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!

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!)

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!

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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

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!

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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!

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

We'll SEE YOU THERE!

University of Oregon Badminton Club Open!

//EDIT ON PRIZES! READ AGAIN BELOW!!//:

For those of you who are looking to plan a roadtrip in April, the University of Oregon Badminton Club is having an open tournament with CASH PRIZE from $550-700!

According to their tournament entry form, A winners get cash prizes up to $200/ EVENT!

B winners and consol winners also get other material prizes, from Tai-Lung rackets, birds and Nike Gear!

Prizes will be given to A winners, B winners and consolation winners.

BE SURE TO ENTER, because these prizes will grow with the # of entries!

For those of you who want to get some games in with a greater variety of players, this is the tournament for you! Players from the Oregon community are friendly, and you're definitely in for some competition!

The tournament is the weekend of April 9th-10th, 2011, so make sure you plan early and mark your calendars!

Tournament information:

2011 University of Oregon Badminton Tournament

When?: April 9th-10th, 2011

Where?: Gerlinger Annex B-54, University of Oregon, 1600 University St. Eugene, OR, 97405

How much?: $35 for first two events, $10 for each additional event...($5 dollar discounts for UO Badminton club members, plus additional discounts...details on the entry form)

ENTRY DEADLINE: 11:59pm April 3rd, 2011.

For more information: http://pages.uoregon.edu/badmin/

Anything else?: Personally, I haven't played in Oregon tournaments before. I've been the Portland Open 2009, and that didn't go so well....but thankfully, the University of Oregon Badminton Club wasn't a part of that. Make sure you take note that the cash prizes are in items, though, not cash.

On the website, you'll find the tournament entry form--be sure to check back on the UO Badminton blog for updates on their club! If you're in Oregon, make sure you join the club and continue to expand the badminton community! We all look forward to seeing you there!

Spread the word, and Good luck!

Washington State Closed

Hey, Badminton players!

The Washington State Closed is RIGHT around the corner!

For those of you who are curious, here's the player roster:

http://tournamentsoftware.com/sport/players.aspx?id=7D7EE7CF-44FB-445B-8C12-CA59F6C475C9

Don't forget to do your homework on tournamentsoftware and research your opponents! (Stalking isn't limited to facebook...!)

The player list is looking incredibly diverse...people have learned how to change the flag into their respective countries on when entering their information on tournamentsoftware! India, Taipei, Vietnam, Lao, Thailand, Japan, Canada, and of course America...and many more!

Seems to be a huge turn out of new players this time around, too! Many members of the Husky Badminton Club at The University of Washington are stepping up to the plate and showing Washington what they got!

There are definitely a few who chose the Washington State Closed as their opportunity for their first competitive tournament. Wish you all the best of luck! Play your hardest! Hope you enjoy your first of many more tournaments to come!

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For those of you in Northwest Washington who are currently looking for a stringer, Michael S. is back in town!

At $10 dollars per stringing job + competitive prices for strings ($5 for Yonex BG-65), it's definitely one of the best deals you'll get around here. Before he left for his trip to Japan, he strung rackets for a majority of the competitive players in the Washington area. From plenty of testimony, he's done a great job, and his customers are definitely satisfied with his work.

He uses an electric Babolat stringing machine and strings tennis rackets as well, for those of you who play multiple sports!

If you want your racket strung, you can occasionally find him in SBC, or leave your e-mail in the comments for more information.

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Oh...and I almost forgot...!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Be sure to work off that expensive meal and those boxes of chocolates with plenty of training for your upcoming tournaments!

See ya around~

Badminton season! (+ Badminton robot?)

(that's a fireman helplessly trying to tame Racketzilla with shots of birds...)

I'm not sure where I come up with these things....

Looks like badminton season in Washington State is underway!

February 25-27th, 2011 will be the first Washington State Closed tournament to be held at Seattle Badminton Club! They've been doing a great job hosting tournaments in their vast playing area. Be sure to check tournament software to see the list of players, and watch out for the draw! Can't wait to watch the games!

According to NorthwestBadminton.org, the next tournament after that would be the Daffodil Open in Tacoma, WA (April 9th). Hopefully some of you are getting ready!

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For those of you who have a hard time looking for badminton videos, Badmintonfreak.com is a great resource. It's an incredibly popular site for badminton addicts (or freaks, if you will) to watch games of their favorite players, all in one convenient spot.

Navigation around the blog is incredibly easy--all the player's names are listed in alphabetical order on the right.

Make sure you check it out here: http://www.badmintonfreak.com

Be sure to check out the comments and join in on discussion!

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BADMINTON ROBOT?

Randomly searching on youtube/google, I came across a video...ever hear of the Badminton Robot?

For those of you who can't find anyone to practice with (._.), this is the machine for you!

Frankly, I'm a little skeptical-- I'm unsure as to how well it plays. I can guess...not very well, but everything needs tweaking once in a while before it's perfected. I just wonder what the motive to making one of these was...so that someone can finally build something to beat the unstoppable Lin Dan? But hey...if the world can build something to play badminton, next thing you know, robots will be taking over the world...

I think the computer software they use to analyze the court itself would be plenty useful to coaches who can't quite illustrate a good enough picture to their students. Looks pretty cool....

Give it a few more years...

NEED A FRIEND? BADMINTON ROBOT! IN A STORE NEAR YOU!