Jason Ho-Shue
After a triple crown at the 2012 Black Knight Junior High Performance Championships in the U16 division, this upcoming star shares big plans for his future.
Also in this issue: The youngest player to ever triple crown at the Ontario Championships!
Canadian Publications Mailing Agreement #40069570
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coaches corner ontario winter games feature: jason ho-shue where are they now? feature: nyl yakura bon in the community With Kevin Cao. Question for the coach? Send an email to theshuttler@badmintonontario.ca
Results, pictures and insight on the games from the host community.
The latest Golden Boy shares how he has overcome one of this biggest hurdles in his life.
Helen Nethercott has racked up quite a collection of athletic accomplishments, many badminton.
The only athlete to triple crown at the Junior and Senior Provincial Championships in the same year.
Badminton Ontario is helping organizations use the sport of badminton to stimulate their communities.
Badminton Ontario 209-3 Concorde Gate Toronto, Ontario M3C 3N7 tel: 416 426 7195 fax: 416 426 7346 www.badmintonontario.ca info@badmintonontario.ca Board of Directors President: Eduardo Gregorio
eduardo.gregorio@badmintonontario.ca
Vice-President: Dave Kumar dave.kumar@badmintonontario.ca
Treasurer: Jeff Sum
jeff.sum@badmintonontario.ca
Director: Warren Brownlee
warren.brownlee@badmintonontario.ca
Director: Eric Lee
eric.lee@badmintonontario.ca
Director: Anne Lim
District Presidents TDBA: Pry Gnana pry@badmintonbirds.com
WOBA: Jeff Goldsworthy goldy@golden.net
anne.lim@badmintonontario.ca
Director: Jordan Hearn
jordan.hearn@badmintonontario.ca
Director: Harrison Choy
hcbadminton@gmail.com
Director: Boris Chiu
boriswingchiu@hotmail.com
Director: Kevin Willington kevin.willington@hotmail.com
ODBA: Fei Tam kanatajrbc@yahoo.ca
COBA: Russ Le Blanc russleblanc@rogers.com
NOBA: Frank Boulanger nobafb@yahoo.ca
GBDBA: Suzanne Vallis howarthsuzanne@hotmail.com
Badminton Ontario gratefully acknowledges the funding support of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
On the cover: Jason Ho-Shue has been scooping up gold medals Provincially and Nationally, becoming Ontario’s latest Golden Boy.
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The new trend for Mixed Doubles In a Mixed Doubles game, the traditional attacking position is that the male player stays in the backcourt area and the female player stays in the frontcourt area. The reason for this position is that people assume men are always stronger and also they move faster on court. The traditional attacking formation of a Mixed Double game is that the male player covers 2/3 of the court to drop, smash or drive to get points or to force the opponents to return a weak net shot for his partner to make a net kill.
• The male player needs to cover more than his own half of the court in a defending formation. This requires longer training with the partner to ensure proper communication during games. • The female player needs to move quickly into the right position as they transition from attacking formation to defending formation. She also needs to overcome the fear of being smashed by the opponents. New Positions of a Mixed Doubles Game
In the past few years, positions for mixed doubles games have changed to a new trend in the world elite badminton The traditional defending formation of competitions. Female players are geta Mixed Doubles game ting stronger. is similar to Men’s or They have Positions for mixed doubles Women’s Doubles with good foot games have changed to a new work to move a side by side position in the beginning of the de- trend - you can often find that faster. They fense. The key difference also the female player attacks from have is that while in a Men’s improved or Women’ Double game the back of the court and the their attackplayers normally try to ing abilities. male player moves into the cover their own half of In the world front to make net kills. the court, in a Mixed elite level Double game, the male tournaments, player needs to cover almost 2/3 of the you can often find that the female player court to help his partner if the opponent attacks from the back of the court and smashes or clears. The female player al- the male player moves into the front to ways tries to play in the front of her half make net kills. The advantage is the pace of the court. of the game is increased when the female player is strong enough to attack The traditional positions for a mixed dou- effectively from the back so the male ble game have its advantages and draw- player can easily move to front and make backs. The primary drawbacks are: more effective net kills.
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• The male player needs to keep the rallies in the attacking formation. This can be physically challenging during long rallies.
players, especially U10 and U12 players, there are several obvious disadvantages: • Young junior players are often not tall enough and have not developed the required skills to keep the shuttles too low for the opponents to attack. • Junior players are not familiar enough with the necessary rotation from attacking to defending positions. • Junior boys are often not tall enough to quickly reach side to side at the back of the court. • Junior girls are often afraid of being in the front and smashed by the opponents. These disadvantages reduce juniors girls’ interested and motivation, especially when they just start to play badminton. Although junior boys might find the extra physical challenge motivating, poor performance will quickly cause them to lose their motivation. Coaches are encouraged to train U10 and U12 junior mixed players in this new trend of positions. This will allow both players to evenly develop the necessary techniques for the future.
Relevance for Juniors When the traditional formations for mixed double games are applied to junior
Above: Kevin Cao, Head coach of KC Badminton Club in Toronto
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Above: Champions Team TDBA1 pose with their medals with the Mayor of Midland
1st: TDBA 1 2nd: ODBA 3rd: TDBA 2 4th: WOBA
5th: COBA 6th: NOBA 7th: GBDBA
Above: Black Knight awards were given to many outstanding individuals and one oustanding team. Back row: Team of the games - NOBA Front row L to R: Manager of the Games - Lisa Morrison - GBDBA Coach of the Games - Chris Farley - WOBA Black Knight Fair Play Award Female - Chloe Rowe - COBA Black Knight Fair Play Award Male - Austin Flannigan - ODBA Above: Finalists Team ODBA pose with their medals with the Mayor of Midland
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Event
Pos. Name
Club
U19 GD
1 Eryn Danielle Belanger+Joyce Lai 2 Jennifer Cheng+Inga Lo C-1 Arielle Beaudry+Georgina Dee Pollard
Bracebridge Knight Hawks/Flying Dragon Badminton Club KC Badminton Club/Suria Badmin n Centre Soong Badminton Academy/Port Hope Racquet Club
U19 BD
1 Nathan William Dix+Zackery Richard- P Secord Orillia Badminton Club/Midland 2 Felix PK Lam+Andrew Liu KC Badminton Club C-1 Timothy Law+Thanushan Ravi Flying Dragon Badminton Club
U19 MX
1 Brandon Somers+Georgina Dee Pollard 2 Graeme Thompson+Fanta Ly C-1 Felix PK Lam+Inga Lo
Port Hope Racquet Club Port Hope Racquet Club/Soong Badminton Academy KC Badminton Club/Suria Badmin n Centre
U19 GS
1 2 3 C-1
Georgina Dee Pollard Inga Lo Eryn Danielle Belanger Joyce Lai
Port Hope Racquet Club Suria Badmin n Centre Bracebridge Knight Hawks Flying Dragon Badminton Club
U19 BS
1 2 3 C-1
Brandon Somers Jerry jia Fan Hilbert Li Darcy donald Schmidt
Port Hope Racquet Club Mandarin Badminton Club Mandarin Badminton Club The Ridges Badminton
U16 GD
1 Dorothy Duck+Ka e Jane Harris 2 Erica Ly+Carol Ng C-1 Lina Liu+Michelle Suk Ming Wong
Bracebridge Knight Hawks A. Bujak Badminton Club/Flying Dragon Badminton Club Soong Badminton Academy
U16 BD
1 2 3 C-1
Lee's Badminton Training Centre Flying Dragon Badminton Club Suria Badmin n Centre Erindale Junior Badminton Club
U16 MX
1 Andrew Liu+Avenie Lee 2 Vincent Dao+Lina Liu C-1 Christopher LH Clue +Ka e Jane Harris
Sheng Chen+Jasper Ho Vincent Dao+O o Pang Jonathan Hum+Zining Mao Ryan en xian Ng Wing Keng+Jus n Wong
KC Badminton Club Flying Dragon Badminton Club/Soong Badminton Academy Bracebridge Knight Hawks
U16 GS
1 2 3 C-1
Erica Ly Jessie Sk Ng Jackie Midroni Carol Ng
A. Bujak Badminton Club Mandarin Badminton Club A. Bujak Badminton Club Flying Dragon Badminton Club
U16 BS
1 2 3 C-1
Vincent Dao Eugene Chan Sheng Chen Benn Van Ryn
Flying Dragon Badminton Club OT Badminton Lee's Badminton Training Centre Soong Badminton Academy
U14 GD
1 2 3 C-1
Michelle Yixue Mei+Jenny Jingjue Zhou Kalyna Fisher+Sarah Gale Aswini Ganesh+Lisa Tang Felicia le Jiang+Elina Xiangyu Ma
Mandarin Badminton Club The Boulevard Club/Granite Club Soong Badminton Academy Soong Badminton Academy
U14 BD
1 2 3 C-1
Heffren Lo+Anson Ho Nam Ng Yi Chen+Jeffrey Xiao Michael Duan+Atom Kwong Woo Steve Lam+Jason Zhang Liu
Flying Dragon Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre Soong Badminton Academy/L'Escale Badminton Club Soong Badminton Academy
U14 MX
1 Heffren Lo+Jenny Jingjue Zhou 2 Michael Duan+Elina Xiangyu Ma C-1 Anson Ho Nam Ng+Amy Li
Flying Dragon Badminton Club/Mandarin Badminton Club Soong Badminton Academy Flying Dragon Badminton Club
U14 GS
1 2 3 C-1
Michelle Yixue Mei Erin Kurvits Sarah Gale Jenny Jingjue Zhou
Mandarin Badminton Club Advance Badminton Academy Granite Club Mandarin Badminton Club
U14 BS
1 2 3 C-1
Heffren Lo Jeffrey Xiao Victor Gao Calvin Chow
Flying Dragon Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre Advance Badminton Academy Suria Badmin n Centre
U12 BD
1 Christopher Ng+Patrick Sem 2 Stanley Hao Liang Feng+Jerry Xie C-1 Nicholas Tao+Andrew Zhang
Flying Dragon Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre/KC Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre
U12 MX
1 Jerry Xie+Julia Linger Chen 2 William kawai Lo+Alyssa Hum 3 Harish krishna Vidyasakar+Rebecca Lee
KC Badminton Club E Badminton Club/Suria Badmin n Centre KC Badminton Club
U12 GS
1 Julia Linger Chen 2 Alyssa Hum 3 Danielle Tse
KC Badminton Club Suria Badmin n Centre Suria Badmin n Centre
U12 BS
1 2 3 C-1
Harish krishna Vidyasakar Christopher Ng Stanley Hao Liang Feng William kawai Lo
KC Badminton Club Flying Dragon Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre E Badminton Club
SMASH Sport Motivated Activities to Sustain Health takes flight in York Region schools at such a high pace, organizers can’t keep up.
A new badminton program for grade 4-6 students has taken over in the Toronto area. SMASH – Sport Motivated Activities to Sustain Health – is an initiative taken by members of the Toronto and District Badminton Association, Federation of Badminton Clubs and Badminton Ontario to engage school children through the sport of badminton to promote healthy active living. The program includes a 7 week instructional badminton program that is delivered by school teachers once or twice a week before or after school. The lessons incorporate 10 minutes of nutrition and healthy active living education along with the technical demonstration on the fundamentals of badminton. Teachers and volunteers are taught the program ahead of time and given the resources to deliver it to their kids. This well-rounded program encourages growth within the Toronto Badminton community by following the LTAD (Long Term athlete Development) model and improving the effectiveness of the badminton programs delivered in schools by providing NCCP training for teachers and volunteers.
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“We believe we can assist parents and educators to use the sport of badminton as a tool for the engagement of school children in develop-
ing behaviours that will help them sustain good health now and in the future,” Dr. Robert Lau, chair of the program speaks. “The initiative will adopt a holistic approach in providing this through nutritional education, fitness drills and badminton instruction. By engaging the children through sport they will develop a desire to incorporate the practice of good nutrition and exercise in their daily lives.” Each child is given a SMASH diary where they track their servings of fruit or vegetables, how long they spent playing video games and on computers, how long they did fitness activities such as running, skipping and badminton, as well as what they drink – the program discourages sweetened drinks.
“By engaging the children through [badminton] they will develop a desire to incorporate the practice of good nutrition and exercise in their daily lives.” Dr. Robert Lau These diaries are tracked by the teacher or volunteer from each school and recorded to determine the school’s overall healthy active score compared to other schools participating in the program. At the end of the program, a weekend tournament is held to determine the
overall SMASH champions. Events include the ‘Most Healthy Active Team Award’, which recognizes the highest number of completed Diary’s from a participating school. It also includes a round robin badminton team event, and contests such as who can rally the bird the longest, shot accuracy and fitness relays. Prizes are given for the overall team and individual contests, with the support from Markham Badminton Club, Flying Dragon Badminton Club and Black Knight Canada. The program is already taking flight in the York Region District School Board where teachers there are becoming overwhelmed with the responsibility of turning kids away, as the program is designed for 18 students. “The principal had 1 sign up page for just Grade 6’s and 1 signup for Grade 4&5’s and both pages are full so they had to add another sheet,” says David Chiu from Coledale. “[We had] 84 kids sign up. The principal suggested they add a Tuesday morning program in addition to my Thursday morning program.” With the cost for each school to participate being only $25, and 5 schools on a waiting list, SMASH is a program worth waiting for. If you are interested in delivering SMASH in your schools, please contact Dr. Robert Lau rcwlau@gmail. com or Philip Chow/Ann Tran instruction@markhambadminton.com
Jason Ho-Shue Ontario’s latest Golden Boy Barely a teenager, Jason Ho-Shue has managed to persevere through challenges some of us will never face, all the while showing a maturity beyond his years. Jason is only 13 years old and is competing against athletes 3-5 years his senior, something we haven’t seen since Ontario’s 2011 Golden Boy, Nyl Yakura. He has won many titles in the past year, including a triple crown in the U16 division at the 2012 Ontario Junior High Performance Championships this past March. He also represented Canada at the Junior Pan Am’s, winning a silver medal in boy’s doubles and recently won gold in U14 Singles and gold in U16 Mixed Doubles at the 2012 National Championships. Like many aspiring elite athletes, Jason hopes to compete Internationally for Canada and get his chance to compete at the Olympics. Success doesn’t come without hard work. Jason trains 4-5 days a week at E Badminton Club with his coach Efendi Wijaya. Wijaya has taught Jason many things about badminton, but more importantly has helped him find a way to conquer his nerves.
“I went to bigger tournaments such as the Pan Am Junior Games, and everybody yelled when they played. All countries had different instruments, horns and even different chants. Each time I hit, I could barely hear my shot because of the crowd cheering. Since then, I’ve always had confidence to be vocal on the court.” Without the support of his coaches, sponsor – Black Knight – and family, Jason would be far from his dreams of playing badminton overseas. It has not always been an easy road as Jason had thoughts of quitting badminton. “After my dad passed away last February, I was really sad. It was
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
“Through the 2011 Provincials whenever I was down and wanted to give up, I thought of my Dad. He gave me the confidence and inspiration I need to continue.” Jason’s family had always supported his dreams of pursuing badminton. After each night of training, Jason’s dad would give him a talk about what he could improve on. “I soon realized I had a lot of support.” Jason says thankfully. “My mom and my sister are my biggest fans. My mom always makes sure I eat well and gets me to training and tournaments on time. She loves watching me play, win or lose, and she is always there cheering me on. “I knew my decision to continue badminton was the right one. Badminton has helped me to come more confident, fit and independent.” Badminton is not the only thing he has focused on however, Jason has big dreams for his future after the world of International Competition. “I would like to become a Engineer, a chiropractor or a badminton coach,” he says. In the meantime however, he is enjoying being coached by some of Ontario’s top coaches and looking forward to taking his game to the next level.
“As I started to climb the Ontario Junior Rankings, I would feel very nervous before every tournament, because I wanted to defend my titles,” Jason says. “I could never sleep the night before and could never play my best in tournaments as I do in training. “My coach Efendi told me to do some yelling.” Jason says. He originally thought this would be very embarrassing and was unsure of his coaches advice. He eventually learned that although it is not as common in Ontario, noise is a big part of the game in most countries.
an extremely dark period in my life,” Jason says. “I was thinking about quitting badminton for good but I don’t think my dad wanted to see me quit and I didn’t want to let him down.
Above: Jason at the Stratford Junior High Performance Tournament in October 2011
Jason would like to thank his coaches and supporters for all their dedication to his athletic pursuits. His coaches Arif, Yoga and Faye have contributed tremendously to his development.
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The Ontario ABCDE Championships March 30 - April 1, saw over 100 athletes competing for a chance to snatch a part of the hefty prize purse. Amounting to just over $3000, the prize money came from both Badminton Ontario and tournaments on the 11.12 Adult Tournament Series. Contributing $1000 of that purse were the KW Oktoberfest, KW Valentine, Doug Grant, and York U Open events. Thank you to everyone who hosted, and we look forward to hosting in the 12.13 season with you! Event MSA
Pos. 1 2 3 3 C-1
Name Nyl Yakura Nathan Lee Him Lam Andrew Lau Jackie Yeung
Club Mandarin Badminton Club Suria Badminton Centre Lee's Badminton Training Center Lee's Badminton Training Center Lee's Badminton Training Centre
MSB
1 2 3 3 C-1
Jason L Mak Andrew Lee Bryan Jok Edwin Lee Gary Wan
A Bujak Badminton Club Suria Badminton Centre Suria Badminton Centre Suria Badminton Centre RA Centre
MSC
1 2 3 4
Ly Lam Ma hew Chan Kenny Tran Joe Huang
Cambridge Badminton Club A Bujak Badminton Club Cambridge Badminton Club Badminton Birds
WSA
1 2 3 3
Bethany So Tracy Wong Bri ney Tam Michelle Yeemin Tong
Lee's Badminton Training Centre Humber College Mandarin Badminton Club E badminton club
WSA - Cons
1 2 3 3
Jamie Wood Danica Lau Kelly Carter Jennifer Medeiros
The Granite Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre Mandarin Badminton Club K-W Badminton Club
MDA
1 2 3 3 C-1
Nyl Yakura+Andika Yong Ruben Gordown Khosadalina+Him Lam Danusha C Ambagahawita+Simon Yip Kevin Li+Raymond Wong Derek Cheung+Jackie Yeung
Mandarin Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Center University of Waterloo/KC Badminton Club B&R/Mandarin Badminton Club Lee's Badminton Training Centre
MDB
1 2 3 3 C-1
Ra Seang+Johnny Truong Hadrian Liu+Ravneet Sandhu Rudy Hartono+Jorge Noriega Chun-Shun Ma+Benjamin Yong Darryl Lee+Kevin Ronkiewicz
A Bujak Badminton Club Lee's Badminton/Suria Badminton Centre Cedar Springs K-W Badminton Club Mowat badminton club
MDC
1 2 3 4
Ly Lam+Kenny Tran Ma hew Chan+Andrew Phung Kyle Pouliot+Jamie Vivian Daniel Ruddach+Steve Ruddach
Cambridge Badminton Club A Bujak Badminton Club/Suria Badminton Centre Fanshawe College Fanshawe College/Woodstock Badminton Club
WDA
1 2 3 3
Bethany So+Tracy Wong Jody Chan+Michelle Yeemin Tong Amanda Lee Carruthers+Suneeta Khare Vivian Kwok+Bri ney Tam
Lee's Badminton/Humber College Badminton and Racquet Club/E badminton club Badminton Birds/Belleville Badminton Club Suria Badminton Centre/Mandarin Badminton Club
WDA - Cons
1 2 3 4
Fong Cho+Vivian Tam Adrienne Goldsworthy+Jennifer Medeiros Kelly Carter+Cara De Belle Angela K Bukowski+Mei Dent
Mandarin Badminton Club/RA Centre K-W Badminton Club Mandarin/B&R/Granite K-W Badminton Club
XDA
1 2 3 3 C-1
Nyl Yakura+Bri ney Tam Tommy Mckee+Fiona Mckee Danusha C Ambagahawita+Amanda Lee Carruthers Nathan Lee+Tracy Wong Kevin Li+Bethany So
Mandarin Badminton Club The Granite Club University of Waterloo/Badminton Birds Suria Badminton/Humber College B&R/Lee's Badminton
XDB
1 2 3 3 C-1
Jackie Yeung+Vivian Kwok Gordon Duzhou+Meng ng Qiu Bryan Jok+Sarah Bowman Clement Chi Hin Chow+Michelle Cheng Ellio Sterner+Kathleen Currie
Lee's Badminton Training Centre/Suria Badminton Centre E badminton centre/Mandarin Badminton Club The Granite Club K.C Badminton Club The Boulevard Club
Event
Pos.
Name
Club
MD 70
1 2
Vishvas Gangadhar Date+David Ko Fred Janes+Rainer Schroeder
Suria Badminton Centre Highbury Badminton Club
XD65
1 2
John LEONARD Gilbert+Val Butler Owen S ckels+Karen I. Jackson
Oakville Kitchener/K-W Badminton Club Mandarin Badminton Club/Highbury Badminton Club
MD65
1 2
Vishvas Gangadhar Date+David Ko John LEONARD Gilbert+Owen S ckels
Suria Badminton Centre Oakville Kitchener/Mandarin Badminton Club
MS65
1 2
Rainer Schroeder Owen S ckels
Highbury Badminton Club Mandarin Badminton Club
XD 60
1 2
Ian Bishop+Val Butler Dhansukh Panchal+Jennifer Aziz
RA Badminton Centre/K-W Badminton Club The BoulevardClub/The Oakville Club
MD 60
1 2
Dhansukh Panchal+Cordell Parsons Ian Bishop+Peter Christensen
The BoulevardClub/Woodstock Badminton Club RA Badminton Centre
MS 60
1 2
Ian Bishop Peter Christensen
RA Badminton Centre RA Badminton Centre
XD55
1 2
Dhansukh Panchal+Jennifer Aziz Ole J. Tang+Marlene elizabeth Mader
The BoulevardClub/The Oakville Club Niagara Falls Badminton Club
WD55
1 2
Jennifer Aziz+Marlene elizabeth Mader Karen I. Jackson+Susan Mcmaster
The Oakville Club/Niagara Falls Badminton Club Highbury Badminton Club/Woodstock Badminton Club
MD55
1 2
Clovis Mclaughlin+Glenn Prevoe Mano Govin+David Wilmshurst
Windsor Badminton Club./Mandarin Badminton Club Niagara Falls Badminton Club
MS55
1 2
Ian Bishop William Reid Thompson
RA Badminton Centre Woodstock Badminton Club
XD 50
1 2
Jeff Goldsworthy+Debbie Mccoy Henry Freiter+Lisa Risebrough
K-W Badminton Club/Woodstock Badminton Club The Ridges
WD 50
1 2
Marlene elizabeth Mader+Cindy Newman Niagara Falls Badminton Club/Cedar Springs Lisa Risebrough+Donna Van Der Schilden The Ridges/Lee's Badminton Training Centre
MD 50
1 2
Sajjad Malik+Steve Mccoy Jeff Goldsworthy+Ron Taylor
Woodstock Badminton Club K-W Badminton Club
MS 50
1 2
Jeff Goldsworthy Ron Taylor
K-W Badminton Club K-W Badminton Club
XD45
1 2
Glenn Prevoe+Teresa Prevoe Richard Gabriel Tremblay+Debbie Mccoy
Mandarin Badminton Club Windsor Badminton Club/Woodstock Badminton Club
WD45
1 2
Sarah Ball+Debbie Mccoy Cindy Newman+Lisa Wong
Cedar Springs/Woodstock Badminton Club Cedar Springs/KW Granite
MD45
1 2
Sajjad Malik+John Wright Jeff Goldsworthy+Ron Taylor
Woodstock Badminton Club/The Granite Club K-W Badminton Club
WS45
1 2
Cindy Newman Sarah Ball
Cedar Springs Cedar Springs
MS45
1 2
John Wright Richard Gabriel Tremblay
The Granite Club Windsor Badminton Club
XD 40
1 2
Quang Hoang+Virginia Young Glenn Prevoe+Teresa Prevoe
Mandarin Badminton Club Mandarin Badminton Club
WD 40
1 2
Sarah Ball+Debbie Mccoy Mei Dent+Teresa Prevoe
Cedar Springs/Woodstock Badminton Club K-W Badminton Club/Mandarin Badminton Club
MD 40
1 2
Quang Hoang+Ian Wu Sajjad Malik+John Wright
Mandarin Badminton Club/K.C. Badminton Club Woodstock Badminton Club/The Granite Club
MS 40
1 2
Quang Hoang John Wright
Mandarin Badminton Club The Granite Club
XD 35
1 2
Quang Hoang+Virginia Young Derek Van Pa er+Heather Van Pa er
Mandarin Badminton Club Durham Badminton Club
WD 35
1 2
Teresa Prevoe+Heather Van Pa er Mei Dent+Tracy L Kavanagh
Mandarin Badminton Club/Durham Badminton Club K-W Badminton Club
MD 35
1 2
Quang Hoang+Ian Wu Chuck Hoang+Raju Neote
Mandarin Badminton Club/K. . Badminton Club Lee's Badminton/Durham Badminton Club
WS 35
1 2
Tracy L Kavanagh Heather Dart
KW Badminton Club The Ridges
ONTARIO MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Above from L to R: Ian Wu, Virginia Young and Quang Hoang display their array of gold medals from the 2012 Black Knight Ontario Masters Championships. The Championships were held at KW Badminton Club in Kitchener from March 23-25, 2012.
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The only athlete to win a triple crown at both the Junior and Senior Provincial Championships. After securing a triple crown at both the 2012 Black Knight Ontario Junior High Performance Championships and the 2012 Victor Ontario Championships, Pickering native Nyl Yakura became the first athlete in Badminton Ontario’s history to win all events at both championships, and will very likely be the only athlete to ever do so. With the 2016 Olympics on his mind, Yakura is hoping this impressive feat will secure him a sponsor to help him train overseas. Although Yakura is still a junior player, he has been playing the National Elite Adult Series to gain more experience. To him, improving his game was more important than winning junior events, but this was no easy task. “You have to be both mentally and physically strong to [perform in all three disciplines] and you have to know how to prepare and recover during the tournament,” Yakura says. It seems that playing against the experienced adults all year has paid off. “When the junior game came around, it was very different from what I have become used to,” Yakura says. “I was fit enough to last through those championships. As for the seniors, it was very tiring for me on the Sunday. Here we had to play around 6 [matches].” Yakura had to play all his Mixed Games on Sunday, as well as all his final events. Being in every final event is difficult enough to schedule, and even more difficult on a player. Ample rest time is important to give an athlete time to recover physically, and mentally.
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Mentally preparing for the next match is extremely challenging to an athlete, and is unique to multi-event sports. This is a skill Yakura has come to master quite well, “To me, the difficulty was quite high for the physical side of things, but that is also where the mental roll comes into play as well. Recover was key to [my] success at
the senior [championships].” Indonesian player, Ruben Khosadalina. While he faces many challenges, both “I also knew I had the chance to triple monetary and on the court, Yakura is crown,” Yakura adds, “so that was a finding that his mental game has been bit of motivation for me [too].” pulling him through some tough spots. At one point in time, mental training What is next for Ontario’s Golden Boy? was a sports’ conditioning that only Over the summer, Yakura hopes to Olympic level athletes went through. play in the Canadian and US Opens. Now, it seems that If you really want to do something, you’ll find a all athletes alike are way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. resorting to — Jim Rohn this unique training to improve any aspect of their game. These tournaments attract some of the top 10 players in the world and Charles Garfield, the author of the will be a good sparring opportunity if best-selling book ‘Peak Performers’, he can’t make the trip overseas. “If I preaches mental toughness as a way can find a sponsor soon then I would of life, not just a conditioning roulook to go overseas again to train for tine for your game. He insists that it a long period of time. If not, I [will] is vital for people values or morals stick around here.” and develop these into a compelling vision. He wrote, “Peak performers develop powerful mental images of the behavior that will lead to their desired results. They see in their mind’s eye the result they want, and the actions leading to it. “So peak performers are not merely [limited to athletes]. They represent a kind of person any of us can be – once we find the capacity in ourselves.” People are often motivated by an external source, but the ability to take that outside motivating factor and make a mental decision to perform at your best is a key part of incorporating mental training into your game. Yakura’s performance peaked at the Senior Championships in his final match of the day, when he utilized every last ounce of adrenaline against a well-known
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Multi-sport athlete Helen Nethercott recently celebrated her 90th birthday. She still plays badminton, she still volunteers and she still drives. She is an inspiration to us all. Helen was a multi-sport athlete to the extreme and devoted her life to sport, even purchasing a home within walking distance of the Waterloo Tennis Club. Between tennis, badminton, bowling and basketball, Helen has won over 117 awards in her lifetime, not to mention her numerous volunteer activities. Helen continues to play badminton and tennis but no longer competes in the national masters because as she states she would have to “play down”! Her first medals were for Bowling in the late forties and early fifties. By the mid-fifties medals, trophies and awards for tennis, basketball, badminton and bowling were in her trophy case. Continuing to play these sports into the seventies and eighties, she also added awards for curling and volleyball. One of the highlights of this time was the 1975 Basketball Women of the Year award. In 1970 she was made a life member of the Waterloo Tennis Club and in 1992 received the Waterloo Tennis Club Sportsmanship award. Helen had done so much for the club, from being on the Board to organizing leagues, she has a room in the club named after her; the ‘Helen Nethercott Lounge’. In the nineties and into the 21st century Helen started competing at Canadian and US Senior badminton tournaments bringing home a steady number of medals. Here her highlights include the Badminton Canada Sportsmanship award in 1998 and the Kelly Tibbets Sportsmanship award in 2000 at the US Senior International Badminton Championships.
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“I still play tennis and badminton,” says Helen. “I have to keep active. If I sat on the couch all day, I would be finished. Playing sports such
as tennis strengthens the muscles in my back, which is important - otherwise I would have back problems. “When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball, playing in a Can-Am league and in Canadian championships from Montreal to Vancouver,” Helen recalls. “I really was not good enough for those championships, but I was the organizer so they had to keep me on the team.
computers, and then became a computer programmer. Helen still lives in the house she purchased many years ago close to the Waterloo Tennis Club. She walks to the club regularly, although she still drives and has recently passed her
“I have played a lot of badminton locally and in tournaments although I did not take up the game early in life. When Val Butler came to our club, she put me in some Masters tournaments and I found I could keep with the older players so I traveled from Halifax to Vancouver, and to Florida and California, playing in seniors and masters tournaments.” Helen grew up on a farm north-west of St. Mary’s (near Stratford, Ontario). Above: Celebrating her 90th birthday at the KW Badminton Club, Helen was given a plaque and flowers commemorating her dedication to badminton. From left to right: Angela Bukowski, Helen Nethercott and Brad Clarke Picture given by Angela Bukowski In the early days, hydro had not been put through rural Ontario, and the roads were not ploughed in winter. “My siblings and I played ping pong on the extended kitchen table. The corners were round so it was a different game,” she says.
driving test again.
How fitting that there is a ping pong table in the Helen Nethercott lounge now.
Helen’s dedication to athleticism is a source of inspiration to us all. On January 26, the afternoon ladies group at the KW Badminton Club got together to celebrate her 90th birthday. The Waterloo Tennis Club also threw her a celebration in her lounge. “I have been celebrating ever since,” she says with a smile.
Helen worked for B.F. Goodrich from 1945 until her retirement at age 68. She was trained in unit record equipment at a time before
Information graciously provided by Angela Bukowski and the Waterloo Tennis Club Members Newsletter.
Junior Club Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary The weekend of December 3’rd and 4’th saw the gym at All Saints Catholic Secondary School in Whitby filled with young badminton players, parents, and spectators as the Whitby Junior Badminton Club marked their 20’th anniversary with a Junior Invitational Tournament.
The Bowmanville Badminton Club has been in existence for over 70 years but its inception date is still a bit of a mystery. It has been said that the Bowmanville Club was THE social / sports club to belong to in the Durham Region town. The club was also known for hosting community dances over the years, which were known to be highlighted on many resident’s social calendar.
150 junior badminton players from various part of the province (including locally) played for trophies, points, bragging rights, and fun. Age categories ranged from under 13 to under 19. Tournament Chair, Karen Lue, stated “Interest in this tournament was strong from the start. Unfortunately we had to cap the entry list at 150. We could have registered a lot more but we ran out of court space!” The Whitby Junior Badminton Club was first put together, twenty years ago, by Coach Ted Feather along with interested parents and volunteers. Over the years the club has grown in size and popularity. Coach Feather is still involved with the club.
Below: Tournament Volunteers and Organizers Front row (l to r): Deb Aitken, Ted Feather Middle row: Don Tai, Catherine Stover, Karen Lue (tournament chair) Back row: Jim Fraser, Justin Lue
These dances of the past became top of mind to current members of the club when a postcard was discovered among the belongings of a deceased Bowmanville resident. The postcard was used as a promotional piece for a club sponsored “New Years Eve Frolic”. The event featured a 12 piece orchestra and was to be held at the club’s facility which was then located within Bowmanville’s downtown. The date? December 31, 1946.
For more information on the Whitby Junior Badminton Club visit www.juniorbadminton. org
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cry from the black and white TV’s and watching your favourite group sing for two minutes on the Ed Sullivan Show. I recently moved to Peterborough and could not resist using the lyrics in the songs on the Face Value to look back over the past 60 years living in Northern Ontario. The lyrics are out of context. However, I suspect that most of the younger generation will be asking “Who is Phil Collins”? So I can probably take liberty with the lyrics.
Tales from the
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In the early 1980’s my high school team attended a tournament in Brantford. We arrived early so we decided to explore the downtown area. I have always had two areas of interest – music and books. To my delight I stumbled across a music store.
but instead was offered an album by Phil Collins called Face Value. The cashier explained that Phil Collins was the lead singer in the super group Genesis and had now gone solo. I had not heard of Genesis or Phil Collins but gladly accepted this freebie.
The 60’s music played by the store further put me in the mood to rummage for records from my time period. I happen to glance at the sign above the door that clearly stated that if I could identify the tune, I would win an album. I could not believe my eyes. I inquired at the desk on whether or not this promotion was still on. The desk clerk verified that I could win an LP if I could name the tune. I immediately identified the Rolling Stone tune and anxiously waited my prize. I had hoped for an album from the 1960’s
Over the years tapes and walkmans replaced records and record players, which in turn have fallen on the way side to CD’s and IPods. I don’t have an IPod but I still enjoy much of the new music. I listened to the Phil Collins album the other night and it reminded me of my trip to Brantford. Over 30 years has passed since then and as much as it’s nice to dwell in the 60’s, the new technology has made life a great deal more interesting. 3 – D movies, music videos are a far
In his song “The Roof Is Leakin” Collins writes “The roof is leakin’ and the wind is howlin’ Kids are crying ‘cause the sheets are so cold.” …… Cos this winter looks like it’s gonna be another bad one.” Raised in a lumber camp a few miles outside of Larder Lake I vaguely recall the cold bedrooms. Later, the wood stove would be replaced by coal, then oil and finally gas when we moved into the city. It was not the central forced air that is in most homes today. It was a metal stove which depended on convection to move the heat into the other parts of the house, not unlike the modern wood stoves of today. The further away from the heat source the colder the temperature. Words fail to explain the delight that I experienced in the morning as I cuddled up to the stove. We were poor but not Shania Twain poor. We always had shelter and a meal on the table. For some the cold winter weather was a hin-
“Raised in a lumber camp a few miles outside of Larder Lake I vaguely recall the cold bedrooms. Words fail to explain the delight that I experienced in the morning as I cuddled up to the stove.”
“If you feel it do it, you don’t need a reason. For all you know it could be good for you.” Phil Collins
drance; but for me it was an opportunity to play road hockey. Later in life I would add ice hockey, badminton and cross country skiing to my list of winter activities. I would never describe my life in Northern Ontario as harsh. I have had considerable joy and good fortune. However, after 62 winters in the North, my wife and I have decided to move to a warmer climate. In another song “I’m not Moving” off the “Face Value” album Collins writes “If you feel it do it, you don’t need a reason. For all you know it could be good for you.” The above words perhaps best reflect my present mood. After living my entire life in the North my wife along with my father-in-law moved to Peterborough. I could list a number of reasons for the move but the bottom line is that it just feels right at this time in my life. In the last weekend of March 2011
the Timmins/Porcupine Badminton Club hosted the Porcupine Open – an adult feathered tournament. As I sat on the bleachers I looked around the faces in the gym, I had a chance to once again to reflect on my 37 years of coaching at Timmins High. There was Don and Tim from Sudbury, Shannon and Jeremy from North Bay; and Brad, Mike, Shannon, Kerri, Paul, Tim, Lyna, Tanya, Eddie and others. All had played on my high school team at some time. Luc, was also on the court playing mixed with his daughter. Luc and I first meant on the badminton court in the late 1960’s as competitors vying to qualify for the OFSAA Badminton Championships. We would both play in the first OFSAA Championships held in Parry Sound in 1969. We have since become good friends. Along side them were my future former players. This had been a year of self-doubt for me. So this tournament was good for my soul as I saw
so many familiar faces. We teased each other, we laughed and we reminisced. I plan on playing a lot of badminton next year in my new home. But I will definitely return to Timmins to play in the Porcupine Open so I can once again embrace the warmth and friendship of my former players. In the mean time I have made new friends at the Peterborough Badminton Club. I am amazed that a sport that I picked up in high school when I was 16 would play such an important role in my life. Frank Boulanger More Tales from the North coming in the next issue of the Shuttler. Above left: www.northerontario.travel/timmins Above middle: www.chrisdelladova.com Above right: www.canadasgreatoutdoors. com
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Above - top row from left to right: Philip Chow, Alan Ho, Don Hamilton, Jolande Amoraal, Eduardo Gregorio and Dr. Ken Ng Bottom row from left to right: Stephen Lim and Joyce Lai (TMYC) Above: Raymond Wong waits for the serve in the Mixed Doubles finals match at the York University Team Challenge February 26th. His team ‘LINjas’ won the Cup. Badminton Ontario helped York raise over $1800 for their badminton program.
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The Toronto Multicultural Youth Council’s annual badminton tournament raises money to support World Vision children. This year, Badminton Ontario jumped on board donating prizes and promotional assistance, and helped TMYC raise $5600 for World Vision. Their aim was to put this event on with zero cost to them and with the support of BOn and Markham Badminton Club, they succeeded. As the event generated a buzz within the community, the town of Markham took advantage of the high attendance and promoted their new Pan Am Badminton Facility, unveiling the building plans (as seen above).
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