SENIORS TUSSLE IN TUCSON!
By Joyce Jones
The US Senior National Badminton Championships were held in Tucson March 17-20, 2010. The local organizing committee did a great job of taking care of the hundreds of details entailed in setting up a national tournament, but only after a glitch of publicizing the tournament as running from March 16-21. Many athletes purchased airline tickets with the dates on the flyer handed out in Miami, which couldnt be exchanged due to the high cost of exchange.
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One of the committee members, Joyce Tominaga, took hundreds of pictures of the participants, made prints, and gave them to the players free gratis. The Director, Bob Cook, and his tournament officials, did their usual good job of getting all of the matches played off in good order.
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There was a good turnout for the Western Dinner. Dan Cloppas and Peggy Savosik were introduced. We were welcomed by Michael Halchek, a USAB Board member, who spoke, asked for suggestions or feedback from anyone, and promised to present them to the Board.
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Mary Ann Bowles announced that Curt Dommeyer would receive the Charles and Ada Wurst Sportsmanship Award. She presented the Ray Scott Trophy to a very worthy, surprised and pleased Lee Calvert. A special Recognition Award was presented to Virginia Smith, who just turned 88 and has been a great part of badminton all her life.
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Joyce Jones captured the most Gold medals with five. Mary Ann Bowles and Clara Gamble were a close second with four each. Theodora and Steven Hashimoto, Imre Bereknyei, Dudley Chen, Curt Dommeyer, Robin Lyons, Manny Armendariz and Jim Bosco all earned three. Congratulations to all!
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There were a lot of super three-game matches. Some of the closest and most exciting were:
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MD35-Steven Hashimoto/Naren Koka d. Anton Kentjana/Shosh Patel, 21-19, 19-21, 21-15
MD40-Koka/Douglas Towne d. Laszlo Drimusz/Andrey Golikon, 15-21, 21-16, 22-20.
MX40-Golikon/Mary Yuan won 2 tough matches. One against Victor Simwala/Anna Cheah, 18-21, 21-14, 21-16, and the other against Koka/Caroline Craighill, 17-21, 21-15, 21-17, to win the event.
WD45-Mary Ann Bowles/Deborah Lorenzo d. Cheah/Katy Emmer, 21-14, 9-21, 21-17.
WD50-Janet Hansen/Anne Marie Wunderlin had 3 tough 3-game matches and lost them all! They were against Auerbach/Janet Khamashta, 21-18, 16-21, 21-18, Alice Kwok Ho/Mary Yuan 29-27, 19-21, 21-16, and Bowles/Deborah Lorenzo, 13-21, 21-10, 22-20. Bowles and Lorenzo won the event.
MS55- Drimusz won this event with a great match against Bob Cook, 19-21, 21-11, 23-21.
MS60-David Anderson outlasted Sony Yuan, 20-22, 21-17, 21-8, then lost the next match to Curt Dommeyer, 19-21, 21-18, 22-20.
WS60-Blandino d. Andrea Weiss, 14-21, 21-15, 21-17.
MD60 Anderson/Dommeyer won, defeating Cook/Jeff Fishback, 21-12, 16-21, 21-18.
WD60-Jeannine Bohn/Connie Lee d. Peggy Meacham/Alice Tym, 19-21, 21-13, 23-21.
MX60- David Carton/Mary Blandino d. Robin Lyons/Judy Gray, 12-21, 21-19, 21-17.
WS65-Gray d. Tym, 21-8, 20-22, 21-17, then lost to Margot Hurst, 17-21, 21-14, 21-11, in the finals. Hurst came close to losing in the semis to Tym, 14-21, 21-18, 21-18.
WD65-Gray/Karen Warnock d. Lorna Hunter/Hurst, 21-13, 17-21, 21-19. Joyce Jones/Elsie Wilson d. Bohn/Lee to win the event, 15-21, 21-14, 21-11.
MX65-Dick & Karen Warnock had 2 good matches, first against Jones/David Murray, 21-17, 12-21, 21-17, then against Uwe Gellner/Lee, 19-21, 21-19, 21-18, and then lost in the finals to Lyons/Gray, 22-20, 21/11.
MS70-Murray won a hot match against D. Warnock, 14-21, 23-21, 21-19.
MX70-Armendariz/Bohn d. Lauritson/Hazel Morgan, 21-17, 19-21, 21-11.
MD75-Manny Armendariz/Jim Bosco d. Terry Lauritson/Jim Stabler, 21-15, 16-21, 24-22.
MS80-Bosco d. Wolfgang Arlt, 21-15, 18-21, 21-19.
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For complete results go to www.tournamentsoftware.com, click on badminton, March, then #7 at the bottom of the page.
63rd CANADIAN MASTERS
By Joyce Jones
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The 2010 Canadian Masters was held in Kelowna, BC, April 25-May 1. What a tournament it was! Sue Rogers, Denise Vines, and their committee did a fabulous job!! They managed to get all of the matches played off for the 265 players, which included 27 Americans. There were huge draws with many outstanding matches. The quality was superior!
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The social events were magnificent. The only glitch was the Registration and Opening Reception. It was supposed to go from 6-8PM. The room was too small, and you were unable to move with the wall-to-wall people. Some of us arrived at 7PM, and found that the food had disappeared, and you couldn’t get near the registration table. We decided to go to dinner and register the next day.
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But, they made up for it with the other events. The theme for the dinner/dance on Thursday was “Woodstock Revisited”. More than half of the attendees got into the swing of things with hippie costumes. It was great fun! The Banquet on Saturday night was marvelous! The food was unbelievable, and it was served!! The music was “our kind of music” before and during dinner, with a wonderful singer. We older athletes complain tournament after tournament about getting only loud, noisy music, and Sue Rogers arranged for both so that ALL of the participants could enjoy themselves. What a sweetheart!!!!
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There were several unfortunate injuries. Brian Blanchard tore his Achilles tendon while playing in the 35MD quarterfinals. He will have to have surgery as soon as he returns home. Geoff Stensland and Imre Bereknyei pulled leg muscles which pretty much finished their usual excellent play.
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It was the first Canadian Masters for two of our American players, Margot Hurst and Lorna Hunter. I don’t think they’ll miss another one!
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There were way too many fabulous matches to list, but here are a few of the best:
35MS Leslie Lau d. Stanley Dee, 22-20, 18-21, 21-18
35WS Joyce Pittman d. Dori Manley 21-17, 21-18
35MD Harish Agnihotri/Colin Taylor d. Derwin Parsons/Laimonas Sileris 21-19, 21-23, 24-22
35LD Aine Humble/Joy Kitzmiller d. Manley/Siu-Imm Tay 21-17, 19-21, 21-19
40MD There were lots of great matches in this event. The best of the best were Reed Sumida/Pat Tryon d. Peter Brix/Richard Jordan 21-19, 16-21, 21-18; Daniel Couture/Garth D’Abreu d. Allan Cheng/Wayne Dalin 22-20, 15-21, 21-19
40WD was a huge draw! Sarah Ball/Lynn Michel d. Shirley Thomson/Denise Vines, 18-21, 21-15, 22-20
Another huge draw was the 40MX. Dalin/Vines d. Kerby Nixon/Sue Eng, 19-21, 22-20, 21-13. Reed/Patti Sumida d. Peter Brix/Clara Wai, 19-21, 21-17, 23-21.
There were 3 outstanding matches in the 45MD: Nixon/Grant Pittman d. Brix/Eric Torstensen, 17-21, 21-12, 21-17; Andre’ Lafortune/Guy Tetreault d. Andrew Blix/Allen Davies, 21-15, 22-24, 21-16; Henry Paynter/Yves Proulx d. Brad Pape/Allen Regan, 21-19, 23-25, 21-10.
45MX Danny Shannon/Joanne Gillette won 3 great matches on their way to the title: they d. Peter & Damaris Brix in the quarters, 21-19, 24-22; then Pittman/Barbara Haney in the semis, 12-21, 21-16, 21-15, then Christopher Dorey/Thomson in the finals, 19-21, 21-17, 21-17.
In the 50WD finals, Mary Jo Randall/Geraldine Pugh d. Debbie McCoy/Penny Parkes, 19-21, 21-19, 22-20.
50MX Dorey/McCoy did not have an easy road to win this title: In the quarters, they d. James Taylor/Marcia Jackson, 22-24, 21-15, 21-18. In the semis they d. Britten/Siew Har Hong, 15-21, 21-18, 22-20. Then, in the finals, they d. Priestman/Susan Rogers, 21-8, 15-21, 21-14. Whew!
55WS Jackson d. Brenda Johnson, 14-21, 23-21, 22-20, then lost in the finals to Hong, 21-19, 18-21, 21-15.
55MX Gary Helmkay/Joanne Cicrich d. Rob Oldfield/Pat Kirk, 21-14, 22-24, 21-17.
60MS Tony Knott d. Peter Christensen, 18-21, 25-23, 21-19.
60MD David Brown/Tom DesBrisay d. Vern Kawaguchi/Mickey Kroschinsky, 21-17, 9-21, 22-20.
There were 2 spectacular matches in the 60Mx: Rick Gordon/Pat Kirk d. Tony Knott/Andrea Weiss, 24-22, 26-24. Cordell Parsons/Susan McMaster d. Gerhard Koch/Tess Tearoe, 24-22, 22-24, 21-16.
65WS Cindy Simpson d. Margot Hurst, 24-22, 19-21, 21-16.
70MS Andy Evans d. Wilfrid Cote, 12-21, 21-16, 21-18.
70WD Claire Bowyer/Joyce Jones d. Kazuko Hashimura/Chiko Ota, 23-21, 22-20.
70MX Evans/Olga Kanigan d. Wilfrid Pineault/Carol Charnutsky, 21-23,21-16,21-18.
75MX Bowyer/Tosh Uyeda d. Harry Orr/Jones in the finals, 23-21, 21-18.
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The largest draws were all mixed events: 34 teams in the 45MX, a close second was 40MX with 31 teams, next came 50MX with 28 teams. A close 4th was 60MX with 27 teams, then 55MX with 20 teams, then the 45MD with 19 teams. If you would like to see all the draws, go to:
http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=4291151F-140C-450C-9C8E-64EAA1E7C0DD
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NEW CO-CHAIRS FOR USAB SENIORS
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For the past year, USA Badminton senior players have had a vacuum in leadership. The Senior Advisory Group chair position was vacated due to work responsibilities and no one stepped up to fill the position. Following the 2010 U.S. Senior National Championships in Tucson, Arizona, in March, two volunteers came forth to co-chair the Senior Advisory Group. They are Mary Ann Bowles of St. Louis, MO, and Andrea Weiss of Albuquerque, NM.
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Bowles, former USAB Board of Directors Board member and Secretary, has been playing senior tournaments for several decades. Weiss, a former junior player, has come back to the courts as a senior with enthusiasm, energy, and new ideas.
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The new co-chairs are seeking energetic volunteers to join the advisory group. Potential projects include recruiting more senior players, coaching for seniors, introduction of badminton into recreational centers and community centers, targeting adult recreation programs, running a deluxe Senior Nationals, and rejuvenating the Walk of Fame.
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If you are ready to help grow the senior ranks of USA Badminton, please contact Mary Ann Bowles at 314-487-7187, [email protected], or Andrea Weiss at 505-281-9796, [email protected] Your energy and creative ideas are needed!�
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BADMINTON: WHERE DID THE WORD COME FROM?
By Mary Ann Bowles
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The sport we love has an interesting name, but have you ever wondered where the word originated? The word “badminton” came from the villages of Great and Little Badminton in Gloucestershire, England, whose existence was first recorded in 972AD. A classic example of a rare English location name, the spelling then was BADIMYNCG TUN which has been translated as Beadmund’s farm or Baeddas mint farm. The surname dates from much later and most likely would have been given to people from the Badmintons after they had left those villages.�
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To the north of the main village of Badminton is the small rural settlement of Little Badminton , ninety-three miles west of London. One can see farm houses, cottages, and estate lodges very much in the traditional Cotswold style of architecture. Remains of a medieval “sunken village” can be seen in Little Badminton.�
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Today the village of Badminton is famous for its horse trials which take place in early May each year in the grounds of the Duke of Beaufort’s residence, Badminton House. The house has been the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century when the family moved into it. Badminton House is not open to the public, but the National Badminton Museum arranges a visit each year which is restricted to Friends of the Museum.�
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Queen Mary stayed at Badminton House for much of World War II, and her staff occupied most of the building. Badminton House is also very strongly associated with fox hunting. Successive Dukes of Beaufort have been masters of the Beaufort Hunt which is probably one of the two most famous hunts in the United Kingdom. It was the location for some scenes of the movies The Remains of the Day, 28 Days Later, and Pearl Harbor.�
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The sport of badminton was re-introduced from British India and popularized at the house, hence the sport’s name. The sport was launched in 1873, referred to as
“The Game of Badminton,” and the game’s official name became Badminton. Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today’s rules, and officially launched badminton in September of that year. The All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, were started by them in 1899. �
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LETTER TO USAB ATHLETES AND TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS
Dear USA Badminton athletes and tournament directors,�
In order to play in sanctioned tournaments you must be a current USAB member!
If you don’t know your login or your USA Badminton membership #, please contact [email protected] or call 719-866-3645 to retrieve this information.
When you go to http://www.usabadminton.org and click on the Join/Renew graphics on the home page, please answer YES to the questions.�
Then login to see your profile. If you don’t know your login, please try FORGOT EMAIL to access your account.�
If you don’t know your account information, please email: [email protected] or call 719-866-3645 for your information. You will receive your login from USAB either via auto email or phone and then you can renew your membership and update your profile.
Please note: Active athletes that have been ranked and played in events for ranking should not create a new account!
If you’ve played in events before or have a USAB ranking, you have a record in the membership database.
Your current membership account needs to be the same account as the one with all your matches.
Current USAB membership, along with the individual match history, will be all an athlete needs to be on the ranking list.
Tournament Directors, to list the correct players in the draws, please request the following information on your entry forms:
First name, Last name (check for correct player name listing in USAB membership database or on the USAB membership card)
USAB member #
Date of birth
Email address
Full address, city, state
Contact telephone
Thank you,
USA Badminton
Senior Nationals 2011
Mark your Calendars
March 23-26/2011
NCBD
North Carolina Badminton Club
Watch for details at:
www.ncbadminton.org
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