Categories: badminton
It’s a little-known fact that I used to play badminton. That’s badMINton, by the way, which is *not* the way that 99% of Americans who utter this word say it. Ask me for a personal pronunciation lesson, if necessary. Thanks.
Anyhow, me and badminton were great friends. When I was in high school, my family had a membership at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton. While I see they have a truly embarrassing website now, they had a great junior badminton program back in the day (and I’m sure they still do). For three years, I lived and breathed badminton. We trained most days of the week, and went to all the provincial (and sometimes national) tournaments. My social life was very wrapped up in the club team, and badminton was good for me. It gave me focus, it gave me something to strive for, and it got me in really, really good shape. If you still harbor ideas about it being a “back yard game”, please read this blog post by Anna Rice. She's Canada’s top women singles player (who beat me at least once or twice in tournaments when we were teenagers) and her description should lay your misconceptions to rest. It’s an intense game, and more physically demanding at the elite level than you can probably imagine.
Proof: watch this video. They almost make it look easy, but a rally like that is *gruelling*.
Anyhow. I played on UWO’s varsity team from 97 - 99, but have scarcely played since. The Olympics, however, have got me fired up again! I haven’t been able to see any coverage yet (thanks CBC), but the fact that I played juniors at the same time as all four players on our Olympic team makes me take a special interest. It really is a great sport, and unlike in North America, it's wildly popular in China. I gather it’s a special treat to be playing there, since the athletes are very much appreciated and the matches are totally sold out.
Tonight, on my way home from a fun evening on a patio with some colleagues, I passed three people playing badminton (without a net) in the park by my house. I sat and watched for a while, working up my courage. And then I asked if I could join them. With my work clothes and a borrowed back yard racquet, I whacked around a shuttle (“birdie”) for a while. Boy did it feel good! I think I might have to start playing again...
Back in the good ol' day's of the early '80's
Sun, 2008-08-17 19:26 — JP (not verified)In High school, during Winter (I grew up in the U.P. of Michigan) badminton was one of the activities for P.E.
During lunch, and sometimes during my study period, I played it as long as we had the nets up. One of the seniors and I (my sophomore year) would end up playing a no holds barred/no back court limit game the lasted the lunch hour. The courts were in half the basketball court, three wide, and not having the back line only added a few feet, but made for longer rallies. We'd make sure we had our preferred rackets and would leave in a sweat, The Spanish teacher kept score and ate her lunch as she harassed whomever was playing poorly that day. It probably wasn't the safest place for her lunch, but she was a brave woman. He and I were well matched and playing like that gives a great perspective of how those at the top really so much faster and better.
Boy howdy.
Sun, 2008-08-17 20:20 — fustian (not verified)I used to play tennis on the team in college, and I've been sectionally ranked as an adult. So, back in my college days, I was running the ping pong table in the dorm and one guy got really furious when I drummed him.
Turns out he had some kind of world ranking in badminton doubles.
So, I asked him to play badminton with me.
The first game, he killed me, but as he toyed with me in the second, I snuck up on him and had several game points. I tried so hard to win that last point. Even though I knew it wasn't the same as really beating him, I really wanted it. He shut me down in that game, and for good measure stomped me in the last two games.
But, what I really remember was that I was sore for days afterwards. Remember that I was already playing on the tennis team (two hours of practice daily), plus I was playing tons of full court basketball, squash, running, and I was even doing some fencing.
But none of that prepared me for badminton. I was shocked. It was hugely difficult. All drop shots and overheads. To clear the shuttlecock over your opponents head takes everything you've got. You've got to leap up as high as you can for the overheads, smash the dang thing as hard as you can, and then immediately sprint for the drop. At the end of the quickest move you can make, you've still got to have the touch to plop it just over the net and no further, or you get it smashed right in the face.
Next to prize fighting and long distance swimming, badminton is one of the most physically demanding sports I know.
If you do it right.
badMINton
Sun, 2008-08-17 21:03 — nolanimrod (not verified)As long as you're correcting people, that would be "badminton and I."
Not worthy of being an Olympic game
Sun, 2008-08-17 23:29 — Skyler (not verified)I'm sorry, but the video only confirms that badminton is not a very serious sport. Any activity taken to an extreme can be rigorous. Speed tiddlywinks can be quite brutal, I'm sure, but that wouldn't make it a serious sport worthy of the Olympics.
pronunciation
Mon, 2008-08-18 11:40 — Kepler (not verified)So, do you live in B.C.? Or in edMONton?