that you are trying your hardest to be the best you can be. It's showing the world that you've worked hard to be the tough athlete that you are, and you're not willing to go down without a fight.

I've always wanted badminton to get press coverage, but not like this.

Let's hope the rest of the Olympics are a little better than what we've witnessed today.

Read more about it here:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-31/Badminton-players-charged-with-throwing-matches/56630488/1

Ever want to be in the Olympics?

Have you ever wanted to be a professional athlete? What are you chances?

A reader of BadmintonSquare, Sam, sent me this snazzy infographic of your chances:




Looks like guys have a greater chances in badminton: 1 in 1,564. You might think this still isn't that great...but just think....how many people out there play badminton!? There are plenty of us! But if you play basketball, soccer or tennis...you better work really hard, or have a back up plan!

The Olympics are right around the corner...who are you rooting for? :)

Injuries? What injuries?

I was playing badminton last night when a few of my friends and I started a discussion about injuries on the court.

We were all bandaged up in someway-- ankles, wrists, knees. Occasionally we'll ask each other for advice on what we should do to fix ourselves up. We get the same usual answers: ice it, wrap it up, warm-up for a longer period of time, stretch it out...but it all boils down to the same conclusion:

You have to let it rest. For at least a few weeks...maybe even a few months.

We sat in silence for a few seconds...then burst out laughing.  No way in HELL are we going to stop playing--it just doesn't happen. I've known people who are bandaged on every joint on their body, but they refuse to stop playing!

Injuries seem to bond players like war-stories...we've all gone through rigorous training, played the wrong way, played so much to the point that we should really stop but we don't... and somehow those stories bring us together. It's endearing, really, but you have to remember that taking care of your body is the most important part to being an athlete. Sure, it feels fine now, but if you keep injuring yourself and don't allow your body time to heal, then you could be looking at more permanent injuries that could hurt your badminton career long-term.

My brother had injured both of his knees a little while back, and chose to continue playing. It got to a point where he could barely walk without pain, and he ended up having to rest for 6 months to let his knees heal properly.

So remember next time when you're on the court and you start wincing in pain: Take the time to warm-up properly and cool down properly. Bring a proper brace, and make sure you ice that area as soon as you get home. If your injury gets worse, make sure you consult a doctor and give your body a little break to heal before you get back on the court.

Happy playing!

Richmond Night Market

Have you been to the Richmond Night Market?

I went for a short road trip this past weekend, and ran into this little shop:

Badminton Pro Shop? Yonex, Li-Ning and Victor shirts....1 for $15, 2 for $25. Too good to be true? You tell me. 

They don't have a huge selection for girls, unfortunately, but they carry a few designs that I've only seen online for men. My brother walked away with two pairs of shorts (Yonex), but I can't help but be a little skeptical...

Any Canadian readers want to enlighten me? 

(PS: The nightmarket is amazing. Go check it out!)

Freaknomics blog mentions badminton?

I was surprised to see the world-famous Freakonomics blog refer to an article about the Olympic badminton scene. China has been under fire for their tactics in getting their athletes into the Olympics through strategic implementation of the ranking program...and here's a link from FIRSTPOST that talks about this ordeal.

So how DOES China have a huge share in the Olympics badminton pool? They remain the top in the world for the sport, and there's no doubt that they've put in rigorous training programs to make this happen. It's a lot of hard work.

But does it go beyond that?

In the last Badminton Asia Championship, you might remember that Lin Dan forfeited due to injuries. As a result, Chen Jin won the title. Come on, really?

"Chen went on to win the title, which made a considerable contribution to his ranking points."

Oh.

You see, as you might probably know, ranking points are what make your place as an athlete. You become an Olympian if you can join and win enough tournaments to make the cut. This isn't easy-- this makes it difficult for US athletes (among many others) to find tournaments to play in order to gain some points. They usually have to travel around the world, which make it extremely costly--but of course, which sport isn't like this?

As you read FIRSTPOST's article (I highly recommend it), you can see that the Chinese team has carefully mapped out the way to get the most out of their athletes. To simplify it: all the games that they play have been mapped to ensure that the Chinese team has the most players to win medals in all tournaments-- not just for the Olympics.

Should this be legal? Is this breaking any rules? I'm sure the smartest teams are all doing this. But doesn't this ruin the meaning of being a true athlete? What does it mean to be a true athlete, anyways?

Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia has been known for attempting to petition the Chinese tactics, but BWF has been unable to do anything about it.

What should they do? Should they stick to their guns as athletes? Or should it be "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?"

Washington State Open

The event of the year is here-- are you ready for it?

75th Annual Washington State Open 2012!!!

75 is a big number-- The Washington State Open is a senile old man chasing after women on his electric wheelchair in the nearby retirement home. The Washington State Open is yelling at kids to get off his lawn. The Washington State Open is tying balloons on his roof so he can fly over to paradise islands with an Asian boy scout and a talking dog. 

Yeah. The Washington State Open is pretty awesome. 

In all seriousness, 75 is a huge deal-- and we're making it a big deal. We've been planning this tournament since last year-- plans, plans and more plans. It's going to be big.

And we want you there.

Here's the information:

75th Annual Washington State Open 2012

Where?: Seattle Badminton Club (Kirkland)

When?: May 18-20, 2012

Deadline: APRIL 29, 2012. 

Link: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=418E4819-F10E-4130-9228-472C874C6C26

How much?: $40 for the first event, $10 for the second, +$5 for every additional event. REMEMBER that this includes banquet fee, T-shirt, unlimited birds etc. 

What should we know?: THIS. IS. HUGE. UNLIMITED Yonex Birds. AWESOME T-shirt. The biggest tournament Washington can offer with people coming from all over the country and Canada. THIS IS GOING TO BE HUGE. 

*PLEASE REMEMBER: Due to the size of the facility and the fact that participants are growing every year, it's harder for WSBA to accept late entries. THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE ENTRIES, ESPECIALLY for the Washington Open. PLEASE plan accordingly and sign up BY THE DEADLINE, APRIL 29 2012.

We're planning a big banquet with awesome prizes this year, so you don't want to miss out. Yonex bags, rackets, grips, hats...Games! Laughs! Jokes! Music! A PONY? 

...ok. Maybe not a pony. 

But you get the idea.

I'LL SEE YOU AT THE WASHINGTON OPEN!

2012 UO Open

Angry birdies. 

University of Oregon is having an open tournament!

University of Oregon Open 2012
Where?: University of Oregon
1585 E. 13th AVE
Eugene, OR 97403-1279
When?: April 14, 2012
How much?: $30 for the first event, +$5 each additional. (UO Members receive a discount at $20 for up to three events. Groups of 10 or more get an ADDITIONAL $10 discount per person! What! Time to be a UO member!)
Deadline: APRIL 10th, 2012. DO IT NOW
Link: SIGN UP HERE
Why?: Prizes are trophies, giftcards and Nike gear. JUST DO IT! Players at the University of Oregon are really friendly, and you can test your skill against different players.

Take this opportunity to enjoy the sunny beaches of Oregon. This tournament only lasts a day, so you'll have time over the weekend to really appreciate spring!

Take a roadtrip!