the Shuttler magazine - Volume 1 Issue 3 by Badminton Ontario

shuttler the

Official Magazine of Badminton Ontario

THE TEAM

Canada Winter Games

Canadian Publications Mailing Agreement #40069570

$9.95 Volume 1 Issue 3 Fall 2010

6 8 12 17 18 22

smells like team spirit coaches corner lee jae bok the ontario powerhouse where are they now pan am exhibition cheering and heckling; when does it get out of hand?

with Mike de Belle. question for the coach? send an email to get your question in the next issue.

this world famous coach commands your attention

cover - who made the Canada winter games team

garnet tremblay is full of history, knowledge and good spirit

pan am team members put on a show of sportsmanship and finesse at this annual event

Badminton Ontario 209-3 Concorde Gate Toronto, Ontario M3C 3N7 tel: 416 426 7195 fax: 416 426 7346

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;badmntonontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

www.badmintonontario.ca jolande.amoraal@badmintonontario.ca

Opinions are always welcome! Write a letter to the editor. Deadline for submission is

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: James Duncan james.duncan@badmintonontario.ca

Director: Warren Brownlee warren.brownlee@badmintonontario.ca

Director: Eric Lee eric.lee@badmintonontario.ca

Director: Anne Lim anne.lim@badmintonontario.ca

Director: Jordan Hearn

jordan.hearn@badmintonontario.ca

District Presidents

ON THE COVER: Jessica Leung and Surabhi Kadam

March 1st, 2010.

TDBA: Pry Gnana pry@badmintonbirds.com

WOBA: Jeff Goldsworthy goldy@golden.net

ODBA: Fei Tam kanatajrbc@yahoo.ca

COBA: Russ leBlanc russleblanc@rogers.com

NOBA: Frank Boulanger nobafb@yahoo.ca

GBDBA: Alan Henry siralan.62rogers.com

Badminton Ontario gratefully acknowledges the funding support of the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport

“With initiatives like The Shuttler, players today have the potential and resources to become renowned Canadian icons.”

adminton is an old friend of mine. We go way back. I’ve been playing the sport longer than I’ve known any of my friends. If only I had been more physically gifted – with a taller stature or longer legs – it couldn’t have hurt my badminton career, but this was wishful thinking. I remember a time when I was on a streak of playing more badminton per week than doing homework or going to my classes (or in some cases, more badminton than sleeping!) Some days, I would spend as much as ten hours per day playing. I loved to play competitively, but I never entered competitive tournaments because I didn’t know of any. So, after nearly 15 years of dominating the “recreational league”, I quit the sport at age 23. I had never received training in the sport so I thought I had reached my maximum potential, and realistically I forecasted a dexterous landslide from there on. I was right, but only because I submitted to the idea rather than struggled to fight against it.

In September 2010, I revisited badminton from a photographer’s perspective. I had been

contacted by Badminton Ontario (formerly OBA) to organize a front-page cover shot for their magazine, “The Shuttler”. I met with Jolande Amoraal and we ran through some ideas. Both of us were impressed with a photo of Lin Dan, found on the web, on the cover of “International Badminton” magazine. It was blatantly photoshopped and lit up with strobes, but I was comfortable with recreating it. With her approval, I sought out to recreate that shot with our star model, Nyl Yakura, at the Mandarin Badminton Club in Markham. I won’t get into a biography of Nyl and his accomplishments. If you’re genuinely curious though, pick up a copy of “the Shuttler” - Summer 2010. To recreate the shot, I had requested a ladder and placed this right up at the net, center court. Then I asked Nyl to just start warming up and when he was ready, his coach would start feeding him birds to smash. Within 15-minutes, we got a front-page shot. Having this photo opportunity really made me reflect upon my original decision to quit playing badminton. Sure, I was shorter and probably couldn’t cover as much ground across the court as most of my opponents in the same amount of time; nor could I jump high enough to make up for my physical height disadvantages, but those are the facts of life and I can’t do anything to change that. What

probably got me down most was not having the right exposure to badminton culture in the first place, especially in Ontario. If I saw today’s Shuttler, back when I used to play, I may not have quit so readily, but I would go on to seek greater challenges in the sport. I would have been motivated to seek out a coach at a competitive club. I would have learned healthy, badminton culture. More exposure to the culture is encouragement for younger generations to stick with it. Badminton presence in Canada is growing. With initiatives like The Shuttler, players today have the potential and resources to become renowned Canadian icons. These were the opportunities that were not readily presented to me growing up. My involvement with badminton has not ended. The focus has changed. Badminton culture has many facets and we need all of them – players, coaches, organizers, clubs, referees and lines-people, icons et al. – to grow. Now that I’m taking badminton photos, I want my photos to be used for the purposes of promoting badminton culture. I want people to see the photos and think the sport is worthwhile today and part of a meaningful history tomorrow. Terry Ting - Photojournalist

YONEX NATIONAL ONI P S T N H

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201 1 JANUARY 27-30 HOSTED AT: HUMBER COLLEGE, TORONTO ONTARIO WWW.2011NATIONALBADMINTONCHAMPIONSHIPS.CA

Smells Like

TeamSpirit Sideline cheering at any sporting event is a great way to get the crowd personally involved and can potentially enhance an athletes’ performance. On the other hand, crowd heckling can cause an athlete to mentally break down. When is enough, enough? Cheering and heckling seems to have originated in Rome in the Gladiator and Chariot racing days. After centuries of perfecting the perfect heckle, from throwing tomatoes at Shakespeare to “we need a pitcher, not a belly itcher” in Softball, new ways to cheer and heckle have evolved with sport.

training, which strengthens their minds from crowd heckling and allows them to look past the negativity and perform at their best no matter what. Some professionals don’t realize the potential benefit of mental strength until well into their career. “I think I’ve always had the shots. But in the past, I’ve suffered too many mental lapses. Now, I’m starting to get away from that, and my mental discipline and commitment to the game are much better. I think I’m really taking a good look at the big picture. That’s the difference between being around for the final or watching the final from my sofa at home.” Andre Agassi

Badminton and other sports like Golf seem to be an exception to the avid cheering and encouragement found in most sports. These sports have derived from what’s called a gentleman’s sport hence the ‘golf clap’. At the 2010 Ontario Winter Games however, it was believed that the encouraging cheering from teammates was a key factor in the success of one of the teams. Most of the athletes at that age are in high school, or there about, and are likely multi-sport athletes. Coming out of the OFSAA Volleyball season into the Badminton season, going from a team sport to an individual sport, it can be easy to bring the atmosphere from one to the other. In professional sports, crowd involvement is a major part of every game. Fans wear team colours, paint their bodies and support their chosen team by cheering and/or heckling. At any Toronto FC game it would be a shock to see someone not dressed in red or not singing along with the 40 cheers every fan has memorized. The atmosphere after leaving a game like this leaves adrenaline pumping through your body for days. This is what fans come for.

Professional athletes are usually given mental

''Ask yourself is it right or wrong and act accordingly.'' Otto Graham, Jr. In amateur sport, although mental training should be introduced in high performance training, with limited training time it often gets bumped to the sidelines. The aspect of sportsmanship and fair play should be encouraged by all parents and coaches, at every age. Although a bit of taunting seems relatively harmless, aggressive heckling should be discouraged as younger athletes do not possess the same mental strength as that of a professional. It is understandable to most that the aspects of badminton have changed over the years, but the aspects of sportsmanship have not. Often it’s easy to start yelling in a positive way

and throughout the course of a game it can start to turn negative. It’s really important to not let your emotions and frustrations while watching a game get the best of your vocalization. Out of respect for the players and their opponents, loud cheering should be carefully executed. “The difference between cheering and yelling lies in your words and tone of voice,” Sports Psychology for Dummies tells us. In badminton, any noise has a greater effect than you think. In any gym, there is likely more than one court where yelling could be distruptive. “Yelling is not cheering; it is annoying, interruptive, [and] invasive to all who are on the other courts. Cheering does not do that,” says Edith Hayman, a Level III Coach at Brantford Junior BC. At some amateur sporting events, parents and athletes are even required to sign sportsmanship waivers before a game. It is understandable; the whole point of heckling the opposition is to disrupt their momentum and get them out of their comfort zone. But sometimes, fans and supporters can take it too far. As a fellow athlete, what should you do to ensure your heckling isn’t getting too far out of hand? Put yourself in their shoes. If the elevation of your voice is disrupting other matches or getting to the point where it’s just plain mean, maybe it’s time to take a step away from the game and re-group. Good sportsmanship is shown by someone who “exhibits qualities highly regarded in sport, such as fairness, generosity, and good humour when losing”, dictionary.com and ultimately, is admired and respected by all.

Belle e D e k i with M

S E H C A

R E N R O

Doubles Tactic Drill - RTC By Mike de Belle Head Badminton Pro, The Granite Club One of the biggest mistakes I see doubles players of all levels make is to clear the bird when they don’t need to and thereby give their opponents an easy chance to attack. What’s the first shot that every player wants to learn; the BIG SMASH. Even a mediocre player can have a pretty good one. The goal of this drill is to deny our opponents the opportunity to smash, and instead force them to lift to us and give us the chance to smash at them. Remember; in doubles, the team that attacks more usually wins more. So we came up with the Return to Centre Drill (RTC). This drill is for the rear court position of an attacking doubles team. It teaches them to:

1) Hit the bird to the centre of their opponent’s court. This is a good spot because it puts the bird between the two opponents who should be in the “sides” defense position. 2) Cover both the rear court as well as the mid-court area including the underhand, midcourt position behind their net partner. 3) Hit the bird back to the centre net with accuracy, deception and consistency even when slightly out of position instead of clearing. The Drill: 1 Feeder (using 1 or 2 birds), 1 runner

The Feeder (F) stands almost at the T position at the centre slightly back from the net so they can respond to a variety of fast and slow drops with drives, pushes and underhand clears (diagram shows feeder and runner positions and shots hit by feeder.) The Runner (R) stands in the rear court attacking “base” position, just in front of the doubles long service line so they can cover rear court clears (long arrows in diagram) AND mid court push shots and drives (short arrows) that, in a game might get past their net partner. The Runner must make an effort to return to their base in between shots. For high clears, the runner gets behind the bird and hits a drop (slow or fast, whatever they choose) to the centre net position (see left). For lower, faster clears, the runner must cut the shuttle off as soon as possible and “funnel” the shot tight to the centre

net (see right). The same applies to mid-court push shot returns to the sides and centre. All shots are aimed to the centre net position. At first, the runner may not have very long rallies because they don’t have the accuracy or stamina to move around

the court and still hit tight shots to the net. Over time, the runner will learn to cover the rear court more effectively and be better balanced. As their accuracy increases, so will their confidence in their ability to accurately funnel the bird to the centre net position. This means that instead of clearing all the time when in trouble, they will be able to block shots to the net and help maintain their attack. This will also help keep the net partner from backing up every time their rear court partner is slightly out of position. They will stay at net more often and maintain net pressure forcing opponents to lift. This drill is one that my doubles partner, Mike Bitten and I used daily when we competed internationally. It reduced our clears and helped control some of the attacking abilities of the world’s top heavy hitters. It’s a drill I still use today with many of our top Granite juniors. Thanks to Stephanie Yeung for help with the pictures and Riley Goss and Rachel Honderich along with Stephanie for help with the video. To see a video of the drill, go to: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=qDwgrorThXg

NOBA eight years in the making Northern Ontario has a long history of badminton. We can trace back our beginnings to the 1920’s. The McIntyre Arena in Timmins, which is a smaller replica of the Maple Leaf Gardens, boasted a curling and hockey rink as well as a gym to play badminton. Rouyn – Noranda’s set-up down the road was much more impressive. They had nine courts to our three, but again it was located adjacent to the hockey rink. As you can imagine, hockey is a popular sport in the north. When I arrived on the scene in the 1970’s, badminton was flourishing in Northern Ontario. There was a Northern Ontario – Northern Quebec adult circuit that included tournaments in Timmins, Kapuskasing, New Liskeard, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Lasarre and Rouyn- Noranda. It was not uncommon to have over 200 participants at each tournament. I recall several 3 a.m. matches that I had to endure as a player. With only 3 – 4 courts and a late start on Friday, early morning matches were common for those unfortunate enough to drop into the “B” and “C” Flights. On the other hand, the biggest challenge was not always the late nighters. Mother Nature would occasionally dump a storm on us to test our driving skills. Surprisingly, it was April not January or February that was the worst month. For years I thought The Northern [tournament] and winter had some sort of symbiotic relationship. When caught in a storm you could not just pull over in the nearest town. The nearest town could be hours away. Even if you reached a town there was no guarantee that there would be any rooms available. Every northerner has a story about the three-hour-turned-sixhour trip because of a storm, or a close encounter with a moose.

In any case, the circuit culminated with our district championship, which was

fondly referred to as The Northern and dates back to 1927. Glancing at the past winners you would find names that many of the older crowd might recognize - Lucio Fabris (3 national junior titles) , John Gilbert (Canadian Hall of Fame inductee), Lillian Cozzarini and Ed Hreljac. Many of the above were members of the Creighton Mines club just outside Sudbury. Ev Staples, who would create some of the early badminton instruction books, was their coach. He was an outstanding coach that was ahead of his time. I never had the honour of meeting him, but did see firsthand the results of his commitment and dedication. At the first OFSAA Championships in 1969 (Parry Sound), his players dominated, winning all five events. For the most part there were no junior tournaments in the early years; juniors gained experience by competing in the adult tournaments. The first NOBA Junior Championship took place in 1976. In its inaugural year Quebec players were allowed to enter. Denyse Julien and her partner were champions in the under 19 ladies’ doubles.

billet over 100 players. The draw was the easiest part of the tournament as each year I would scramble to find a place for the out of town competitors. Some homes would have 7 – 10 billets. It was, however, a wonderful way to meet new friends. On one such trip, my players decided to stay in a hotel in Oakville and were enjoying a swim in the pool after two days of playing badminton, when I received a call from another coach. The coach asked if my player could complete the singles final that night instead of his, so he could head out to his hometown in Northern Ontario. I did not recognize the name of the place and assumed it must be somewhere in Northwestern Ontario. I had some empathy for the coach, having travelled 10 hours to get to Brantford, so I obliged. During the match I asked him where Alliston was located and was stunned when I was told it was near Barrie. There is a reason most northerners do not compete in the tournaments in Southern Ontario. North Bay is the most southerly point in our region and it is four hours north of Toronto by car. It is six hours from Timmins to Sault Ste. Marie. NOBA is a huge district with only four cities with more than 40,000 people. A short trip is a two – three hour drive.

“Over time the Northern Shuttle would evolve into Ontario Badminton Today and eventually to the Shuttler Magazine.”

Denyse would go on to become one of Canada’s strongest female badminton players. Between 1981 and 2001 she won a record 31 Canadian National Championship events including 13 in ladies’ singles. Ajax, Ottawa and Brantford became the junior circuit for the Timmins Jr. Club. The players would be billeted by the host club, which was a common practice for most tournaments. For my tournament in Timmins I would often

Although the distances are great, there is considerable camaraderie amongst the coaches and players of Northern Ontario. Email (for the older folks) and text messaging and Facebook (younger generation) have made it possible to bridge the distances between the NOBA

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continued from page 10 clubs. Before the computer revolution, when we produced documents using a type writer and developed our camera film, two Kapuskasing coaches, Rosemary Moore and Bev Green, created the Northern Shuttle. The Northern Shuttle was a magazine

that focused on tournaments and other activities within the NOBA district. This was particularly important as Northern Ontario developed its own junior circuit. The convener would submit the tournament results and pictures (black and white) to Bev and Rosemary. We would all look forward to the arrival of the Northern Shuttle. Over time the Northern Shuttle would evolve into the Ontario Badminton Today and eventually to the Shuttler magazine.

Victor Racquets Canada Suite 105- 338 West 8th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 3X2 Phone 604-875-1070 Toll Free 1-877-8751070 www.victorracquets.com

I have enjoyed my excursion into NOBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past, and hope you can also enjoy these brief moments in history with our District. If I have peaked your interest, NOBA donated a booklet, 50 Years of the Northern, to the Ontario Hall of Fame several years ago. This booklet reflects NOBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history in much more detail. Frank Boulanger NOBA President

lee jae bok 12

It’s Saturday, September 18 and it’s been a long day. The location is Burlington’s Cedar Springs Racquet Club. District presidents and executive members of Badminton Ontario have been participating in daylong meetings, while a large group of district facilitators (along with badminton enthusiasts from across Ontario) have spent the day attending officiating training clinics and testing. It’s all part of Badminton Ontario’s Fall General Meeting, Officiating, and Play Event. Despite evening’s arrival most have decided to stay. Not so much for the BBQ dinner (which received positive reviews) but for what follows, a “badminton event”. Sure it can also be described as a clinic or demonstration. What makes it an “event” is the facilitator, world-renowned badminton coach Lee Jae-Bok. Lee Jae-Boks’ badminton portfolio is extensive to say the least. As a player, he has won a number of national championships in his home country of Korea and has achieved world badminton elite status. But that was in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s. It wasn’t until 1986 when his badminton career expanded. That expansion introduced him to a new badminton opportunity where he became known as one of the world’s best. That opportunity was coaching. Lee Jae-Bok has traveled many miles as a badminton coach and featured speaker. He has coached national teams for both his home country (Korea) and for his present country of residence (England). Along the way Lee Jae-Bok has also attained an impressive scholastic resume that includes a Masters Degree in Physical Education and a Ph D in Sports Policy. As dinner concludes we head to the badminton courts to see the evenings’ main event. As the P.A. voices the introduction we are reminded that Lee Jae-Bok is not alone for this badminton demonstration. A very able assistant, his wife Lee

Young-Suk, accompanies him. Suk is a worldrenowned badminton player in her own right. She is a former Korean Women’s Singles and Doubles champion and has been ranked #2 in the world in the Women’s Singles Division. As Lee Jae-Bok makes his way to center court it’s clear that despite the crowd there is no microphone needed. He’s become totally familiar with this sort of thing both on video and during

Above: COBA President Russ Le Blanc interviews Lee Jae Bok for the COBA online podcast. www.cobaonline.net his many live presentations. His wife runs on to join him with a bit of a light-hearted skip in her step. Together for the next 60 + minutes the two will amaze, instruct, and inspire their audience through demonstration and audience participation. The husband and wife team will not only go over the proper way to perform a shot they display how many of us handle that same shot, the wrong way. All this mixed in with a bit of humor (including the benefit of hitting a shuttle with the racquet head cover still on). The crowd eats it up. There’s a common theme throughout the evening. It deals with both the body and the mind. Bok can best describe it as “Madness”, yet this isn’t about insanity. It’s a mixture of

Above: Lee Jae Bok shows a Masters player his version of the ‘grip’.

mental and physical readiness that surpasses the line of extreme passion. It’s also not about “doing one’s best” as Bok so aptly explained. “If someone tells me they’ve done their “best” you can be sure they’ll surpass that “best” if a large amount of money is on the line. They’ll even surpass that achievement if you hold a gun to heir head. Not that I would ever do that” said Bok with a wide grin. We all get the point and respond with loud applause and laughter. He goes on to tell us that we should apply this “madness” approach in all aspects of the game including warm ups. Despite this “madness” Bok was also quick to point out the importance of an element of respect for one’s opponent, especially when playing people of lower badminton capabilities than your own. Never flaunt or taunt is the message. When it comes to coaching/teaching respect is a key element for his students to remember. Bok disclosed even his younger students are treated in a sort of military style. At the conclusion of the class the students are required to line up at attention until they are dismissed. Bok later told me it adds structure to the class while stressing the importance of being alert. Having viewed all this personally, I can honestly say the coach from Korea presented strategies that will prove beneficial on the court. You also take those strategies a step further by using them off the court in everyday life. Not bad for a man who was teased as a

The former world class athlete turned world renowned coach visited Badminton Ontario at Cedar Springs Sportsclub in Burlington, Ontario and sparked intrigue in the hearts of badminton players young and old alike.

Above: Lee Jae Bok demonstrates his coaching methods.

young boy for showing interest in “a girly sport” (badminton). Not bad at all. Russ Le Blanc COBA president yourgoals@gmail.com

Above: Lee Yung Sook advises Kwok Wai Chan.

Above: Lee Jae Bok and Lee Yung Sook give Badminton Ontario President Eduardo Gregorio one of their signature coaching tools.

Georgian Bay district badminton association: reports New clubs are beginning to pop up in GBDBA. Both Midland and Gravenhurst will start play in November and with a little luck, Huntsville will be joining in. Midland is starting a junior club and is lucky to be able to draw on resources found

in their adult club. Gravenhurst is looking at setting up a blended high school/adult club. This is in part a resurrection of a club that existed about 10 years ago. Although spearheaded by eager and knowledgable individuals (Lisa Morrison – Midland and Jim Lynch – Gravenhurst) there is already good support staff in each location. In each town a meeting of interested people was organized, ideas were exchanged and people went to work finding and booking facilities and then looking after the nitty-gritty details of establishing the club. Both clubs are making use of the B.On Club Start-up Grant that enables them to book facilities and obtain needed equipment to get started. Both clubs have access to racquets supplied by GBDBA in cooperation with Black Knight. These can be purchased by the clubs starting next season or returned to be used

by other starter clubs. For more information on the B.On Club Startup Grant, email warren.brownlee@ badmintonontario.ca Moving to competitive play, Bracebridge Knight Hawks is hosting a new style tournament based on the team concept. Everyone seems to agree that the idea of ‘team’ adds more ‘fun’ to the game. Teams are composed of only 4 players so that they can usually fit in one vehicle and make the scenic voyage to Bracebridge. Details can be found on the B.On website www.badmintonontario.ca or the Knight Hawks website www.bracebridgeknighthawks.ca Finally GBDBA is hosting a coaching/ lines judge clinic in Midland on Nov. 13, 2010. Roger Wallis will cover the first two modules of ‘Essentials’, the new community coaching course and then an hour will be devoted to training potential linesmen for the Pan Am Games.

GBDBA

FUNdamentals program for the young

For more info:

warren.brownlee@badmintonontario.ca

GET ACTIVE! 14

GETINVOLVED!

Gatorade has longstanding been the drink of choice for athletes in all sports. The sugar concentration in a bottle of Gatorade matches that of a cola or fruit juice, just not in sweetness. This allows the uniqueness of the drink to become a thirst quencher, whereas drinks high in sweetness can cause dehydration.

can it help you?

Many people question whether Gatorade is healthy enough to drink on a daily basis. With so much information on personal health and wellness available at our fingertips, it’s much easier to identify the risks and benefits to everything we do, and everything we ingest. Gatorade was created for high performance athletes who were not able to restore the nutrients their bodies needed after a vigorous workout regime. It was invented by researchers at the University of Florida. The humidity in Florida’s swampy area was dehydrating their football athletes unusually more than athletes in the rest of the NCAA, leading them to lose the majority of their home games. Because of this, coaches and supporters took it upon themselves to identify the reason for the mass dehydration.

Often the best inventions are created out of necessity. This sports

The Morton Lite Salt in Recipe #1 provides more potassium than what you would find in Gatorade. Potassium is an important mineral to prevent muscle cramping but can cause soft bowel movements. When used over a long period of time, it can also reduce hypertension. Homemade Gatordade 14.2 grams carbohydrate (6%) 53 calories 103 mg Sodium 121 mg Potassium Gatorade TM 14grams Carbohydrate (5.9%) 110 mg Sodium 30mg Potassium 52 Calories

drink was so well invented that to this day, the ingredients in Gatorade have not changed.

make your own gatorade!

The mascot of the University was the Gator’s, hence the name ‘Gatorade’. The drink completely changed the outcome of the team and two years later helped them win their first ‘Orange Bowl’ in 1967. That year it became the official sports drink of the NFL.

Recipe #2 ½ cup Orange Juice 9 tbs. sugar 3/8 tsp salt Water to make 2 liters

Dr. Jeff Goldsworthy has a simple solution for making Gatorade at home, which can be altered to an athlete’s specific needs and tastes. Recipe #1 for Homemade Gatorade 5/8 cup sugar ¾ tsp. Morton Lite Salt 1 pkg. of unsweetened fruit drink Water to make 2 liters

If you wish to match the potassium to that of real Gatorade, reduce the Morton Lite Salt by half and replace it with regular salt. This will increase the sodium to match Gatorade as well. If you wish to stay away form the sugar you can use fructose or sucrose and even honey can provide the sweetness. However, fructose and honey do not stimulate the insulin effect you get from sugar (glucose) or sucrose. You can make this drink with any flavor you want, Kool-Aid and Freshie provide a great flavor base for your personal Gatorade. For more information on Dr. Jeff Goldsworthy, visit www.goldsworthywellness.com

“the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” tommy lasorda

michelle

& alex

Alex Bruce of the Badminton & Racquet Club and Michelle Li of Lee’s Training Centre, two of Ontario’s and Canada’s premier players, are currently experiencing an exceedingly busy schedule. Starting with the Commonwealth Games in India, followed immediately by the Pan American Badminton Championships in Brazil, then returning to Canada for the Team Canada tryouts, and squeezing in the Badminton Pan Am Exhibition in Markham, they are finally heading off to Puerto Rico on another International Tournament in pursuit of their next big dream; qualifying for the Olympics. Both players appear to be enjoying their experiences on and off the court, and to be enjoying their successes as well as learning from their defeats as they move even higher in the world of badminton. They delayed their arrival at the Commonwealth Games and were much relieved to find everything in reasonable working order and only some minor inconveniences. The gardening had not been completed and the floor was not friendly to bare feet but luckily, the women’s quarters had the hot water. They could relax and focus on all aspects of the tournament. On the social side they found it rewarding to meet and make friends with their fellow Canadian athletes par-

ticipating in other disciplines as it was with those from other countries. Alex was spellbound by her visit to the Taj Mahal and has been enjoying her brief exposures to other parts of the world. On the courts they were satisfied with their results feeling that their expectations had been met if not slightly exceeded. In doubles they opened tentatively against a Nigerian team who played with great desire. After a very tight 26-24 first game victory the girls settled down to win the second 2111. Second round saw the girls lose to a much more experienced Australian team 21-19, 21-9. In singles Alex unfortunately had to confront Anna Rice. Playing your own for anything less than a medal certainly detracts from one’s competitive drive. In the round of 16 Michelle defeated the seeded Singaporian Xing Aiying in 3 games. This major victory for Michelle admittedly made her more nervous in the next match against Liz Cann of England, the eventual Bronze medalist, who Michelle now felt she ‘should’ have been able to beat. Both of these matches were played the same day so there was little time to refocus between matches. On to Brazil and the Pan Am Championships where Canadians experienced abundant success on the podium. Alex and Michelle won the silver medal in Ladies Doubles losing to fellow Canadians Jocelyn Ko and Grace Gao. Michelle was silver medalist again in Singles losing to first seeded American Cee Ketpura 21-19 in the third game after have disposed of second seeded American Rena Wang in the semi-finals. Michelle was disappointed as she had already played and defeated Cee twice in the Team Event. Our Canadian Team went on to dominate the Team Event, taking home a Gold medal. For more information on these two super young ladies or any of our other national players check out the new Badminton Canada website. www.badminton.ca Warren Brownlee Badminton Ontario Director of Junior Development

Above: Surabhi Kadam (cover) When it comes to this game, nothing can stop these athletes from representing their province at the largest multi-sporting event in Canada. October 29-31st the Badminton and Racquet Club in Toronto hosted the Team Ontario Selection Tournament. Head coach Stephane Cadieux and assistant coach Melissa Hill organized the trials. The following team was selected based on the Selection Criteria, was determined by the Selection Committee and are subject to appeals:

Above: Nathan Lee

Above: Andrew Tai-Pow

Michelle Li

Lee’s Badminton Training Centre

Alex Bruce

The Badminton & Racquet Club

Tracy Wong

Mandarin Badminton Club/Humber College

Surabhi Kadam

The Badminton & Racquet Club

Below: Tracy Wong

Bethany So

Lee’s Badminton Training Centre

Joseph Rogers The RA Centre

Nyl Yakura

Mandarin Badminton Club

Andrew Tai-Pow E Badminton Club

Nathan Lee

Suria Badminton Club

Peter Butler

The Badminton & Racquet Club

“my potential is endless” -kenlo 17

where are they now? Spending time with Garnet Tremblay is totally enjoyable and very educational. He says that he is the luckiest man in the world to have his 4 children and 11 grandchildren; all happy, involved and successful. But you know that it isn’t luck so much as it is Garnet and his wife Marilyn. Garnet’s father was moved, somewhat involuntarily, during the depression from Midland to Gravenhurst where there was a need for a shoe repairman. Garnet was refused entry into hockey because he was Catholic in an obviously staunch Protestant town. He was introduced to badminton and being an active lad who also loved to run he fell in love with the sport. Soon he was playing with the Orillia Garrison Club to find stiffer competition. He became the player to beat in Singles throughout the Muskoka-Parry Sound-Georgian Bay Region during the 50’s and early 60’s and once won the Provincial ‘C’ Singles title. His first match in this tournament had been against local Jim Lynch. Jim was heavily favoured to win but Garnet, in his wiley way, let it be known to Jim’s wife Nancy that he had been training hard for this match and was ready to take it to Jim. This little bit of psychological warfare gave him an edge in the beginning of the match but Jim soon figured out the truth and went on to defeat Garnet.

Garnet’s energy and love of people led him to help in several ways. He ran a badminton club in Bracebridge throughout the 70’s and 80’s. His sons (Mark and Chris) and daughters (Beth and Lisa) all had the opportunity of developing their skills in this club. They all had success at the local level in badminton but Mark became something special. This legacy lives on in Bracebridge as Lisa helps coach in the local Knight Hawks and her

daughter, Abby, is in her second year of play. Mark is now Dr. Tremblay, doctor of kinesiology and resides in Ottawa. He travels the world extensively helping to hospitals establishing units to deal with obesity in all its forms.

used adults and Mark qualified even though he was still a junior. The placement of the team in the tournament is not remembered but Garnet remembers that at the ripe old age of about 45 he had to play some Mixed matches due to an injury to one of his players. With still more to give Garnet was President of GBDBA and for years was their OBA rep. That’s just his badminton history in a nutshell but all the little stories that go along with it – if there was only enough space.

Mark showed an avid interest and ability for badminton. So much so that when he was denied access to the Muskoka-Parry Sound School Championships at the age of 16 he moved to “[Garnet] became the player Lively near For instance...there to beat in Singles throughout Sudbury to be is a little town near the Muskoka-Parry Sound- Severn Bridge called coached by Ev Staples. Georgian Bay Region during Whiteside. A fellow The Lively named Bud Taylor the 50’s and early 60’s” team was very was digging his powerful during this time period and Mark basement and found that it was quicksand. was their strongest male player. In 1979 The So after much digging he ended up with a Lively team managed to edge out teams from space large enough for a badminton court and Toronto and Kitchener in their bid to represent the Whiteside Badminton Club was formed, Ontario at the Pepsi Junior Team Tournament producing some decent local players although held in New Brunswick where they finished only having about 6 members (the estimated third. size of Whiteside)! Mark also managed to qualify for the Georgian Bay Winter Games Team coached by his father Garnet. At that time the Winter Games

For League Plays the players from Huntsville, Bracebridge, Parry Sound, Gravenhurst and Port Sydney would go to the Utterson Community Hall and wait patiently for their turn to play on the single court with a height of no more than 15 feet. Badminton was obviously a social event in those days! Warren Brownlee Badminton Ontario Director of Junior Development

Ottawa Junior Development Committee The ODBA Junior Development Committee (OJDC) is part of the broader Ottawa and District Badminton Association (ODBA). As part of its commitment to promote the sport of badminton to local youth, the OJDC’s Objectives for 20102011are to: 1.IncreaseJunior Club Enrollment 2. Increase ODBA Tournament Participation 3. Develop a 2010-11 Fundraising Program 4. Promote junior coaching development opportunities and partnerships 5. Increase female participation in the sport of badminton In order to achieve these objectives, the Committee will do the following : 1. Organize 3 District Junior Badminton Tournaments: - October 9-10, 2010: the Ontario Winter Games Fundraiser Tournament - December 10-11, 2010: The Holiday Junior Open - February, 19-20, 2011: The 2011Bob O’Reilly District Championships 2. Hold the JDC Xmas Fundraiser Team Open on December 12 - $500 in cash prizes to winning teams! 3. Conduct a Gender Based Analysis and Literature Review to study junior female participation. 4. Develop a fundraising “Carpool Incen-

tive Program”. 5. Increase Visibility of the OJDC through Social Networking sites (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter). For more information on upcoming OJDC initiatives, please visit www.ottawabadminton.ca or find us on Facebook - Jdc Odba!

In other news In September, Sunday Badminton Drop-in has found a new location after lost gym contract in June. Since running at Holy Trinity Catholic High School, the Drop-in program has recruited more volunteers from Kanata than from the previous location.

Upcoming tournaments

Xmas Junior Open December 11-12, 2010 ODBA Seniors and Masters Open January 15-16, 2011 The Spin Yonex Junior Open February 5-6, 2011 Mark Grantham Team Challenge February 5-6, 2011

Line Judge Training In October, ODBA had held two junior tournaments and one Line judge Training. The first Line Judge Training was held in Oct 24 at Holy Trinity Catholic High School. 30 people had attended and it well very well. The second one is scheduled to Nov 28 in the same location.

ODBA Board of Directors Two university new graduates joined the board and now ODBA had a full board again:

President – Fei Tam Vice-President – Kevin Willington Secretary – Ferdy Doreleyers Treasurer – Jianguo Zhou Director of Senior Development – Michael Tran Director of Junior Development – Dan Leblanc Director of Marketing – Victor Liang Director of Leadership Development – Eugene Lee Director at large – John Russell

PAN AM

Exhibition November 2nd, 2010 was circled in red permanent marker on the calendars of most families in Markham and the GTA. That day marked the arrival of the Pan Am Exhibition, hosted by the newly established Markham Badminton Club. Many former and current Pan Am medalists gathered to demonstrate the intensity and speed at which the game can evolve to.

table court was set up and matches were umpired with service and 10 lines judge officials for the evening. It was an extremely successful evening and was reported by several local newspapers, Fairchild TV and Rogers TV.” (for links, visit the website www.badmintonontario.ca)

are also the home club to many of the Pan Am exhibitionists. Bio-Ped, Everyday Badminton and MAX Sports all helped bring this event to life with their generous donations. It seemed that almost everyone in the gym walked away with a gift that evening.

It truly is a new era in Badminton, especially with Eduardo Gregothe anticipation of the Games. Like Lee Boyadjian rio, president of Nyl Yakura of Rogers TV said, “This week Badminton Ontario claimed it was last year Toronto and the GTA sums up the event, an exhibition like were awarded the 2015 Pan “This was great for this with Andrew Am games. Since then debate MBC, the commuDabeka - former has raged regarding the locanity and badminton Olympian - that tion for each event. It’s already in general and was inspired him. been decided Markham will a reaffirmation host the badminton event but that badminton is With an an exact location is still undetruly ageless and expected 300 cided.” The Exhibition was held has managed to Nyl Yakura - Junior Pan Am triple Gold medalist in hopes to show the Markham attendees, Philip Chow - President of pull friends and Markham Baminton Club families together observers started piling in early to get a good seat. Council that badminton is a big attraction. A Right up until the start of the first match, additional location has not been established yet after some 25 seats had to be found as over 600 people were in but with many interested parties, the years. Badminattendance. The evening boasted Tips from the possibility of a new venue seems within ton has always Pros; a hands on coaching experience with the reach. had a unique Exhibitionists, as well as a chance to play with social developthem after the matches. The Summer issue of The mayor of Markham Frank Scarpitti ment aspect to it the Shuttler was given to every attendee, with a sent his condolences on his absence especially when chance to have the Cover star, Nyl Yakura – Triple due to a town meeting, but addressed friends and family Gold medalist at the 2010 Junior Pan Am’s – auto- his enthusiasm in a letter. “I commend play side-by-side graph their copy. the Markham Badminton or with parents on Club for providing a healthy the same court Andrew Lau offers coaching advice “A major step forward and safe environment where with their kids. for badminton as the families can come together for a fun or It’s one of the unique sports in which kids learn Markham badminton competitive game of badminton.” He goes and develop by example and has an ageless conclub and Badminton on to say, “As Mayor, I am proud of the nection among friends and family members.” Ontario host their first remarkable success [MBC] has enjoyed Annual Markham Pan and I am pleased to have this opportunity Philip Chow agrees with the President and added Am Exhibitions. to welcome you to our community to enjoy he knew it was a succes when his 7 year old The promotional event some of the best badminton Ontario has nephew approached him and said, “When I grow was the brainchild of to offer.” up, I want to play like them.” MBC, a relatively new Michelle Li - 3 silver 1 gold at The event was not only sponsored by grassroots club in “As clubs and athletes, we compete. This is what 2010 Pan Am Championships Badminton Ontario but several other local Markham that boasts makes us human. On November 2nd, 2010, we co400 members only after two years of operation. businesses were keen to get involved. Lee’s Badoperated as a Badminton community for the sport B.On sponsored the event engaging local clubs minton Training Centre and Mandarin Badminton that we love. I called it “co-petition”. This, to me, is and athletes to participate in the exhibition. A por- Club both supported the event with prizes and truly the gift of badminton, “ Philip Chow.

i everyone, I have been in Denmark training, coaching, and competing for the club team Ikast in the Danish Badmintonligaen for seven weeks now. It has turned out to be a great opportunity for me to improve my game and get some great competition. The format of play for each team match in the Danish Badmintonligaen is: women’s singles, first men’s singles, second men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles. No competitor can play in more than one team

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match. If after the six matches, the competing clubs three wins then there is a ‘Golden Set’. The team coaches meet up and throw away an event until they are left with one event that will be played as one game to twenty-one. For this match, each team can put in any player/ players, without regard for who played in the earlier matches. This is a very exciting format that really mixes things up. The Danish Badmintonligaen has some of the strongest players in the world, including Joachim Persson, Tine Baun, Robert Mateusiak, Nadiezda Zeiba, Kamilla Juhl, Thomas Laybourn, Jens Eriksen, Lars Passke, and up and coming junior badminton star, Viktor Axelsen. My first team match was against Peter Gade’s team--Skælskør-Slagelse. I played the mixed with my teammate Henrik Hansen against Joachim Fischer Nielson (2009 Bronze Medalist at World’s) and Britta Andersen (one of the top mixed players in Denmark). We went three games with them. My first week in Denmark, first time playing with Henrik and we were able to take a game

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off of this awesome team. This was huge for me!

My Danish blog—Net 2 Net at www.fionamckee.ca

Throughout Denmark, badminton is played in buildings dedicated to badminton with sprung floors, high ceilings and proper lighting. Some of the facilities might be shared with other sports such as handball, which is also a very popular sport in Denmark. As a result, Denmark has A, B & C leagues with tournaments for all levels of players. Over a hundred paying spectators come out to every team match with team matches broadcast live.

PS -- Food is great in Denmark--very healthy-especially the liver and beets, except for Saturday at the Sports School where I live. They serve warm fresh baked bread with butter and then place wafers of milk chocolate on top that melt into the butter—delicious.

Badminton is a highly respected sport in Denmark and the average person knows how competitive top international badminton can be. As I travel throughout Denmark for the matches, I see advertisements for badminton and media coverage of individual players. To play high-level badminton in Denmark, and be amongst players and spectators that love the sport as much as I do, is truly a special experience.

upcoming tournaments: Xmas Junior Open Dec 11-12 Sudbury Junior U16/U19 Dec 12-13 National Junior & Senior Elite Moncton Dec 17-19 George Brown Invitational Dec 18-19 Varsity Blues Marathon Dec 18 Timmins Junior U12/U14 Dec 19-20 Fanshawe Invitational Dec 19-21 ODBA Adult Championships Dec 19-21 Toronto Open Jan 7-9 Junior High Performance #4 U16/U19 Jan 7-9 WOBA Open ABCD Jan 14-16 Junior High Performance #4 U10/U12/U14 Jan 15-16 Junior B #3 Jan 15-16

Above: A Junior B tournament held at Whitby Junior Badminton Club November 6, 2010.

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up nd fire a e m e fla d. g off th d gingerbrea lo a e Gold: Helen Ng ak an think. T for egg nog u Silver: Kelly Carter o y n l we tha o r t e e n h Bronze: Katie Ho-Shue/Natalie Sybil Lam o t n us so throwing in o p u U12 Girls Doubles Junior High l storm imes before il w n Gold: Kelly Carter/Jailyn Joensen o re t Performance #1 eas tmas s a couple mo Silver: Katie Ho-Shue/Belle Tuen is r h Woodstock/Niagara Falls C t ue The q c a r the old

U12 Mixed Gold: Bryan Poon/Kelly Carter Silver: Kyle To/Katie Ho-Shue U12 Boys Singles Gold: Byran Poon Silver: Kyle To U12 Boys Doubles Gold: Kyle To/Caleb Yang Silver: Victor Gao/Alex Watt U12 Girls Singles

U14 Mixed Doubles Gold: Jason Ho-Shue/Michelle Tong Silver: Jonathan Lai/Chantel Lui U14 Boys Singles Gold: Jason Ho-Shue Silver: Stephen Lau U14 Boys Doubles Gold: Kevin Cheng/Jason Ho-Shue Silver: Samuel Goh/Stephen Lau U14 Girls Singles

KW Oktoberfest The first Victor High Performance tournament was held in Kitchener the week-end of October 22-23. Due to the low entries the last couple of years the tournament executive had reduced the event to 2 days with singles on the Friday night and doubles and mixed on the Saturday. To their surprise over 115 entries were received. Part of this increase was credited to Waterloo and McMaster Universities. With the change in the University system to mimic that of the College system, Varsity teams must look to outside competitions for their competitive athletes. There was also a good a mix of juniors and masters. Keith Priestman at age 51 lost a tight singles quarter-final match 22-20 in the third. The youngest players were Kelly Cater at the age of 8 and her sister Jayme at age of 12. The girls battled it out and even won a few of their matches. Due the large number of entries the tournament executive decided to only allow 1 game to 21 for the B, C and D rounds up to the semi-finals. A few people were disappointed with this but otherwise they would have had to cut off the number of entries. Lesson learned. The K-W Badminton Club will host the Valentines day Tournament in February and plan to return that back to a 3 day event. They anticipate that they will get another large response. Congratula tions to Andrew Tai-Pow who won the mens’ singles over fellow University of Waterloo player Chris Erven. He teamed up with Surabhi Kadam to win the mixed over fellow U of W players Amanda Carruthers and Danusha Ambagahawita.

The next Victor High Performance event is the Doug Grant December 4-5 at Mandarin Badmitnon Club in Markham. The next Victor High Performance in WOBA will be the WOBA ABCD Open hosted by Woodstock in January. There will be up to $1000 in cash prizes.

junior high performance Gold: Michelle Tong Silver: Danica Lau U14 Girls Doubles Gold: Caitlin Sherry/Michelle Tong Silver: Jayme Carter/Jessica Joensen U16 Mixed Doubles Gold: Nathan Cheng/Rachel Honderich Silver: Jack Hall/Jamie Wood U16 Boys Singles Gold: Nathan Cheng Silver: Adrian George U16 Boys Doubles Gold: Nathan Cheng/Bosco Lau Silver: Alex Le/Joshua Sham U16 Girls Singles Gold: Sarah Bowman Silver: Caitlin Sherry U16 Girls Doubles Gold: Rachel Honderich/Brittney Tam Silver: Sarah Bowman/Jamie Wood U19 Mixed Doubles

Gold: Sean Irving/Victoria Hall Silver: David Chan/Vivian Kwok U19 Boys Singles Gold: Jackie Yeung Silver: Joshua Hurlburt-Yu U19 Boys Doubles Gold: Adam Chan/Sean Irving Silver: Joshua Hurlburt-Yu/Jackie Yeung U19 Girls Singles Gold: Adrienne Goldsworthy Silver: Christy Yau U19 Girls Doubles Gold: Adrienne Goldsworthy/Victoria Hall Silver: Vivian Kwok/Christy Yau Junior High Performance #2 Stratford U12 Mixed Doubles Gold: Bryan Poon/Kelly Carter Silver: Nathan Lau/Cara De Belle U12 Boys Singles Gold: Bryan Poon Silver: Kyle To U12 Boys Doubles Gold: Bryan Poon/Nathan Lau Silver: Kyle To/Caleb Yang U12 Girls Singles Gold: Cara De Belle

“Having prizes AND medals was a fantastic surprise for players and coaches, it was great to see they players light up for their awards and walk away with a token to commemorate their win.” Kristina Hall - coach

junior high performance Silver: Kelly Carter U12 Girls Doubles Gold: Kelly Carter/Jailyn Joensen Silver: Cara De Belle/Helen Ng U14 Mixed Doubles Gold: Jason Ho-Shue/Michelle Tong Silver: Stephen Lau/Sommer Chou U14 Boys Singles Gold: Jason Ho-Shue Silver: Jonathan Lai U14 Boys Doubles Gold: Kevin Cheng/Jason Ho-Shue Silver: Jonathan Lai/Adwin Chi Yu Lau U14 Girls Singles Gold: Danica Lau Silver: Chantel Lui U14 Girls Doubles Gold: Sommer Chou/Chantel Lui Silver: Jayme Carter/Jessica Joensen U16 Mixed Doubles Gold: Joshua Sham/Caitlin Sherry Silver: Jason Sun/Emily Lam U16 Boys Singles Gold: Adrian George Silver: Jack Hall U16 Boys Doubles Gold: Clarence Chan/Joseph Sherry Silver: James Zai Ming Sun/Jason Sun U16 Girls Singles Gold: Rachel Honderich Silver: Michelle Tong U16 Girls Doubles Gold: Rachel Honderich/Brittney Tam Silver: Sarah Bowman/Jamie Wood U19 Boys Singles Gold: Joshua Macute Silver: Jack Lan U19 Boys Doubles: Gold: Earl Macute/Joshua Macute Silver: Jack Lan/Li-Weng Wang

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The Canadian Team takes the Gold medal in the Team Event from the Pan American Championships for the third straight year.

Members of the Canadian team returned from Curitiba, Brazil with a gold medal around their necks. The team, compromised of eight members, 3 from Ontario, defeated the United States in the finals of the Team Event. Spearheaded by the young and impressive Michelle Li, and joined by fellow Ontario residents Stephan Wojcikiewicz, Joycelyn Ko and coach Stephane Cadieux, this team seemed unstoppable. “It was a new jewel, Michelle Li, who stood up as “first lady” for the Canadians not two weeks shy of her nineteenth birthday,” badzine.net reported. This is the third consecutive Team Gold Canada

has taken home, dominating the other Pan American countries. Michelle Li defeated Cee Nantana Ketpura in the Team Event, but lost to her in three tight games in the Individual event. She also picked up a silver medal in Women’s Doubles with Alex Bruce (Ontario), defeated by teammates Grace Gao and Joycelyn Ko. Both teams were unseeded. Joycelyn also picked up a bronze medal in Mixed Doubles with Adrian Liu. Alex Bruce joined Kevin Li (Ontario) in Mixed Doubles and acquired her second silver medal.

Stephan Wojcikiewicz upheld his #1 seeding by repeating his gold performance from last year’s Pan Am Championships and taking home the Men’s Singles title. Men’s Doubles was the only event Canada did not medal in as the #1 seeds from Canada were upset in pool play. The Pan American Championships, not to be confused with the Pan Am Games are held the three years between every 4 year Games cycle. The 2011 Pan Am Games are scheduled to be held in Mexico, followed the highly anticipated 2015 Games in Toronto.

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T RAI N I N G P RO G RAM At the Fall General Meeting this year, not only was the arrival of Lee Jae Bok a highly anticipated event (see pages 12-13), but the first Lines Judge Training Clinic was held in conjunction with a Regional Officials Training Clinic. With all this plus a semi-annual meeting packed into one short weekend, one has to wonder how some people do it all. As you might already know, Line Judge Training Clinics are sprouting up all over the province. You might also know that Toronto is set to host the Pan Am Games in 2015. After reviewing the necessary requirements for an International event of this magnitude, the brains behind Badminton Ontario (Board of Directors) realized that an uncanny amount of Officials and Lines Judges are needed to ensure each match is properly officiated.

courses. Stephenson claims the overwhelming response to the clinic made it the largest Bad- Canadian Team from lef to right: (top row) Stephan Wojcikieminton Ontario has ever hosted in his time. wicz, Stephane Cadieux (middle row) Joycelyn Ko, Grace Gao, He also understands fully the importants of Phyllis Chan, Charmaine Reid, Alex Bruce, Michelle Li (bottom a Line Judge in a match. “A line judge is part row) Toby Ng, Adrian Liu, Derrick Ng, and Kevin Li of the on court team (along with the Umpire and Service Judge) who ensure that play is a fair contest between players/teams. A line judge’s reliability and accuracy may affect the outcome of matches that have significant importance to badminton players at any level of competition.”

Attending a clinic, or even passing one, does not immediately qualify you as a certified Regional Official or Line Above: Peter Stephenson had a feeder toss birds to different parts of the court as Judge. Many practical participants applied their recently acquired hours must be accumuknowledge of line calling. lated as on-court training The first Line Judge Clinic at the Fall General is the key to a successful Line Judge. It may seem Meeting was a huge success. Over fifty people easy enough to call a bird in or out, but any Official signed up to take the course along with their knows that one call could make or break a match Regional Officiating training. Peter Stephenson, for any athlete. an International Referee, accompanied by Susan Mussakowski, Provincial Referee, taught both The Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport has

Above: Peter Stephenson answers questions from clinic participants. offered to back this new initiative, as they too realize the importance of fair Officiating for not only the Pan Am Games, but the legacy left behind. That has enabled Badminton Ontario to offer these training clinics at no cost to any participants in the first year. If you are interested in attending a clinic in your area, or your club is interested in hosting a clinic, please contact your District President. (Contact information can be found on the Contents page.)