Racecar....NOT DOUBLE DECKER BUS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_V38c4kDP8#t=8m29s

^ Link, because youtube doesn't let me embed to a specific time in the movie...

REMEMBER. RACECAR POSTURE, NOT DOUBLE DECKER BUS!

you are HUNGRY FOR THE SHUTTLE.

Not like having an X'Mas dinner. YOU ARE HUNGRY. FOR THE SHUTTLE. LIKE A RACECAR.

I won't lie, though. I laughed when I watched this video, but the next time I was on the court, I was definitely working on my racecar posture. Humor is the best way to teach, my friend. :)

Youtube is the best place for getting free lessons. So, I wouldn't be surprised if any of you've looked for badminton lessons before.

WedgeBC has uploaded a bunch of CCTV ones--with subtitles, too, so you don't have to worry too much about learning Chinese. Taught by 1991 World Champion Zhao Jianhua-- seems like such a laid back guy, and the lesson seems so casual, it's kind of comforting to watch. He's left handed, though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqiR2vVn-J8

I've heard that people learn the most from motivation by watching actual games. A personal favorite of mine are Vita Marissa's mixed doubles...and thanks to BadmintonFreak, you can watch all of your favorites, with easy searching on their sidebar :)

BadmintonFreak

But whatever you watch, remember

NOT A DOUBLE DECKER BUS.

Washington Open!

There's just something about that badminton junkie in me that loves seeing badminton being played in pop culture...

(Refer to 2:22 of the trailer above)

Playing badminton in the summer sun...isn't it fabulous? If you like that, there's no doubt you'd LOVE the...

WASHINGTON OPEN 2011!!

That's right, boys and girls, the official post that you've all been waiting for! It's finally here!

Both a competitive event and a social event, it's the biggest tournament of Washington state, and you're invited! Come join us for a great weekend of sun! For the Canadians, the tournament happens to lie on a 3-day weekend--just for you! So, if you don't have plans (or if you do, get rid of'em!), join us!

Washington Open 2011!

When?: May 20-22, 2011

Where?: Seattle Badminton Club (10858, 117th Pl NE 98033 Kirkland WA )

How much?: $35 for the first, event +$5 every other. (covers the T-Shirt, the shuttles, AND the Saturday Banquet where you can score a TON of free stuff!)

Entry Deadline: MAY 1st, 2011 11:59 PM

Link?: CLICK HERE

Why should you join? Have a habit of making pros and cons lists? Well, let me help you out there:

PROS

* Meet badminton players from Washington, British Columbia, Calgary, and California...and many more!

* It's awesome.

* Get AMAZING trophies!

* Challenge people you've never played before!

* It's awesome.

* YONEX SPONSORED EVENT?

* It's awesome.

* The sun will be out!

* GREAT Saturday night dinner--tons of food, with YONEX prizes and fun and games!

* YOU will be there. (and YOU will make it awesome!)

CONS

* May overdose on too much fun.

*NONE.

Last year was the first year that the generous Yonex organization decided to sponsor them. The tournament ended with happy athletes carrying away free grips, bottles, racket bags and RACKETS-- getting stage time to sing "A Whole New World", finding out someone wanted to be a monkey, and many many full stomachs.

Every year, the wonderful, hard-working organizers (Clinton Chen and Katherine Ip) get fantastic feedback, and every year the tournament only gets bigger.

For those of you who are traveling a long way, we've got great hotel deals for you:

Hilton Bellevue
Rate: $89 per night
Reservation: http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/L/LION-HF-BADT-20110520/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG
or call call 425-455-1300 and ask for "Washington State Open Badminton Tournament" group rate.

Marriott Courtyard Kirkland (2 miles from Seattle Badminton Club)
Rate: $95 per night
Reservation: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/seatc?groupCode=annannb&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/20/11&toDate=5/22/11
or call (425) 602-3200 or (800) 321-2211 and ask for Annual WA State Open Badminton Tournament group rate.
Need to reserve by April 29th, 2011

Marriott Fairfield Inn Bellevue/Redmond
Rate: $84 per night
Reservation: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/BVUFI?groupCode=WBTWBTA&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/20/11&toDate=5/22/11
Need to reserve by April 29th, 2011

All for us!

For more information, check out the REGULATIONS on tournament software

So there you have it! 5 people have already signed up, and it's time for you to join'em!

So get your game on, and sign up soon! Can't wait to see you there!

2011 Yonex Junior and U23 Canadian National Badminton Championships!

great video...and such motivating music...

Loving the victory roar at 0:52....

The Junior and U23 Canadian National Badminton Championships are to be held in BC this year! Recognize anyone in the video? You better--because they'll be the stars of tomorrow! Soon, BadmintonSquare will be reporting on their wins....IN THE OLYMPICS!

Top players could get intimidated by these crazy jumps! These kids are so young...and so, so tall...

Nathan Choi, a junior player in BC (in the red/yellow shirt in the video...and at 0:52) was the talk of the town since Baddi Royale II concluded this past weekend! Heard many things about this tall kid creaming everyone in Blue Shell Men's Doubles...better watch out!

Best of luck to all of the young players who are getting ready, as the National Badminton Championships are right around the corner! (May 2-7, 2011). Keep inspiring the rest of us to work that much harder! We look forward to watching you all dominate!

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After exploring the vast sea of the internet, full of badminton addicts and aspiring players, I've come across a lot of blogs written by Canadian athletes who are mapping their way to success, through blog form! It's a great way to follow a player as they work hard to achieve their goal.

Some that I've discovered... worth checking out (Hope they don't mind me sharing!):

Brad Mear

Toby Ng (Recently moved to Calgary?)

Derrick Ng (also has recipes?!)

Great, fascinating articles on the hard work it takes to be a professional athlete! Some talk about their international trips, some explain the techniques in badminton and in training...and some have delicious recipes..? Best of luck to all of them from 'the states'!

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And, last but not least, if all of that didn't entertain you enough...

Wouldn't badminton be so much better if there was Star Wars background music? We'd go through a lot more birdies if our rackets were replaced with light sabers...but...soo soooo worth it....

1000?!?!?!?!?!?

HAPPY 1000, BADMINTONSQUARE!

Don't forget that you can also check up on new stories on BadmintonSquare using your Android or iPhone! :) (Anything that can get on the internet, I guess...)

The great thing about blogspot is that it tells me information about how people get to my site, and it's pretty amusing. So in celebration, I'll share some of them with you! :)

When searching on google and stumbling upon my site, a majority of people are searching for "badminton puns". Not badminton! (Ok, I'm out. Anyone have any suggestions?) I guess there are plenty of badminton team tshirts in the works? If anyone has any, I'd love to see'em! Shoot us an e-mail and we'll post your lovely artwork for the world to see.

Among other searches were "xu huaiwen", "wendy carter"...you know...the usual.

Some of the interesting ones...

"tina jiang WA" (I don't think I've ever mentioned her...?)

"badminton manly sport" (rofl)

"girl with no pants" (WHAT?)

"no pants girl" (....)

....maybe this isn't such a good idea.

Majority of the views come from the US and Canada-- but a significant amount of others came from countries all over the world...Malaysia, India, Japan, France, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Australia, Madagascar, Egypt, Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and many many many more--so many that my chart can't fit the complete list! And guess what? I love each and every one of you.

Looking forward to the bright future of BadmintonSquare!

If you guys have any great suggestions or want to post anything in particular, then feel free to e-mail me or comment below! I'd love to hear your feedback!

I'll set up a poll soon, too, to see what types of articles you guys are most interested in. Want to hear about a particular tournament or research on a specific player? Tell me!

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BADMINTOLOGY BADDI ROYALE II is this weekend!

Good luck to all of the players!

And good luck to the Husky Badminton Club members, who are venturing past the border during the wee hours of the night! I guarantee you guys won't regret it!

The Badmintology towel this time around looks fantastic--it makes me want to take a trip up! Make sure you take a look at the Badmintology website, and make a purchase if you want to buy it! If you played in this tournament, you can get it for a cheaper price, too! Great deals!~

They often have tables lined up outside for various deals on badminton equipment. Make sure you take a look at those and see if they have anything you want!

The 2011 UO Badminton Tournament is next weekend!

For those of you who haven't signed up, YOU STILL HAVE TIME! Deadline is April 3rd, 2011-- so DO IT NOW! It's NEVER too late for a last minute roadtrip, ESPECIALLY FOR BADMINTON!!!

For more information, check out their blog! Remember, more than $1500 in prizes! Go get yourself a medal and show'em what you got!

If you don't think your ready, then start training for the upcoming Washington Open 2011 tournament! It's never too early to sign up--the sooner the better!

We'll see you guys there!

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