Issue #4 – February 24, 2010
The United States Badminton Education Foundation works in cooperation with the USAB (the governing body of United States Badminton) to promote the growth and support of Badminton throughout our country. The USBEF was incorporated in the State of Massachusetts in 1967 and its Board Members consist of Badminton Players who serve voluntarily to “put something back into Badminton”. OUR MISSION STATEMENT — To establish and promote throughout the United States an educational program devoted to the development of Badminton as a means of healthful and physical fitness, to promote the recognition in schools, colleges, YMCA and other institutions with physical education programs of the carry-over benefits of Badminton, to give coaching and instructions to players throughout the U.S. Badminton in clinics and exhibitions which are in furtherance of educational objectives.�
If you have received this Newsletter, and have a friend who you think would enjoy reading it also, please send their name and Email address to Harry Orr <[email protected].
2009 Huntsman World Games
by Joyce Jones
This tournament was held October 13-17, 2009, in St. George, Utah. It remains the best- run tournament that I have ever entered, and I entered 18 of them this year. There were 9,000 participants from 64 countries, and every state in the U.S. was represented.
Next year it will be held from October 4-16, 2010, with the badminton October 11-12. If you play any other sports, the following are held the first week: archery, basketball, bridge, chess, cowboy action shooting, social golf, lawn bowling, race walking, racquetball, road races, softball, square dance, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track & field, triathlon and volleyball.
I was able to play tennis the first week, and badminton and pickleball the second week. I also captained a team of 25 participants called the Legends. We won this competition and we all received great Huntsman jackets.
Badminton Singles-Women 2009 Results
Women 50-54
Gold, Janet Khamashta, Flagstaff, AZ
Silver, Julia Watterson, Hummelstown, PA
Bronze, Wendy Barrow-Smith, St. Michael, Barbados
Women 55-59
Gold, Diane Dellatore, The Villages, FL
Silver, Vickie Bryant, The Villages, FL
Bronze, Patricia Leblanc, Bridgeport, WV
Women 60-64
Gold, Andrea Weiss, Edgewood, NM
Silver, Rose Surprenant, Denver, CO
Bronze, Avis Vaught, The Villages, FL
Women 65-69
Gold, Margot Hurst, Tucson, AZ
Silver, Lorna Hunter, Tucson, AZ
Bronze, Nedra Paschal, Henderson, NV
4th, Bonnie Strang, Media, PA
5th, Alice Bentley , Puyallup, WA
Women 70-74
Gold, Jeannine Bohn, Cincinnati, OH
Silver, Hazel Morgan, Albuquerque, NM
Women 75-79
Gold, Joyce Jones, Bothell, WA
Women 85-89
Gold, Lee Calvert, Pacific Palisades, CA
Badminton Singles-Men 2009 Results
Men 50-54
Gold, Warren Murray, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Silver, Jim Swaydan, St. George, UT
Bronze, David Smith, St. George, UT
4th, Paul Hezseltine, Murray, UT
5th, Rick Scott, American Fork, UT
Men 60-64
Gold, Vladimir Khurin, Redmond, WA
Silver, Michael Wolfe, Washougal, WA
Bronze, Dave Simpson, Frederick, MD
4th, Louie Coletti, Mesquite, NV
5th, Jerrett Koenigsberg, Albuquerque, NM
Men 65-69
Gold, Terry Downey, Bowling Green, IN
Silver, Norman Carruthers, Namao, AB, Canada
Bronze, Harry Pronk, Campbell River, BC, Canada
4th, George Blanchard, Pecos, NM
Men 70-74
Gold, James Ho, Arcadia, CA
Men 75-79
Gold, Jim DuBerry, Victoria, BC, Canada
Men 80-84
Gold, Douglas Lowe, Victoria, BC, Canada
Men 90-94
Gold, Daniel Bulkley, Phoenix, OR
Badminton Doubles-Women 2009 Results
Women 50-54
Gold, Janet Khamashta, Flagstaff, AZ
Gold, Amanda Ritchie, Tucson, AZ
Silver, Corazon Cuyegkeng, Quezon City, Philippines
Silver, Julia Watterson, Hummelstown, PA
Women 55-59
Gold, Linda Downey, Bowling Green, IN
Gold, Andrea Weiss, Edgewood, NM
Silver, Patricia Leblanc, Bridgeport, WV
Silver, Nedra Paschal, Henderson, NV
Bronze, Vickie Bryant, The Villages, FL
Bronze, Diane Dellatore, The Villages, FL
Women 60-64
Gold, Anne Henderson, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Gold, Pat Kirk, Victoria, BC, Canada
Silver, Linda Swain, The Villages, FL
Silver, Avis Vaught, The Villages, FL
Women 65-69
Gold, Doreen Elvedahl, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Gold, Jessie Rogers, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Silver, Lorna Hunter, Tucson, AZ
Silver, Margot Hurst, Tucson, AZ
Bronze, Martha Metz, Cincinnati, OH
Bronze, Bonnie Strang, Media, PA
Women 70-74
Gold, Jeannine Bohn, Cincinnati, OH
Gold, Hazel Morgan, Albuquerque, NM
Women 75-79
Gold, Lee Clavert, Pacific Palisades, CA
Gold, Joyce Jones, Bothell, WA
Badminton Doubles-Men 2009 Results
Men 50-54
Gold, James Ho, Arcadia, CA
Gold, Rick Scott, American Fork, UT
Men 60-64
Gold, Leon Martin Cuyegkeng, Quezon City, Philippines
Gold, Dave Simpson, Frederick, MD
Silver, Daniel Bulkley, Phoenix, OR
Silver, Jerrett Koenigsberg, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze, Michael Wolfe, Washougal, WA
Bronze, Roy Ames, Daly City, CA
Men 65-69
Gold, David Ogata, Los Angeles, CA
Gold, Norman Carruthers, Namao, AB, Canada
Silver, George Blanchard, Pecos, NM
Silver, Terry Downey, Bowling Green, IN
Men 75-79
Gold, Jim DuBerry, Victoria, BC, Canada
Gold, Douglas Lowe, Victoria, BC, Canada
Silver, Richard Baltimore, Fountain Hills, AZ
Silver, Charles Fine, Phoenix, AZ
Badminton Doubles-Mixed 2009 Results
50 – 54
Gold, Andrea Weiss, Edgewood, NM
Gold, Jim Swaydan, St. George, UT
Silver, Wendy Barrow-Smith, St. Michael, Barbados
Silver, David Smith, St. George, UT
Bronze, Julia Watterson, Hummelstown, PA
Bronze, Rick Scott, American Fork, UT
55 – 59
Gold, Linda Downey, Bowling Green, IN
Gold, Terry Downey, Bowling Green, IN
Silver, Patricia Leblanc, Bridgeport, WV
Silver, Daniel Bulkley, Phoenix, AZ
Bronze, Linda Coletti, Mesquite, NV
Bronze, Louie Coletti, Mesquite, NV
60 – 64
Gold, Hazel Morgan, Albuquerque, NM
Gold, Jerrett Koenigsberg, Albuquerque, NM
Silver, Lee Calvert, Pacific Palisades, CA
Silver, Dave Simpson, Frederick, MN
65 – 69
Gold, Jeannine Bohn, Cincinnati, OH
Gold, David Ogata, Los Angeles, CA
Silver, Nedra Paschal, Henderson, NV
Silver, James Ho, Arcadia, CA
Bronze, Martha Metz, Cincinnati, OH
Bronze, Harry Pronk, Campbell River, BC, Canada
4th, Lorna Hunter, Tucson, AZ
4th, Richard Baltimore, Fountain Hills, CA
75 – 79
Gold, Joyce Jones, Bothell, WA
Gold, Jim DuBerry, Victoria, BC, Canada
It really IS a great tournament, and more of you should consider entering it. You must be at least 50, and they offer age divisions every 5 years. Go to the Huntsman World Games website-www.seniorgames.net, and you will get all the info on it. Think about entering it next year. You’ll be glad you did!
It’s no picnic
Beyond the backyard, badminton becomes complex and difficult
By Marc Maximov–Featured in the magazine, The ‘Independent’ in Durham NC July 8, 2009
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a lot of badminton was played in the Triangle. But it wasn’t all the rinky-dink, post-barbecue, one-hand-holding-a-beer variety; some of the world’s top juniors were also here, playing a much higher-caliber version of the game, as Badminton-RTP kicked off its annual clinic week.
Between last Sunday, July 5, and July 12, young athletes from
Florida , Seattle and Canada are here in the Triangle for the nonprofit club’s annual summer camp. The draw is the coaching services of Dennis Christensen, who currently heads Switzerland ‘s national junior team. To keep the instruction and competition top-flight, he brought with him Kasper Odum, a former world top-20 player, and a squad of seven Swiss juniors to mix it up with the North Americans.
Christensen, a thick-set, ebullient Dane, is a sort of one-man badminton-exporting agent. Three years ago, he was sponsored by Yonex (the unrivaled No. 1 manufacturer of badminton equipment)to undertake a sort of North American barnstorming tour. He put in over 15,000 miles driving from LA through Texas, Florida, North Carolina, New York, Canada, Seattle and back to LA, hopping from club to club to promote the sport he loves. This is his third year back in the Triangle teaching clinics for Badminton-RTP, and it’s clear why they keep inviting him back: His enthusiasm for the sport is infectious.
“In Denmark , badminton is the second most popular sport after soccer,” he explains. “Out of six million people in the country, one million play badminton. My father and my grandfather played badminton.” Watching his jovial, high-energy coaching style, it becomes apparent that in his case, living and breathing badminton is not so much a career choice as a fulfillment of destiny.
According to Sandeep Kalelkar, one of Badminton-RTP’s directors, the nonprofit club has seen its rolls balloon from roughly 25 members 10 years ago to some 250 today, driven partly by increased immigration from parts of Asia , where badminton is hugely popular. With continued momentum, the organizers are hoping to secure enough public and private funding to establish a full-fledged badminton training center in the Triangle.
On Sunday, a free open clinic at Durham ‘s Peak Fitness gave all comers the chance to benefit from Christensen’s tutelage, including this reporter. A lifelong devotee of racquet sports, including tennis, table tennis and racquetball, I thought I’d pick up a few pointers and quickly achieve a minimal level of competence. Reader, it was not to be.
The first thing you learn when attending a clinic is that the habits you picked up in casual backyard games need to be unlearned before they seriously jeopardize any hope of improvement. Christensen started his lesson by demonstrating the various ways to grip the racquet during a game, explaining the advantages ofeach. He followed with short drills on the fundamentals of forehands and backhands, volleys and defensive digs.
Comparing my efforts with those of the more experienced competitors, I soon realized that it would take years of practice to even begin to compete with the more advanced players. High-level badminton is an amazingly fast game, and a split second of wasted movement will compromise your ability to react to a shuttlecock screaming toward you across the net. Odum and the highly ranked juniors on hand (including the top-ranked juniors doubles team in Canada , Nyl Yakura and Nathan Choi) displayed an impressive blend of speed, power and finesse. Their doubles matches almost appeared choreographed, as the players leapt and dove and covered the court in a tight synchrony that spoke to their shared, instantaneous response to incoming stimuli.
Which brings up another conspicuous difference between backyard badminton and the real thing-the aerobic component. “This is the best exercise of any sport I’ve played,” panted club member Mike Koch, a gray-haired, heavily muscled gym rat who’s probably played them all. “You’re running and jumping and playing in all three dimensions. It’s a total-body workout.”
In spite of the obvious distance between the mastery on display and this reporter’s own feeble first steps, badminton does have one consolation for the novice-the racquets are so thin and so light that even a rank beginner can smack the living hell out of the bird. It’s surely a key to the game’s appeal, that the physics and geometry involved allow you to do primal, cathartic violence to a blameless plug of cork and feathers, with an immensely satisfying “thwap!,” and still keep it in play.
It’s this very user-friendliness that also, perhaps, makes people assume the game is too easy to be taken seriously. But it’s an Olympic sport with five events for men and women, and the stars in the sport are models of fitness, coordination and hair-trigger reflexes. In 2005, a Chinese doubles player named Fu Haifeng recorded the world’s fastest shuttlecock smash, at 206 mph-50 mph faster than Andy Roddick’s tennis serve.
It’s unlikely that any of us will be smashing birdies faster than a speeding NASCAR vehicle, but by hosting clinics, providing facilities and developing junior talent, Badminton-RTP works to move the sport beyond its traditional low-intensity backyard setting.
Paul Knechtel, who coordinates Badminton-RTP’s youth program and who’s been building up the sport in the Triangle since he moved here from his native Canada in 1991, points with pride to the playing environment they’ve created at Peak Fitness. With the gym’s cooperation, they installed special HVAC ceiling vents that don’t blow the shuttlecock around, and the custom floor has lines for both badminton and basketball-though here, the badminton lines predominate, a rarity in the basketball-mad Tar Heel state. “This is probably the only place you’ll see that in North Carolina,” he notes.
DANISH JUNIOR CAMP COMING!
June 28-July 2, 2010–Raleigh/Durham North Carolina
3 coaches + 9 Danish juniors ages 15-17 including 6 girls
Limited to first 24 campers
Contact Paul Knechtel if interested, [email protected]
My Aching Shoulder
By Tom Peterson, January 9, 2010
As I sit here at the Miami International Airport waiting for my flight home to Atlanta, I am reflecting on the progress made with my shoulder and feeling deep gratitude for Dr. Matson and his team of surgeons. Marking the seventh month since undergoing a total shoulder replacement surgery by Dr. Matson on June 2, 2009, at the University of Washington Hospital, I competed this week in the U.S. International Senior Badminton Championships in Miami Lakes, Florida. This competition draws badminton players from around the globe to compete in a five-day event.
I wanted to put my shoulder to a test to see how it would perform in a highly competitive environment over a period of several days. Not sure how my shoulder would respond to the exhausting demands of hitting hundreds of overhead shots, I pondered whether it would hold up to such a demanding tournament.
Three months after surgery, I began swinging underhand lightly with a racquetball racquet, and a month later was gingerly swinging my badminton racquet overhead. Strength increased each week with my overhead swing, and soon I was playing one then two games a week. By month six, I was able to play four games a night.
I was really feeling good about my progress on the court, and best of all was the lack of pain. My shoulder used to ache as I would drive home from a night of playing badminton. Now I could go home and sleep on my shoulder and experience no pain. Those of you who have years of putting strenuous demands on your “swinging” shoulder know what that aching pain is like.
It had been four years since I had last competed in this prestigious championships. Play couldn’t come soon enough. I wanted to see if my shoulder had what it took to meet the demands of competing with many experienced players. In the days that followed, I played in nine doubles matches in three different age groups. Much to my delight, after each game the shoulder felt great. When it was all over, my partner and I won the final match in our age group (65 years). It all ended too soon, but I know that there will be many more enjoyable badminton games in my future. For those of you who are experiencing more pain than fun at your sport, you don’t have to call it quits yet. There is still so much more fun to be had playing competitively and enjoying every moment. (If you have any questions about Tom’s shoulder, you can contact him at [email protected])
2010 US Senior International Badminton Championships
By Joyce Jones
Another fun tournament was held at Miami Lakes January 5-9 in spite of freezing weather and one long rainy day, over which a very capable committee had no control. Paisan Rangsikitpho, Bob Cook, Terry Lira and Dave Carton did their usual excellent job in running the tournament. The program committee put together a wonderful brochure.
Heini Johannesen was the only participant from Denmark this year, and only Virginia Chariandy Balwant from Trinidad. But there were 5 who traveled from Peru, and 5 from Russia. A huge representation of 48 from Canada, including 4 guys from Ottawa who attended because of Mark Grantham, were also in attendance. They had never heard of this tournament before, and had a grand time, even though they lost ALL of their matches! They are now gung ho to go to Kelowna! A total of 62 Americans rounded out the total of 122 participants.
There were many exciting matches with very stiff competition. Some of the closest ones were:
The best match in the 35MS was Derwin Parsons over Steve Matteson 16-21, 28-26, 21-18. The best match in the 35WS was Helene Dube over Mary Jo Randall 21-18,19-21, 22-20.
In the 40Mx, Ernest Nketiah/Lynn Michel d. Stensland/Allison 13-21, 21-13, 21-18. There were a lot of good close 3-game matches in this event.
Both finalist teams had to work hard to reach the finals in the 45Mx-Geoff Stensland/Claire Allison d. Bill Metcalfe/Susan Rogers 21-15, 18-21, 21-15, and ImreBereknyei/Veronica Cukic d. Dudley Chen/Terry Lira 21-14, 12-21, 21-18. Stensland/Allison won the event 14-21, 21-8, 21-12.
In the 50MS, Laszlo Drimusz upset the #2 seed Guy Teleault 14-21, 21-17, 21-18.
Betty Gordon/Deborah Johnson lost a great match to Mary Blandino/Alice Wuderlich in the 50WD 19-21, 21-14, 21-14.
In the 50Mx semis, C.K. Lai/Alice Kwok-Ho upset #2 seeds Tony Knott/Mary Jo Randall 21-19, 17-21, 21-16.
There were a lot of exciting matches in the 55MS, but the best one was Tony Knott’s win over Laszlo Drimusz 23-21, 22-24, 21-18!
David Carton/Cordell Parsons won the 55MD d. Curt Dommeyer/C.K. Lai 17-21, 21-11, 21-19. Then Dommeyer got his revenge on Carton/Cornell in the 60MD defeating them with Tony Knott 15-21, 21-14, 21-15.
In the 55Mx, Carton/Betty Gordon had an exciting match in the semis, defeating the #1 seeds 21-17, 13-21, 28-26!
In the 60WS, Margot Hurst, in a first round match, upset the #1 seed Dora Aliago 21-16, 9-21, 21-17. Then she won the semis against Andrea Weiss 21-17, 17-21, 21-18, before falling to Mary Blandino. In the 65WS, Lorna May Hunter won a humdinger against Doris Dawson 21-12, 18-21, 22-20. In the 70WS, Marge Uyeda squeaked out a win against Jeannine Bohn 21-18, 21-19.
Ken Money/Harry Orr won a cliff-hanger in the 70MD against Anatoly Berdichensky/Kaj-Lykke Eskesen 21-18, 16-21, 21-19.
In the 70Mx, all 3 of the semis and finals were close 3-game matches. Tosh and Margie Uyeda d. Manuel Armendariz/Joyce Jones 21-14, 19-21, 21-16. Wilfrid Pineault/Carole Charnutzky d. James Duberry/Lorraine Goss 21-16, 19-21, 21-17, and then went on to win the finals 18-21, 21-14, 21-13. (It was nice to see Carole back in the swing of things after being absent for several years.)
In the 75MS, Duberry barely squeezed out a win 20-22, 21-16, 21-19 against Armendarez.
In the 75MD, Wolfgang Arlt/Jim Bosco d. Eskesen/Mark Grantham 21-16, 11-21, 23-21.
In the 80MS, Bosco outlasted Arlt 22-24, 21-12, 21-14.
The banquet was great, but the price eliminated a lot of the participants from attending. Harry Orr was presented the Bill Graham Award, and Carol Charnutzky the Kelly Tibbets Award. The food was super, but my pet peeve has not been addressed. The disc jockey whom they hire does not seem to have any music to play for the older dancers who would like some of their music played once in awhile. They hang around for awhile, hoping for some pieces they’d like to dance to, and then, disappointed, give up and leave.