NMBF fetes Traders tourney winners

The Top 3 placers in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament received their trophies during the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation Christmas Party at Club V Thursday night.

The Green All-Stars were awarded with the championship trophy and each members of the team also went home with a miniature trophy.

The Green All-Stars were captained by Edwin Montoya. Their members include Lupe Sabino, Roding Domingo, Lea Estinopo, Gerry Balarao, Jojo Savellano, and Debra Fisher.

The team also received a cash prize of $300 from Traders Insurance president Lito Mendoza, who also presented the trophies to the winners.

The Green All-Stars finished the round-robin tournament with a 30-12 record, besting seven other teams in the annual event.

The runner-up trophy and a $200 cash went to the Smash Killers, who finished the tournament with a 28-14 slate. Macoi Aguda was the team's captain. The Smash Killers were composed of Elna Curate, Andrew Galvez, Marlene Pereja, Lucelle Lampera, Robert Reyes, Paul Navarro, and Ariel Mariano.

Taking home the third place plum and $100 cash were the Gray Hawks of team captain Lito Mendoza. The team had Annette Ta, Marvin Pullan, Loida Ito, Janis Parcon, Saul Gargallo, Obet Aguilar, and Lani Bartolome as members.

Members of the five other teams-Bad Masters, Blue Powers, Net Fighters, Dragon Shuttlers, and D'Bombers-each received a certificate of participation.

Jerry Tan handed out the certificates to members of the five teams and also delivered a brief speech after he was awarded a plaque of appreciation for supporting the tournament.

Mendoza was also given a plaque of appreciation after his company-Traders Insurance-supported the past two stagings of the team tournament.

NMBF also gave certificates of participation to players who competed in the junior division of the event, while the top two teams received trophies.

Brothers Manatsu and Kanata Omori took the championship trophy, while Ezekiel Macario and Jenine Savellano went home with the runner-up plum.
(Saipan Tribune)

Omori siblings triumph in youth badminton tourney

Brothers Manatsu and Kanata Omori were crowned champions in the junior division of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Omori siblings bested three other pairs in the side event of the annual tournament organized by the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation.

The Omoris played for the Orange Team and after a round-robin tournament tied Green's Ezekiel Macario and Jenine Savellano, and Gray's John-John and Jylan Capuyon.

The three teams finished the round-robin with identical 2-2 records. Rodwealth Espana and Kenneth Domingo of the Red Ream were the other participants in the juniors division.

Gray, Orange, and Green all advanced to the playoffs with Green drawing a bye in the first round. Orange and Gray collided for the first match in the playoffs with the former winning to move to the title game.

The Capuyon brothers then dueled Orange's Macario and Savellano in the battle for the last finals slot with the latter pair prevailing to set a championship showdown with the Omor brothers.

The Omori siblings took a short route to the championship beating Macario and Savellano in straight sets, 21-15, 21-19.

Tournament director Macoi Aguda said they decided to have a junior division for this year's Traders event to encourage youth involvement in badminton.

The tournament for adults concluded Sunday with the Green All-Stars beating seven other squads for the championship.

The Smash Killers finished second, while the Gray Hawks ended in third place. Other teams that competed in the Traders tournament were the Bad Masters, the Blue Powers, the Net Fighters, the Red Dragon Shuttlers, and D' Bombers.

The Top 3 placers will be receiving trophies in the NMBF Christmas Party later this month.

The Traders Insurance tournament was supported by Shirley's Coffee Shop, Pacific Quick Print, Coral Ocean Point, PTI, Sun Palace Hotel, Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex, Dollar Days, and Labtech International.
(Saipan Tribune)

All-Stars shine in Traders Tourney

Green All-Stars topped the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament after a dominating performance in the last day of competition Sunday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

After nearly sweeping Dragon Shuttlers, 5-1, in the penultimate day of the round-robin tournament Friday, the All-Stars still had enough juice to squeeze out a 5-1 triumph over D'Bombers to finish the annual event with a 30-12 record.

The All-Stars were two wins ahead of eventual second placer Smash Killers (28-13).

Smash Killers and All-Stars entered the final day of competition with the latter ahead by only a win. But Smash Killers failed to grab the lead and the championship when they won only four games against Gray Hawks, 4-2. Gray Hawks settled for third place with a 23-18 slate.

The Top 3 teams will receive trophies at the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation's Christmas party later this month.

Green All-Stars secured the championship after sweeping their first five matches.

Christy Villaflor teamed up with Ruby Gozon in the women's doubles BC and the duo downed Emily Vargas and Merlie Tolentino, 21-17, 19-21, 21-9.

Gerry Balarao and Jojo Savellano swept Aries Montano and Arnel Bansagale in the men's doubles BB, 21-5, 21-14, to make it 2-0 for the All-Stars.

Debra Fischer gave the All-Stars their third win after thumping Marilyn Montano in the women's singles B, 21-13, 22-20.

In the mixed doubles AB, team captain Edwin Montoya joined forces with Leo Estinopo to beat Eric Pena and Montano, 21-11, 22-20.

Montoya also played in the men's doubles AB and teamed up with Balarao in defeating Pena and Montano, 21-18, 21-16.

Vargas and Pena foiled the All-Stars' bid for a sweep when they outclassed Fischer and Roding Domingo, 21-17, 21-16, 22-20.

Smash Killers remained in second place after winning in the women's singles B, mixed doubles AB and BC, and men's doubles AB.

In other results on the final day, Bad Masters prevailed over the Red Dragon Shuttlers, 4-2.

The Bad Masters finished fourth overall with their 21-21 record, while Shuttlers placed sixth tying the Net Fighters with identical 18-24 slates.

Blue Powers claimed the No. 5 spot with their 20-22 record after outlasting Net Fighters, 4-2, on the last day of the tournament.

D'Bombers finished last with their 10-32 mark.
(saipan tribune)

All-Stars tie Smash Killers for lead

The Green All-Stars notched a big win in the penultimate round of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament to gain a share of the lead in the eight-team field.

The All-Stars nearly swept the Red Dragon Shuttlers, 4-1, on Day 6 of the tournament Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

With the win, the All-Stars improved to a 24-11 record tying the Smash Killers for the No. 1 spot.

The Smash Killers also won on Day 6, but got only three points against the Net Fighters making the battle for the championship an exciting race between the former and the All-Stars.

Delivering the needed victories for the All-Stars were the pairs of Edwin Montoya and Gerry Balarao, Christy Villaflor/Ruby Gozon, Villaflor/Lea Estinopo, and Balarao/Jojo Savellano.

Hapi Gabriel and Gigi Zapanta gave the Shuttlers their lone win in the match topping Montoya and Estinopo in straight sets in the mixed doubles AB, 21-15, 21-15.

Montoya later teamed up with Balarao in the men's doubles AB and downed Gabriel and Noli Santos, 21-9, 21-11.

Villaflor joined forces with Gozon in the women's doubles BC to thwart Merlie Savellano, 21-10, 21-18. In the women's doubles BB, Villaflor and Estinopa defeated Malou Mendoza and Zapanta, 21-13, 21-16.

Balarao and Jojo Savellano gave the All-Stars their fourth win after outlasting Santos and Jun Pineda, 21-18, 21-14.

In other results, the Bad Masters outclassed the Blue Powers, 3-2, to share the No. 3 spot with the Red Dragon Shuttlers.

The Gray Hawks prevailed over D'Bombers, 4-1, to improve to a 20-15 record and claim solo second place.

The Blue Powers and the Net Fighters are tied with identical 15-20 slates, while D'Bombers are at the bottom of the team standings with a 9-26 mark.

Smash Killers sweep D' Bombers

Smash Killers posted the first sweep in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament after shutting out D'Bombers, 6-0, Sunday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Games scheduled on Day 5 of the tournament were all doubles matches with Smash Killers winning in the men's doubles AB and BB, women's doubles BB, and the mixed doubles CC, AB, and BC.

Elna Curate and Andrew Galvez nailed the most impressive victory in Smash Killers' sweep of D'Bombers, as the duo defeated Puy Macario and Merlie Tolentino in straight sets, 21-8, 21-13, in the mixed doubles CC.

Robert Reyes and Paul Navarro also prevailed in straight sets in the men's doubles BB against the tandem of Aries Montano and Arnel Bansagale, 21-14, 21-19.

The four remaining doubles matches went the distance with the duos of Macoi Aguda-Lucelle Lampera, Marlene Peraja-Galvez, Peraja-Lampera, and Aguda-Ariel Mariano surviving their foes.

With the win, Smash Killers are now at the solo No. 1 spot with their 21-9 record.

Green All-Stars nearly swept Bad Masters, 5-1, to place second in the team standings with the former's 20-10 slate.

Bad Masters (13-17) are in a three-way deadlock for fifth place tying Net Fighters and Blue Powers.

Gray Hawks are in solo third spot with their 16-14 record after a 3-3 draw with Net Fighters on Day 5.

Dragon Shuttlers are in fourth place despite a 2-4 loss to Blue Powers.

The second edition of the Traders badminton team tournament will conclude this weekend with the eight participating teams having three games left each.

The Top 3 teams after the single-round robin tournament will receive trophies.

The Traders Insurance tournament is also supported by Shirley's Coffee Shop, Pacific Quick Print, Coral Ocean Point, PTI, Sun Palace Hotel, Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex, Dollar Days, and Labtech International.
(Saipan Tribune)

Blue Powers defuse D' Bombers

After bowing to their foes in the first three days of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament, Blue Powers finally showed their might overpowering D'Bombers, 4-2, Saturday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The win improved Blue Powers' record to 10-4 moving them out of the bottom of team standings. D'Bombers are now the tournament's cellar dwellers with their 8-16 record.

Blue Powers prevailed in the men's singles B, men's doubles B, mixed doubles CC, and women's doubles BB to end their slump.

Mario Diola topped Arnel Bansagale in the men's singles B, 21-11, 21-11. Diola then joined forces with Roger Vales to thwart Eric Pena and Puy Macario in the men's doubles BB, 21-19, 21-10.

Alfred Acosta and Riza Cano also nailed a straight set win over Macario and Merlie Tolentino, 21-18, 24-22, in the mixed doubles CC. Ingrid Sanchez and Elma Labuson gave Blue Powers their fourth win after the duo downed Marilyn Montano and Emily Vargas, 21-8, 21-13.

Recording wins for D'Bombers were the tandems of Pena and Vargas and Montano and Tolentino.

In other results, Smash Killers and Green All-Stars posted similar wins to remain on top of the field.

Smash Killers defeated the Bad Masters, 4-2, to improve to a 15-9 record.

Smash Killers prevailed in the men's doubles BB, mixed doubles AB and CC, and women's doubles BB.

Sharing the No. 1 spot with Smash Killers are Green All-Stars, which beat the Gray Hawks, 4-2.

The All-Stars won in the men's singles B, men's doubles BB, mixed doubles BC, and women's doubles BB.

Gray Hawks, which joined Smash Killers and Green All-Stars in the No. 1 spot on Day 3, dropped to second place tying Red Dragons Shuttlers.

Shuttlers improved to a 13-11 slate after outclassing Net Fighters, 4-2.

Shuttlers prevailed in the men's singles B, men's doubles BB, and mixed doubles BC and AB.
(Saipan Tribune)

Net Fighters, Smash Killers crush opponents

The Net Fighters went 4-for-5 in their doubles matches to pull off a 4-2 upset over Day 2 leader Green All-Stars at the resumption of action in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Net Fighters dropped their first two games, but came out fighting on Day 3 to move out of the bottom of the team standings.

An 8-10 record after Day 3 put the Net Fighters in fourth place, while the All-Stars are still on top, but share the lead with two other teams.

The tandem of Keno San Pablo and Pauline Cielo gave the Net Fighters their first win on Day 3, topping the pair of Roding Domingo and Lupe Sabino in the mixed doubles CC, 21-11, 19-21, 21-8.

Team captain Ed Sikayun and Alvin Alvarez made it 2-0 for the Net Fighters when they downed Jojo Savellano and Edwin Montoya in the men's doubles BB, 11-21, 21-18, 21-9.

Sikayun then teamed up with Angeline Ito to thwart Montoya and Lea Estinopo in the mixed doubles AB, 15-21, 21-11, 21-14.

The Net Fighters' fourth win came from the duo of Cheng Saturno and Ric Blue, who defeated Christy Villaflor and Domingo in the mixed doubles BC in straight sets, 21-13, 21-15.

The Green All-Stars won in the mixed doubles BB with the tandem of Gerry Balarao and Estinopo prevailing over Alvarez and Shirley Kim, 21-12, 21-15. Balarao won the lone men's singles match of the day beating Alvarez, 21-17, 21-11.

In other results, the Smash Killers recovered from a loss in Day 2, while the Gray Hawks forced a draw to tie the All-Stars in the No. 2 spot. The three teams have similar 11-7 records.

The Smash Killers, who bowed to the All-Stars on Day 2, whipped the Blue Powers, 5-1.

The Smash Killers won the lone singles match and four doubles games against the Blue Powers.

Juneh Padua and Alfred Acosta foiled the Smash Killers' bid for a sweep when the pair outclassed Lucelle Lampera and Andrew Galvez in the mixed doubles BC, 22-20, 18-21, 24-22.

But the lone win was not enough to save the Blue Powers from dropping to a 5-13 record for the last place in the team standings.

The Gray Hawks and the Red Dragon Shuttlers split their games with the former prevailing in the women's doubles CC, mixed doubles BC, and men's singles B. The Shuttlers won in the mixed doubles BB, men's doubles AB, and mixed doubles AB.

In the other pairing on Day 3, the Bad Master improved their record to 10-8 and gained the No. 2 spot after defusing D'Bombers, 4-2.

The Bad Masters won in the mixed doubles BB and AB, men's doubles AB, and the men's doubles B.

D'Bombers dropped to a 7-11 record and are second to the last place.
(Saipn Tribune)

White hopes to send large delegation for 2011 Games

Unlike the 2007 Pacific Games in Samoa, the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association hopes to send a large contingent to the 2011 edition of the quadrennial event in New Caledonia.

NMASA president Michael A. White in a email to the Saipan Tribune noted that the CNMI stands a good chance to better the five-team delegation it sent to Apia last year in the Noumea Games three years from now.

“Cost is always a factor. However, travel and per diem costs for the Noumea Games will be significantly less than they were for Samoa in 2007 or the Cook Islands next year, so I am hopeful that we will be able to send a large delegation to represent the CNMI,” he said.

In the 2007 Pacific Games in Apia, the CNMI sent five athletes-Tyrone Omar of athletics and beach volleyball players Mark McDonald, Tyce Mister, Nina Mosley, and Melissa Hallaby.

During the last Nov. 19 briefing made by NC2011 president Pascale Bastien-Thiry, NC2011 protocol director Helen Court Wabete, and Pacific Games Council secretary general David Boyd, White also said that the New Caledonia organizing committee may also help the CNMI out by enlisting its flag carrier, Air Caledonie, to arrange charter flights to the region.

The Commonwealth sports body's head also extended his thanks to Bastien-Thiry, Wabete, and Boyd for flying all to way to the North Pacific to discuss their plans for the 2011 Pacific Games not only with NMASA but also to the sports governing bodies of Guam and Palau as well.

“I was very pleased that officials of NC2011 took the time and expense of traveling all the way to the CNMI to brief us on preparations for the 2011 Pacific Games. New Caledonia has shown that it has the capability and will to put on a truly outstanding event,” he said.

NC2011 will organize 12 compulsory sports in the 2011 Games, namely athletics, weightlifting, swimming, basketball, table tennis, soccer, tennis, rugby, golf, vaa, volleyball, and badminton.

In addition, NC2011 will also host 18 optional sports that would be determined by the number of entries.

NC2011 expects all 22 countries of the Pacific Games Council to take part in the Games. It also looks forward to hosting 3,500 athletes-5,000 including officials-in three years time.

The organizing committee is also prepared to spend about $16 million for the hosting of the Games. That price tag does not include the construction of 38 venues and sporting facilities for the 15 days of competition.
(Saipan Tribune)

All-Stars take badminton tourney lead

The Green All-Stars gained their second straight win to claim the solo lead in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Sunday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The All-Stars, who won their debut against the Blue Powers by only two points, 4-2, played better on Day 2 crushing the Smash Killers, 5-1.

After two days of competition, the All-Stars now have a 9-3 record while the Smash Killers dropped to a three-way tie for third.

The Smash Killers had a rousing start, whipping the Red Dragon Shuttlers, but on Day 2, only team captain Macoi Aguda won, topping Edwin Montoya in the men's A singles, 21-14, 21-16.

The Green All-Stars drew victories from the pairs of Jojo Savellano-Gerry Balarao, Roding Domingo-Debra Fisher, Savellano-Lupe Sabino, and Balarao-Lea Estinopo.

The tandem of Savellano-Balaro topped Robert Reyes-Paul Navarro in the men's doubles BB, 20-22, 22-20, 22-20.

In the mixed doubles CB, Domingo and Fisher defeated Andrew Galvez and Lucelle Lampera, 21-12, 13-21, 21-19, while Savellano teamed up with Sabino to outclass the pair of Ariel Mariano and Elna Curate in the mixed doubles BC, 21-15, 19-21, 22-20.

In the last doubles match-the BB mixed doubles-Savellano and Estinopo thwarted Marlene Peraja and Reyes, 21-9, 21-17. Fisher recorded the Green All-Stars fifth win after downing Marlene Peraja, 21-12, 21-5, in the women's B singles.

Also nailing their second win were the Gray Hawks, who handed the Blue Powers their second straight loss, 4-2.

The victory put the Hawks in solo second place with an 8-4 record.

The Red Dragon Shuttlers and the Bad Masters, who dropped their opening games, recovered in Day 2 to share the No. 3 spot with the Smash Killers.

The Shuttlers thumped D' Bombers, 5-1, to improve to a 6-6 record.

Marilyn Montano recorded D'Bombers' lone win on Day 2, slipping past Gigi Zapanta in the women's B singles.

With D' Bombers having only one win on Day 2, they dropped to a 5-7 record.

The Net Fighters and the Blue Powers are at the bottom of the team standings with identical 4-8 slates.

Action in the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation-organized tournament will resume this weekend.
(Saipan Tribune)

Smash Killers nearly sweep day 1

The Smash Killers were the biggest winners on Day 1 of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Saturday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Macoi Aguda-captained Smash Killers were paired with the Red Dragon Shuttlers with the former cruising to an easy 5-1 victory.

Providing the wins for the Smash Killers were the pairs of Elna Curate-Andrew Galvez, Robert Reyes-Paul Navarro, Lucelle Lampera-Marlene Peraja, Aguda-Lampera, and Aguda-Navarro.

The tandem of Curate and Galvez prevailed over Malou Mendoza and Luis Camacho, 16-21, 21-10, 22-20 in the mixed doubles CC division; Reyes-Navarro defeated June Pineda and Sherwin Samson, 21-16, 19-21, 21-18 in the men's doubles BB; Lampera-Peraja topped Gigi Zapanta and Mendoza in the women's doubles BB, 21-10, 14-21, 21-5; Aguda-Lampera downed Hapi Gabriel and Mendoza in the mixed doubles AB, 21-16, 23-21; and Aguda-Navarro defeated Gabriel-Samson in the men's doubles BB, 21-17, 11-21, 21-15.

Pineda and Zapanta gave the Shuttlers their lone win in opening day after outclassing Ariel Mariano and Peraja in the mixed doubles BB, 21-15, 17-21, 21-17.

Also prevailing in their opening day assignments were the D'Bombers, the Green All-Stars, and the Gray Hawks.

D' Bombers whipped the Net Fighters, 4-2.

The Bombers won the women's doubles BB, men's doubles BB, and the mixed doubles AB and BB. The Net Fighters took the men's doubles BB and the mixed doubles CC.

The Gray Hawks ruled the mixed CC and AB and the men's doubles AB and BB to beat the Bad Masters, 4-2.

The Green All-Stars nailed similar 4-2 triumph over the Blue Powers winning the mixed AB and BB divisions and the men's AB and BB categories.

Each squad will have 36 remaining games in the round-robin tournament and the team to earn the most wins after seven playing days will take the championship.
(saipan tribune)

Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament starts

Hostilities in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament began Saturday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The opening day pairings were the Gray Hawks vs. Bad Masters, D' Blue Powers vs. Badminton All-Stars, Smash Killers vs. the Red Dragon Shuttlers. and D' Bombers vs. Net Fighters.

The eight participating teams played the mixed doubles game first, followed by the men's singles, and men's and women's doubles.

Playing for the Gray Hawks in the opening day for the mixed doubles event were Annette Ta and Marvin Pullan, Bad Masters had the tandem of Irene Santiago and Louie Cielo, Malou Mendoza-Louis Camacho for the Shuttlers, Pauline Cielo-Keno Pablo for the Net Fighters, Riza Cano-Alfred Acosta for D' Blue Powers, Lupe Sabino-Roding Domingo for the Badminton All-Stars, and Merlie Tolentino-Puy Macario for the D'Bombers.

Results of the mixed doubles matches were unavailable at press time.

The eight squads will be playing in a round-robin format with the team with the most wins after seven games gaining the championship.

A win in each match will give a team one point. Six points are at stake per playing day.

Meanwhile, this year's team tournament organized by the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation kicked off with the parade of teams and a Best in Uniform competition.

The Red Dragons Shuttlers claimed the Best in Uniform award.

CNMI sports supporter Jerry Tan was among the judges in the Best in Uniform contest and delivered a brief message to participants.

Also making remarks at the opening ceremony was Traders Insurance president Lito Mendoza, who reiterated his company's support to badminton tournaments.

The Traders Insurance tournament is also supported by Shirley's Coffee Shop, Pacific Quick Print, Coral Ocean Point, PTI, Sun Palace Hotel, Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex, Dollar Days, and Labtech International. (saipan tribune)

Shuttlers' team tourney unveils today

The 2nd Annual Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament will kick off today at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Eight teams will be battling for the championship as they play in mixed double, men's singles, and men's and women's doubles events,

Before the games, an elaborate opening ceremony will be held at 6pm with the eight squads participating in the traditional parade of teams.

A Best in Uniform award will be given. Selection for the best in uniform will be based on the creativity of team name, logo design and relevance, layout of design, and general impact.

Division of Sports and Recreation director Joe Lizama will be the opening rites' guest speaker. Joining him is Jerry Tan, who recently donated shuttlecocks for the tournament.

Northern Marianas Badminton Federation president Marconi Calindas will deliver the opening remarks, while a representative from tournament major sponsor Traders Insurance will also address the participants and guests.

Lizama will lead the ceremonial opening serve.

The eight teams that will fight for the championship are the Net Fighters of team captain Ed Sikayun, the Badminton All-Stars of Edwin Montoya, D'Blue Powers of Roger Vales, D' Bombers of Eric Pena, Bad Masters of Calindas, Red Dragon Shuttlers of Happy Gabriel, Lito Mendoza of the Gray Hawks, and the Smash Killers of Macoi Aguda.

Each team has one A-level player, three B-level players (men's), two B-level players (women's), and two C-level players (one each in the men's and women's division).

There will be six events per playing day and the tournament will have a round robin format. A point will be awarded for a win and the team with the highest points will be declared champion. The top three teams will be awarded trophies and other prizes

NMBF thanked the following for supporting the tournament: Jerry Tan; Shirley's Coffee Shop; Pacific Quick Print; Coral Ocean Point; PTI; Sun Palace Hotel; Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex; Dollar Days; and Labtech International.(Saipan Tribune)

Traders Insurance team tourney set to fly

The vastly improved skills of the island's badminton players will be put to the test starting this weekend when the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation holds the Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

This weekend's tournament will be a first for Saipan's shuttlers since they attended a clinic conducted by Oceania Badminton Confederation regional development manager Tony Mordaunt last month.

“A lot of our players have shown significant improvement after attending Tony's clinic. Now it's time to put into practice what they have learned from Tony,” tournament committee head Macoi Aguda said.

NMBF president Marconi Calindas added they are looking forward to a balance competition in the tournament, as players, whose skill level are on top of the field, are evenly distributed among the eight participating teams. NMBF also held a draft to select the eight members of each squad.

“This will be an exciting and much competitive tournament,” said Calindas, who added that umpires skills will also be tested this weekend after they went through similar clinics with Mordaunt.

The Traders Insurance-sponsored tournament will run from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14 with games to be played every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Each team will have one A-level player, three B-level players (men's), two B-level players (women's), and two C-level players (one each in the men's and women's division).

The tournament will have competitions in the mixed double, men's singles, and men's and women's doubles.

The eight teams that will battle for the championship are the Net Fighters, the Badminton All-Stars, D'Blue Powers, Bad Masters, Red Dragon Shuttlers, Gray Hawks, Smash Killers, and Team Yellow.

Meanwhile, Traders Insurance handed over a $2,000 donation for the NMBF tournament.

Aguda received the check from Traders Insurance general manager Ernesto Licop during the brief press conference at Trader's office in Beach Road, San Jose Village yesterday.

Joining Aguda in the ceremony were several NMBF officials.

“We thank Traders Insurance for their continuing support to badminton. Their donation is very much appreciated especially at this time when most of the businesses are experiencing financial problems,” Aguda said.

“Traders Insurance is committed to help any organization which promotes physical fitness, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. We are looking forward to a successful tournament. To the participants, have fun and do your best to win,” Licop said.
(Saipan Tribune)

NMB-Traders team tourney holds draft

With the Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament a couple of weeks away, organizer Northern Marianas Badminton Federation held a draft last Saturday to determine the makeup of the eight teams taking part in the competition.

NMBF president Marconi Calindas said that the eight participating teams will be known by their colors-Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Gray, Red, and White.

He said each of the teams will have their team captains who are Grade A players, while the rest of the squads will be composed of three Grade B women, one Grade B in men, and one to two Grade C for men and women.

“The drafting was held successfully and each team captain expressed excitement while drawing for members. The group is now excited for the tournament to kick off on Nov. 22,” said Calindas.

The Black team will be led by captain Joseph Santos and his players will be Pauline Cielo, Keno San Pablo, Shirley Kim, Cheng Saturno, Alvin Alvarez, Ric Bue, and Angeline Ito.

The Blue team, meanwhile, will be made up of Riza Cano, Alfred Acosta, Ingrid Sanchez, Elma Labuson, Mario Diola, Victor Regis, June Padua, and skippered by Roger Vales.

Edwin Montoya spearheads the Green team and his players are Lupe Sabino, Roding Domingo, Christy Villaflor, Lea Estinopo, Gerry Balarao, Jojo Savellano, and Debra Fisher.

Constituting the Yellow team, headed up by Eric Pena, are Puy Macario, Merlie Tolentino, Marilyn Montano, Emily Vargas, Aries Montano, Arnel Bansagale, and Camille Samonte.

Calindas himself will captain the Orange team and his players are Irene Santiago, Louie Cielo, Babes Cielo, Ana Rose Omori, Gary Bandoja, Daniel Macario, and Dorie Pineda.

Lito Mendoza will lead the Gray team that is composed of Annette Ta, Marvin Pullan, Janis Parcon, Loida Ito, Saul Gargallo, Obet Aguilar, and Lani Bartolome.

The Red team will have Hapi Gabriel at the helm and he will have Malou Mendoza, Louis Camacho, Ana Alvarez, Malou Malasarte, Sherwin Samson, June Pineda, and Gigi Zapanta helping him.

The White team, made up of Elna Curate, Andrew Galvez, Marlene Peraja, Lucelle Lampera, Robert Reyes, Paul Navarro, and Ariel Mariano, will then look up to captain McCoi Aguda for leadership.

The Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament will be played Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Calindas said three companies and individuals have already signed on as minor sponsors of the annual badminton-fest, which has Traders Insurance serving as its main sponsor.

“We would like to thank minor sponsors such as Jerry Tan, PTI, and Shirley's Coffee Shop Susupe. We are still looking for more minor sponsors to help us out in the event,” he said.

For more information on the upcoming tournament, contact membership committee head Hapi Gabriel at 287-4274. (Saipan Tribune)

Traders Insurance Sponsors NMBF Team Tournament

Traders Insurance Company will once again sponsor this year's badminton competition now dubbed the Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament.

Traders Insurance, one of the leading providers in the CNMI of non-life insurance and surety products, has extended its assistance to the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation to hold its second annual badminton team tournament this month.

The competition is expected to draw over 100 members.

Company president Lito Mendoza said he was thrilled to extend his company's assistance to the fastest growing sports group in the CNMI.

He said that his company also aims to promote the sport in the Marianas. “We are glad to lend a hand to the group that has shown tremendous increase of active members especially among the CNMI youth,” he said.

Mendoza said the badminton group has shown great potential as it has recruited members of different nationalities. NMBF currently has members that lists Korea, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, USA, the Philippines, and the CNMI as their home countries.

“Our company fully supports the group that promotes healthy and fun activities. I believe the group has improved so much that now they have qualified coaches to teach each team members during the tournament,” said Mendoza.

“We are looking forward to the tournament to promote friendship among members and produce cream of the crop players for future international tournaments,” he added.

The Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament is open only to members with badminton skills grade from A to C. It will consist of at least eight teams with at least eight members each. The teams will have corresponding sponsors, which will be determined based on availability of sponsorships.

The tournament is officially scheduled to run from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14 during Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays within the scheduled dates. The team tournament will include adult and youth divisions on men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Registration is now ongoing and application forms are available at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium from Mondays through Thursdays in the morning and on Saturdays and Sundays during the regular badminton practice games.

Registration fee is $30 for each adult participant. Youth members, aged 14 to 18, will pay a registration fee of only $20 while youth members aged 10 to 13 will only register for $15 each. The fee includes game fees and banquet fees for the awarding ceremony in December.

NMBF is still looking and asking for the generosity of avid sponsors to help the group out with its other requirements for this event.

For more information on the upcoming tournament, contact membership committee head Hapi Gabriel at 287-4274.

Traders Insurance offers the following products: Fire and Allied Perils Homeowner's and Tenant's Coverage, Automobile, Worker's Compensation, Surety Bond, Builders Risk, General Liability, Marine Cargo and Hull, Personal/Travel Accident, and Equipment Floater. (NMBF)

NMBF Team Tourney Set November

Over 100 are expected to take part in Northern Marianas Badminton Federation's team tournament slated for next month. (Saipan Tribune) The Northern Marianas Badminton Federation will hold its culminating badminton tournament in November for its over 100 members in the CNMI.

Dubbed the NMBF Team Tournament, the competition is open only to members with badminton skills grade from A to D. It will consist of at least eight teams with at least 10 members each. The teams will have corresponding sponsors, which will be determined based on availability of sponsorships.

The NMBF Team Tournament is tentatively scheduled to run from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14 during Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays within the scheduled dates. The team tournament will include divisions in the men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Registration is now ongoing and application forms are available at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium starting Oct. 27, from Mondays through Thursdays in the morning and on Saturdays and Sundays during the regular badminton practice games.

Registration fee is $30 each participant. The fee includes game fees and banquet fees for the awarding ceremony in December.

NMBF president Marconi Calindas said he is excited about the club's second team competition.

“We are looking forward to an improved system since we have had coaching and umpire skills training recently from Oceania Badminton Confederation. We really learned a lot from the training especially with proper umpiring during games. We have learned so much. However, we need the members' cooperation to make this event worthier and more rewarding than last year's successful team tournament. We are still looking and asking for the generosity of our avid sponsors to help us out in this event,” he said.

For more information on the upcoming tournament, contact membership committee head

Hapi Gabriel at 287-4274.

On another note, NMBF is currently holding its Friday Night Viewing of the recently concluded Beijing Olympics Badminton Gold Medal Matches. Last Friday the group started with the men's and women's doubles gold medal matches between Indonesia and China and Korea and China, respectively. At least 25 members gathered last Friday at member Elma Labuson's home theater in As Matuis. The next Friday Night Viewing is scheduled on Nov. 7 tentatively scheduled at Shirley's Coffee Shop in Susupe from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

The group will be viewing the gold medal matches in men's and women's singles and mixed doubles. The purpose of this activity is to inform the members how the professional badminton is being played internationally.

The members learn from the actual games the proper positioning and footwork during the games.

“Our female members learned last time that women are not a weak gender because the female badminton players in the during the Olympics showed impressive power smashes and agile footwork. They also learned more about the attack and defense positions. Next time the members will see that women and men during mix doubles play equally in the court,” said Calindas. (saipan tribune)

Viewing Night

Members,

NMBF will hold a viewing night (film night) of the Beijing Olympics 2008 Badminton Women's and Men's Doubles this friday at one of our members'place in Marpi.

You are invited.

Tentatively, we are holding it at our Elma Labuson's place in As Matuis, Marpi area. We are also looking at holding it at Sun Palace to accommodate more people. We will just borrow a multimedia projector from Elma. We can always hold it by batch. Please watch out for further announcements.

So the first one will be held this friday. (Women's Doubles China vs.Korea) It's an exciting game!

This event is in line with the group's Training and Development Committee Program to enhance the skills of the players. During the game, we will have analysis and emphasis on the techniques used during these professional games.

Rgds,

Marconi Calindas

Myth: Badminton a 'wrist game'

"It's a myth that the power of a badminton shot comes from the wrist," says
England head coach Ian Wright. "Strong legs propel you into the air, a
strong core translates that strength into the upper body, and strong upper
and forearms finish the shot. Training should focus firstly on leg strength
with weights or plyometric exercises [such as jumping], then core strength
and then the upper body."

Be unpredictable

Today's lighter rackets mean you can use shorter swings - essential for
deceiving your opponent. "The key to deception is to keep your shot
preparation as short as possible to limit the information about where it's
going," Wright says.

Use an old racket

"A great way to speed up defensive reflexes is to use a heavier racket,"
Wright says. "Practise the low defensive shots with an old racket for a
couple of minutes, then switch back to your normal racket."

Double up

If you play only singles or doubles, try playing both to develop a fuller
set of skills. "Singles hones your agility and decision-making skills, and
doubles improves your power, reflexes and speed," Wright says.

Get closure

The abolition of the old scoring system (you scored only on your own serve)
means every shot now counts, creating a more intense game. "To stay focused,
analyse what you've done after each point, and why it happened, then get
closure on it and move on to the next point feeling positive."

Avoid backhands

When you're at the rear of the court, backhands aren't powerful enough:
"Always try to play a forehand, even if that means reaching across to play
one on your backhand side (known as a round-the-head shot)," Wright says.

(Oceaniabadminton.org)

Sunday Schedule for Oct 26

Please be informed that our schedule on Sunday, Oct. 26, will be from 5pm to 9pm to give way for the Beach Road Magazine Total Sports event, which NMBF will also be participating from 4pm to 5pm on that day.

Coaches, let's test your newfound skills on that day to teach at least 30 kids (13-17yo) for an hour.

Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

NMBF Mgt.

Jerry Tan donates 'shuttles' to NMBF

NMBF member Jerry Tan has donated 30 tubes of shuttlecock during the Farewell Party for OBC Officer Tony Mordaunt last October 10 held at the Tan’s residence in Navy Hill.

Tan said he will continue to support NMBF and other sports association in any way he can, as getting involved in various sports is his passion.

“Badminton, tennis, swimming, soccer, bowling, or any sport, as long as we see more people getting involved with sporting events, we will always be here to extend a helping hand,” Tan said.

NMBF president Marconi Calindas, thanked Tan for hosting the event and donating shuttlecocks.

“CNMI’s passion for badminton amazing”

Oceania Badminton Confederation regional development manager Tony Mordaunt's 11-day visit on Saipan made him discover the island's passion for the sport which he believed is crucial in the development of badminton in the CNMI.

“I've been to many Pacific Island nations, but I've never seen passion as keen as what NMBF members have shown in my more than one week of stay here,” Mordaunt said during the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation's farewell part for him at Jerry Tan's residence on Navy Hill.

“They are very enthusiastic to learn the sports and the coaches who attended the course were committed to learn,” he added.

Mordaunt conducted an introductory coaching course at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last week with 12 NMBF members making the grade.
The list include NMBF president Marconi Calindas, Lito Mendoza, Gigi Zapanta, Hapi Gabriel, Shirley Kim, Macoi Aguda, Ingrid Sanchez, Babes Cielo, Emily Vargas, Merlie Sabillano, Edwin Montoya, and Juliet Ramos.

Mordaunt said the enthusiasm and passion that NMBF members and coaches are showing are big factors in ensuring the growth of the sport in the Commonwealth.

“If these coaches will continue to show interest in promoting the sport by going to schools and teaching students and interested coaches, I would not be surprised to see many people involved in the sports when I return here,” said Mordaunt, who hopes NMBF members learned a thing or two from him and share these to others.

“I hope I was able to improve their playing skills and in return they will be able to teach these skills to other players, especially the young ones,” said Mordaunt, who is now in Palau to conduct similar clinics.

Calindas on behalf of NMBF thanked Mordaunt for sharing his time and expertise to the CNMI players and coaches and assured the OBC official that the association will do its best to promote the sport in the Commonwealth.

“The things we learned from him will not be put into waste, as we will go to schools to share these things to students and coaches/teachers,” Calindas said.

He added they will be coordinating with Public School System officials to arrange for coaching and players' clinics and by 2009, Calindas said they are hoping to hold an interscholastic tournament.

Meanwhile, Calindas thanked Tan for hosting Mordaunt's party and donating shuttlecocks.

Tan said he will continue to support NMBF and other sports associations in any way he can, as getting involved with various sports is his passion.

“Badminton, tennis, swimming, soccer, bowling, or any sport, as long as we see more people getting involved with sporting events, we will always be here to extend a helping hand,” Tan said.

(Saipan Tribune)

NMBF 12 official coaches

Twelve members of Northern Marianas Badminton Federation are now official badminton coaches after attending a coaching clinic at the Gilbert Ada gymnasium conducted by Tony Mordaunt, the Regional Development Manager of Oceania Badminton Confederation.

The list include NMBF president Marconi Calindas, Lito Mendoza, Gigi Zapanta, Hapi Gabriel, Shirley Kim, Macoi Aguda, Ingrid Sanchez, Babes Cielo, Emily Vargas, Merlie Savellano, Edwin Montoya, and Juliet Ramos.

The 12 members will continue to promote and teach the basics of the sport by going to schools and teaching the students and interested coaches.

Mordaunt said these coaches would eventually be able to officiate tournaments that OBC will be sanctioning in the future.

Coaching Course in Saipan, Twelve Successful

Tony is on his final days on the Roadshow in Saipan. Yesterday was the final day of the coaching course, they covered health and safety, movement, drop shots and net play; all of the coaches easily passed the course and due to them attending most of the sessions at the schools and the club. Saipan has some great coaches, well done to all 12 of you excellent work WELL DONE.

Those coaches who passed the course were NMBF president Marconi Calindas, Lito Mendoza, Gigi Zapanta, Hapi Gabriel, Shirley Kim, Macoi Aguda, Ingrid Sanchez, Babes Cielo, Emily Vargas, Merlie Sabillano, Edwin Montoya, and Juliet Ramos.

(Oceaniabadminton.org)

NMBF conducts 1st badminton clinic in schools

THE Northern Marianas Badminton Federation on Tuesday conducted badminton clinic at the Grace Christian Academy on Navy Hill with a foreign badminton coach/instructor on board its program.

Marconi Calindas, president of NMBF, said they have invited Tony Mordaunt from New Zealand to help them train young people the basics of badminton in selected grade schools and high schools on island.

The badminton clinic will run for 11 days.

Mordaunt, together with some members of the NMBF, taught 20 grade school and high school boys and girls of GCA.

Calindas mentioned that this is the first time a badminton clinic is conducted on Saipan, saying they have already toured some private and public schools.

NMBF recently toured Dandan Elementary School, Marianas High School, and Mount Carmel School to impart badminton skills to interested students.

Calindas said they have touched based with 50 students in MHS; 50 in Dandan; 34 in MCS.

Yesterday, NMBF has visited Garapan Elementary School.

Part of its program promoting badminton, NMBF also has conducted a badminton coaching clinic last weekend, benefiting over 70 participants in the process.

He said the participants at the coaching clinic will receive a certificate of training from the Oceania Badminton Confederation.

Mordaunt is the Regional Development Manager of the Oceania Badminton Confederation.

He has been involved in badminton for 25 years, and has been coaching for 17 years.

Calindas said Mordaunt will fly to Palau next week to train young people badminton skills in the said island.

(mvarietynews.com)

Outdoor badminton a hit in Saipan

Tony visited his first school with 5 of the coaches who had attended the coaching course over the last 2 days. After giving a talk in to the whole school, they all headed off to the Baseball field to play badminton outside.

The biggest challenge is the wind but the kids rose to the challenge, Tony managed to keep the kids entertained for 2 hours outside in the sun which is not easy but having the equipment and giveaways that the BWF provided went a long way in assisting with making our first school visit on Saipan a great success.
(Oceniabadminton.org)

Saipan introduces Badminton to school curriculum

Tony has visited Saipan as part of the BWF Roadshow, whilst there he met with Rita A Sablan who is the commissioner of education.

In the meeting Tony discussed how to introduce badminton into the sports curriculum and how to develop a school competition on the island. Rita was very helpful and keen to promote badminton to the youth of Saipan.

(Oceaniabadminton.org)

Roadshow starts with a coaching course

After 2 flights and over 1 and half days traveling, Tony finally arrived in Saipan to a welcome he will never forget; he was greeted at the airport by the team and was made to feel very welcome from the minute he got through customs, great start.

In the afternoon he had a meeting to discuss everyone's expectations and plans for the coming 10 days. I was very surprised how much the members have achieved in such a short time, since forming 3 years ago; they now have over 140 active members (great achievement).

Day two was the first day of their coaching course with 12 players / coaches attending, everyone was on time and could not wait to get started, the heat was unbelievable but still they gave 100% for the full 3 hours.

One very important element of the club is food, they love to get together after playing and socialize with food playing a major part, Tony said he could definitely get used to that, great fun.

During lunch the members played a video of past competitions and playing events, one member called Happy stood out as a star, very very funny.
(Oceaniabadminton.org)

Oceania Roadshow starts in Saipan today

Badminton Oceania asked if Northern Marianas Badminton Federation would like a visit from the regional development manager which is seeking membership with Badminton Oceania.

NMBF president Marconi Calindas is coordinating with administrators of the various schools to give the young kids the opportunity to learn basic information about badminton as well as basic skills and techniques of the sport.

Mordaunt will be there from Oct. 1 to 12.

Badminton is a regular sport in the Olympic calendar. It is the No. 1 sport in China and Indonesia, where the best players in the world are from.

It is also popular in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and China.

Badminton tournaments have also become a regular fixture in Palau.

From the CNMI, Mordaunt will also have an 11-day visit to Palau because the two Micronesian islands have shown a lot of interest in becoming a member of Badminton Oceania.

Mordaunt's visit to Saipan is expected to pave the way for Saipan's inclusion into Oceania.

Aside from promoting the sport to schoolchildren, Mordaunt will also conduct a workshop for badminton club members who wanted to become coach.

Mordaunt, who has been playing the game for 25 years, had previously conducted such visits to other Pacific countries like Fiji, Tuvalu, and Norfolk Islands.

Earlier, Mordaunt sent messages to the NMBF about his excitement in visiting the CNMI.

He said his goal is to make sure to assist CNMI and Palau to sustainable in running the badminton association to enable them to develop their juniors and members.

He said the workshop would help a lot in the growth of the sport.
More coaches, he said, must be developed because they would help achieve such goal.

Mordaunt also thanked the BWF for providing support for this project.

(Oceaniabadminton.org)

A Second Racket For Backup

Serious badminton players should have more than one racket. And if you’re going to ask me why? Obviously because the strings of the racket might break anytime during the game. Many times we might be surprised to have a broken string after a couple of swings. We never know when it would break. The best thing to do is to prepare a second racket as a backup. If you want to continue the game, then have a second racket at all times with you. Unless you are not ashamed to borrow a racket from others nearby. But of course, there are those who are not so eager enough to lend their rackets. Many serious players treat their rackets as their babies; and they just wouldn’t lend them to anyone else.

Now, if you are decided to get a second racket, here is a tip not only from me but from many other serious players in the club. Buy or have one that is exactly the same as your first racket. This means—have your second racket similar to the first in terms of tension (string tension), grip, weight, brand, and everything. If the color makes a lot of difference for you, have the same color with both. This is simply to make no more adjustments or at least less adjustment once you continue the game. It is quite late to make new adjustments in the middle of the game after changing for an entirely different racket. We assume that you have been practicing with your first racket. And that you are attuned and used to its weight, tension, power, and grip—so why not have similar racket for the backup?

But of course, there are also others who choose to have a different racket for the bakup. Others may have similar racket for the backup in terms of brand and weight, but having it with a different tension (string). At times, some used a racket with a different tension to adjust and counter depending on the strength and style of the opponent.

And there are others too, who have a second racket which is exactly the same as the first; while they also have a third racket with a different tension.

(www.gameofbadminton.com)

Customized Your Racket’s Grip

Well, this is just a grip but this is very crucial to how you are going to get the feel of your entire racket. The grip in badminton is your steering wheel. Have the best feel of it. Be comfortable with the grip because the grip is 90 percent of what you can only hold during the entire game.

Haven’t you wonder why badminton players often buy badminton grips even if they have just bought a new racket with a newly untouched and unused grip? This even holds true for tennis players and some ping-pong players as well. Well wonder no more, because often times than answer is just as simple as this. These grips are just much better than the original grips that go along with the racket from the factory. This is because each player has a different feel for the racket and a different way of holding or gripping on the racket. Though there is this standard way of holding it, each player is unique with a different need and preference for the way they would have their grip. Grip is one part of the racket wherein it has to be customized to suit each player’s personal preference. Some like there grip to be bulky and thick, so they add a new grip over the original to make it thicker. Some like their grip to be soft, as a result they buy this soft comfortable grips. Some have sweaty hands and so they prefer to buy a new anti-sweat grip or dry grips.

One way to avoid blisters is to have a grip customized just for you. Here are some tips on how to change or add a new grip to your racket.

Replacing for a New Grip

There are two ways of having a new grip. The first is to add the new grip over the old or original grip. The second one is to remove the original or old grip before replacing it with the new grip.

Adding a new grip over the old or original grip is usually for those who prefer to have a rounder thicker grip to hold. This is good only if the old grip is still well-fastened to the racket. If it is loosed, remove the old grip. If the problem is just the surface of the old grip, you may add the new grip over it. If it is an original grip of a new racket, remove first the protective wrapping of the grip if you plan on placing the new grip over the original grip.

When you wrap the new grip you bought, it is better to follow the instructions at the back of the grip’s container or box. If there is none, ask for a knowledgeable friend. If still youare unluck to have one, you may follow this simple guide.

Start wrapping from the end going up to the grip. Get a double-sided tape and use it on both ends underneath. Wrap it by overlapping each portion of the grip (tape) as you roll it accross. The easiest way is to hold the grip (tape) still, and rotate your racket even and slowly. As you reach the top end, wrap it with the tape provided to seal the ends.

If you run short or over of the estimate, you can just easily unwrap it and do it again.

(www.gameofbadminton.com)

Know Your Shuttlecock

With Yonex Mavis 350 (Yellow) Shuttlecock, you can buy the shuttlecock according to the speed you like to play your badminton game. You don’t even have to keep on adjusting your stroke or swing everytime a new shuttlecock is played. The green cap is for slow speed shuttlecocks, blue for middle speed, and red for fast speed.

Yonex Mavis Shuttlecock make sure that your shuttlecock would have a constant flight stability on a given distance. In fact, even the shuttlecock is scaled for a precise weight. This is giving players a zero trouble on adjusting their swings because of a shuttlecock. Players can now focus on their strokes and rackets for the game. If a player plays with different shuttlecocks, especially the not-so-quality, the player would end up adjusting his (her) swings everytime a new shuttlecock is used.
(www.gameofbadminton.com)

Tips for Beginners: Approaching Shuttle Just Over the Net

By Neil Anthony

What will you do when the shuttlecock comes right over the net? Of course, hit it back in toward the opponent’s side. But the question is how?

Here are the steps to do it.

In this context, we are assuming that this is a singles game and that you are at the center. That is halfway between the baseline and the net, and between the two sidelines. This is to give you an advantage to take on the shuttle wherever the opponent would place it—whether to your back, infront of you, to your far left, or to your far right.

When you see the shuttle coming right over the net, immediately step forward. If you are a right-hander, step with your right foot. If you are a left-hander, then step first with your left foot. Then you put your feet together. Make a lunge exerting more thrust on the foot where your hand is holding the racket. When stepping forward and going for the thrust, keep your racket up. That is to prepare you for a quick strike.

Once you are up and going for a strike, your racket should be in a going down position almost touching the net. This is for the shuttle to go for a steepy decent, once you would hit it. Amateur players would unlikely counter an attack like this.

The best strategy where to place the ball is to go somewhere down the lines—sidelines or baseline—or to go for a crosscourt. If you are striking from the right side of your court, hit it going across to the left side of your opponent’s court. This will give him less options for the counter. And hit it well enough that it is quick and strong. That is obviously to have your opponent unprepared.

Then immediately go back to the center just in case your opponent would be quick enough to counter.

I hope that this tip would help both beginners and not-so-seasoned players in overcoming their apprehensions when a ball is coming just over the net. Many beginners would just end up staring at the ball with out even lifting a foot. Others would go for a leap right straight at it without exactly knowing what to do. The next thing they knew—the shuttle was just right on their face. Well, because I had it too.
(www.gameofbadminton.com)

Badminton Injuries and Health Hazard Prevention

Hey shuttlers,

Due to the incident occurred during (Wednesday) morning practice games that one of our members played without taking breakfast and warming up that he got dizzy and almost fainted after a set of game, we advise all members/players [to prevent such mishap] to take the proper procedures below before entering the court.

Eat something - have something to eat (especially breakfast) before game to energize your body and drink as much fluid as you can in between game intervals.

Warm up - general and sport specific warm-up is important to prevent badminton injuries or reduce the risk. It increases the activity of prime muscles, improves concentric and eccentric power, flexibility and endurance capacity.

A typical warm up includes:
- Gentle rhythmic movement such as skipping and jogging.
- Short stretches of about 15-30 seconds to reduce muscle tension and to prepare the player for physical activity and mentally for sport. Good and regular stretching habit prevents injuries and promotes circulation.
- 2-3 minutes of small movement of specific joints eg. shoulder circles, hip forward and backward movement, pelvic rotation, arm and knee bends and trunk twists.

Cool Down - to help you gradually recover from the game and adjust to rest.
Cool down by walking or stretches will also avoid dizziness or feeling sick.


Other Safety Tips:
- Do not play when you are feeling unwell, or if you pain in your joints, feet, legs, etc.
- Do not play within two hours after a heavy meal.
- Always begin in playing slowly and gradually build up.
- Drink some water before, during and after the game to replace water loss.
- Stop playing immediately if you feel chest, neck or arm pain, extreme tiredness, breathlessness or giddiness. Call emergency if resting or first aid doesn't help.

Doing all the above will not guarantee you from preventing badminton injuries and health hazard, but it will certainly reduce the risk.

Have an injury-health-risk-free badminton game.

Keep on smashing!

Tips for Beginners: Focus on What

There are three basic principles common to the racket sports that I have palyed. They are footwork, strokes, and grip. I play ping-pong, tennis, and badminton. Though they may have different strokes, grip, and footwork—all three sports hold that footwork, strokes, and grip are the essentials of playng a racket sport.

Footwork—badminton is a quick or fast-paced game. Without learning the proper footwork, a player will surely have to catch up with the shuttle during the rally. If you find yourself most of the time just a feet or two away from the shuttle as your opponent scores, try studying your footwork. Perhaps having the right footwork would have been the saving factor during those rallies. Unless you are “flash”, learn the footwork. A second of delay just because of a wrong footwork is already a big advantage for your opponent.

Strokes—learning the proper strokes can enhance your reflex, power, and speed. If you want to go for a strong smash, learn the correct stroke. Don’t learn the wrong strokes at the beginning and end up unlearning them in the future just to learn the correct strokes.

Grip—to imrpove your form. Learn the proper grip. Having a wrong grip would as a result give you some problems with your form and strokes as you advance. But if you learn the proper grip at the beginning, then you wouldn’t have a hard time going for new grips in the future so long as you are comfortable with it.

Learn the basics first before innovating for your own styles.

(www.gameofbadminton.c0m)

COACHING TIPS: FIRECRACKING FOOTWORK

By Chandra Kowi (Golden Gate Badminton Club Coach)

You can practice the following footwork according to your current physical condition and gradually increase its repetition as you improve.

1. Starting from the center of the court, jump a little on the spot, move or shuffle your body. Lunge your body forward and gallop towards the backhand net by taking a smaller step with your left leg then a bigger step with your right leg.

2. Return to your original center position, starting with your right leg in a reverse position followed by a gallop with your left and then right.

3. Now, jump a little on the spot as you shuffle your body, move forward to your forehand net, starting with your left leg galloping in a smaller step then follow by your right leg. Always remember to bend your knee for more power and support.

4. Return to your original center position, starting with your right leg in a reverse position followed by a gallop with your left and then right.
(Badmintoncentral.com)

How to watch Olympics Badminton videos online

If you want to watch Olympics badminton via NBC Olympic, here what you can do.

Go to www.nbcolympics.com , go to "badminton" section, click "live" and download Microsoft Silver LIght and install it.

If you are not physically located in the USA, then you also have to download Ultra Surf 9 here:

http://www.ultrareach.com/

After that closed all Internet Explorer. Click the Ultra Surf icon. Then go to NBC Olympic site. Search for badminton sports. Click the video or live video you wanted to see.

Enter this:

Zip Code: 94541
TV Provider: DirecTV -> San Francisco -> NBC 11
(Badmintoncentral.com)

BADMINTON TIPS: ADVICE FOR BEGINNING BADMINTON PLAYERS

Badminton is becoming more and more popular, more and more students are taking up badminton as their main sports, more and more adults are also taking up badminton as their recreational activity. As we see more beginners, I hope to point out in this article what aspects of badminton a beginning badminton player should focus on, as well as point out a few common mistakes that beginners tend to make. We hope this will help your journey into this sport that we all love.

First, let’s point out the positives, ie. Aspects of badminton that we think will help the up and coming players.

FOCUS ON:

Focus on the correct grip

The most fundamental aspect of badminton technique is the grip. The grip is how a badminton holds the badminton racket. A correct grip is a pathway for a badminton player to improve upon their skills. on the contrary, using an incorrect grip is often a brickwall that leads to poor form and poorly executed techniques. It takes much more time to unlearn a bad technique than to learn one. Many of us have experienced it before the painful way.

The proper badminton grips may feel uncomfortable and unnatural in the beginning, but if you are able to get over that fact, later on you will appreciate what you have learned.

There are two basic grips for badminton, the forehand grip and the backhand grip. We won’t go into much more detail here, if you want to know about gripping, please read the grip guide in Badminton Central. The information maybe overwhelming at first, but since this is so fundamental in badminton, it is worth the time to digest it.

Focus on the correct strokes

The worst part of learning something is to have to unlearn it later on. This happens to many recreational badminton players. We hop into the court, invent all these wild shots that seems right then, but later on to find out that they are the wrong way to hit. Then we spend 3 times the time to unlearn them as they have been so ingrained into our muscles. If you want to avoid that happening to you, it is vital to learn the proper way in the beginning.

To do that, you must find a good coach who can direct you. When you choose a coach, make sure he understands and can demonstrate the fundamentals. Your friend who happens to be playing next court to you may not be the best coach you can get.

Focus on footwork

We cannot stress the importance of footwork more. Footwork is the skill that allows you to move from point to point in the badminton court. While it sounds like an easy concept, in fact it is one of the most difficult skills in badminton. The reason footwork is so important is very simple: if you cannot get there in time, it is useless to have the best racket skill. The Cororary of that is that, the earlier you can get to the shuttle, the more choices of shots you have and the more you can pressure your opponent.

Lee Jae Bok, an ex-Korean national player, once says:

"You hit shuttle with your feet."

Footwork is one of the most difficult aspects of badminton. It takes a lot of time to learn, as well as a lot of time to practice. It is often less practiced because of the lack of venue. It is quite uncommon and anti-social for someone to take up ½ of a badminton court to practice footwork while everybody waits on the sideline. Despite so, it is still very important. A professional player can move around the court very effortlessly solely because they have very good footwork technique, they do make it look very easy but in fact, it takes many years of very hard work to master it.

Focus on fitness - jog/swim/bike - or do footwork drills

Fitness is one of the many reason many people take up badminton. Depending on the level of one’s game, badminton can be a very leisure game all the way to a down-right fitness torture. Beginning recreational players will likely be moving relatively less around the court, but as one’s skill improve, you will not only notice that you have to cover more parts of the court, you will also have to cover it in greater speed, which multiplies the fitness level needed by many folds.

In order to catch up with your pending improvements in skill, it is then important for you to increase your fitness level to complement it. There are many ways to improve one’s fitness, one popular way is to skip rope, or jog, swim, bike. Doing footwork drills also a great way to practice footwork and develop one’s fitness at the same time.

Focus on keeping track of your progress

Often when one is having fun, you must try to re-evaluate what you have learned and how you are using it. Most recreational players do not do that but it is helpful in identifying potential weaknesses in your game.

DO NOT FOCUS ON:

Avoid expensive equipment - you will most likely be wasting money

Badminton is solely a game of skills and mind, and not a game of equipment. 99% of ones game depends on how well one can yield the racket but not depend on the racket itself.

Having said that, equipment is still one essential aspect of badminton, and one do need to get the correct equipment. However, the most important equipment that a beginning badminton can own is not the top of the line racket, but instead a good, fitting pair of badminton shoes. Due to the nature of badminton movement, there is a high risk of injury due to twisting or spraining of various leg joints. A good pair of badminton shoes will ensure that you get a good solid grip of the badminton court and vastly reduces the risk of injury.

I’d like to mention one more thing on badminton equipment, often top of the line badminton rackets are not designed for beginners. While they are cool looking and expensive, their characteristics are more suited for advance players with more power. Beginners are best suited to lower end rackets. Your money is best suited to pay for some decent coaching instead.

Avoid trick shots - stop learning those strange shots.

Too many a time I have stepped into a badminton court against some beginning players who can do all these fancy trick shots but at the same time, unable to do a proper baseline to baseline clear. Badminton is a very fundamental game where one really need to learn all the basics in order to survive in a match. Trick shots may work once or twice but soon your opponent will learn how to read them and then you are back to square one.

There is definite a place for trick shots in badminton, but that’s only after one has learned to execute all the fundamentals shots first.

Avoid fancy style - i have so many times seen beginners with really fancy looking hitting style but then they miss the shuttle completely. keep it simple.

Badminton is a very efficient game. The standard, non-fancy, way of playing badminton is the most efficient way for one to hit a shot, there is simply too little time in badminton for one to do all these fancy style.

Avoid strength training - leave this after you have learned your basic strokes

Every now and then, someone will come to badmintoncentral and they want to know how to train their muscles to hit the strongest smash. Which is ok except we later on find out that such person cannot even hit a baseline to baseline clear properly. There is no point trying to hit hard when one cannot hit properly. An example of a proper technique is when I see 12 yrs old girls at 5 feet tall who can hit baseline to baseline clear with ease. Imagine what she can do when she grows a few inches taller?

To close, I’d like to point out that badminton is a very complex game, even advance players learn new aspects of badminton everyday. Make sure you keep an open mind when you approach badminton, only then will you be able to appreciate the greatness of this sport.
(Badmintoncentral.com)