AROUND THE COURTS. What s on in June. Upcoming Badminton Events in 2010 BADMINTON VICTORIA. In this issue...

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1 AROUND THE COURTS IMPORTANT! Entries for the YONEX Australian Open Grand Prix close on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Entries for the Victorian Open & Graded also close on July 15, See for entry forms and details! Upcoming Badminton Events in 2010 July 3-6 Australian U19 Jr Int l Tasmania July 7-10 CP Maddern Carnival Tasmania Jluly 8-9 WSBA U23 Tournament Altona July What s on in June June 5 Junior State Pennant MSAC June 6 Senior State Pennant MSAC June Swan Hill Veterans Swan Hill June 19 L1/1A Coaching Refresher SEBA June 20 BAV Junior Kilsyth June Victorian Open & Graded MSAC June 29 Swan Hill Junior Swan Hill Australian Open Grand Prix MSAC July 25 Coaching Workshop MSAC July 31 Aug 7 Clendinnen Shield Vol. 3; Issue 5 June 2010 Adelaide In this issue... From the BV Office YONEX Australian Open Grand Prix Ticketing Information Victorian Code of Conduct for Sport Recent Results Around Victoria Funding, Grants & Resources Coaching Corner Singapore Open

2 2 From the BV Office Welcome to the June edition of Around the Courts. Badminton activities in Victoria have never seemed so busy as they are now, and the reason is that we are coming to a cross-road, whereby the future of badminton in the State will depend on where the members (Yes you!) decide to take the sport. Badminton in Victoria has a very strong history and thanks to the many dedicated people, the likes of Roy Ward, Jean Tyrrell, Ross Synot, Pat Murray, Noel Jennings, and hundreds like them over these past 70 years, who have shaped the structure of this State to where it is now. Although being the largest badminton State in Australia and the Oceania region has its benefits, it comes with heavy responsibilities. The National squad is based here and the challenges of having a clear pathway for State representation and National selection in junior and senior levels will always exist. The Australian Sports Commission will continue to have new programs and Victoria is constantly being used to test and run these as we have the best chance of getting such programs off the ground. The recent Crawford Report focuses heavily on sports participation, in which BV will be expected to have a big role to play. BV and BA will continue the fight for a larger slice of Federal and State funding, the reliance on which we hope will be less in the future. From an Oceania perspective, BV has the ability to run major events of the highest level at many of our metropolitan and regional centres as our membership stretches over the entire State. As such, on an international scale, Victoria is seen by many as the badminton hub in this country. International sponsors and major events are now knocking at our door. TV and media are following suit. The cross-road I alluded to, is the fact that although surveys show that more than 50,000 players are playing badminton in Victoria, only about 10% of these players are registered. It is the registered players (the mere 10% within our respective associations) who are the true backbone of the success of our sport in Victoria. The International body, BWF has recently announced its first $1Million dollar prize money for a Super Series event. Victoria is well poised to earn a Super Series event in the new cycle as well as other major BWF tournaments. We just need to show the world that not only are we passionate about our sport but we are committed to it as well. The first step to showing the world what we can do, is for you to support your local club and become a registered member. As a registered player, your continuing role is not only enjoying badminton wherever you are, but to also encourage the people you play with to become registered members of your local club. It is all that is needed to take this sport into the next sphere and in the process helping that 10% registration number grow to its full extent. Loke Poh Wong President

3 3 Location: Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre (MSAC) Aughtie Drive, Albert Park Drive (Melway 2K, D7) Ticket Sales Contact: Tue Wed Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 13 th July 14 th July 15 th July 16 th July 17 th July 18 th July Session Start time Day-1 1:00pm Day-2 10:00am Day-3 1:00pm Qtr-Finals Day-4 5:00pm Semi-Finals Day-5 12:00 noon Finals Day-6 12:00 noon Daily Ticket $10 $10 $10 $20 $35 $35 Blue Season Ticket ( 1 ST 3 DAYS) $20 Green Season Ticket ( Last 3 DAYS) Silver Season Ticket ( All 6 DAYS) $100 $80 (All ticket prices shown are in AUD currency and include GST.) * Payments by credit card can be made by phone ** Cheque payment to be made payable to Inc *** Direct money transfer to be made to: ANZ BSB account: (Please place in the reference the words AUST OPEN followed by your initial & Family Name)

4 4 VICTORIAN CODE OF CONDUCT FOR COMMUNITY SPORT You may have heard on the radio, received an , or even a package of DVD s and posters recently about the new Victorian Code of Conduct for Community Sport. From Sport & Recreation Victoria, this Code of Conduct outlines behaviours that are expected of every person involved in community sport and active recreation, as well as identifying the types of behaviours that will not be tolerated. If your club hasn t yet received a package, please let us know and we ll be happy to organise one for you. There is an excellent Leading Clubs tool on CD that provides real-life and practical examples of every type of governance issue that you may encounter. It is a long document, but it isn t expected that you read the entire thing. It is meant to be used as a reference if and when you have situations you d like to address. Please be aware that adoption of the Code is highly encouraged by Sport & Recreation Victoria. In the coming months, Badminton Victoria will be amending and adding to our behaviour policies to fall in line with the Code of Conduct, and will make these policies and procedures available on our website and to all badminton clubs. It is always our aim to keep badminton a safe and inclusive sport for all people and this is an excellent opportunity to review and enhance these goals. For more information, please read the media release attached to this & visit Please don t hesitate to contact us here LINE JUDGES NEEDED CAN YOU SPARE A DAY? OR TWO? Line judges are still required for the following dates. Volunteer for a day or two and get to see all the exciting action court-side at the Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix. Tuesday, July 13; Wednesday July 14; Thursday, July 15; Friday July 16, Contact: events@badmintonvic.com.au

5 5 Recent Results 2010 SEBA Junior Tournament ~ 22 nd May TOURNAMENT RESULTS Under 19 Winner(s) Runners-up BS Hu-Wen Chew Sawan Serasinghe GS Vinning Mak Jacqueline Guan XD Hu-Wen Chew & Seng Low & Gronya Somerville Natasha Sharp BD Hu-Wen Chew & Athi Selladurai & Sawan Serasinghe Arthavan Srithar GD Vinning Mak & Melisa Pearce & Gronya Sommerville Stephanie Treloar Under 15 Winner(s) Runners-up BS Gavin Ho Anthony Wong GS Alice Wu Jasmine Ziirsen XD Darshand Gobinathan & Anthony Wong & Joy Lai Jasmine Ziirsen BD Shaun Matthew & Daniel Laney & Jayden Stokie Jonathan Zhu GD Alice Wu & Alice Lorincz & Jasmine Ziirsen Rachael Rais-Colvin South East Badminton Association held their Junior Tournament at Springers Leisure Centre, Keysborough for U11, U15 and U19 age groups. All Victorian regions were well represented along with 4 Interstate players from New South Wales. There was a record 114 entries in the tournament including 18 U11 entries. All events were played in round robin format to best of 3 sets (except U11). U11 s played 1 game to 21 points in all their events. It was enjoyed by all junior players with some exciting matches in round robin as well as elimination. Congratulations to all the winners. Trophies and medals for the U11 events were generously donated by SEBA with a raffle held for 3 Badminton racquets donated by Epsilon, RSL and Eastern Ladies Badminton Association. The money raised was donated to Victorian Junior Badminton to support the Victorian Juniors Teams taking part in the upcoming U15 National s at Shepparton. Thanks to Kay Coady, Phil McNally and other volunteers. Under 11 Winner(s) Runners-up BS William Chau Enoch Tai GS Nalini Kuhanandha Amy Young XD Enoch Tai & William Chau & Hayley Laney Irene Chau BD Jared Song & Hasith Jayasekera & Enoch Tai Elton Zhang GD Irene Chau & Hayley Laney & Nalini Kuhanandha Amy Young SD Austin Swamy & Yash Pednekar & Jared Song Hasith Jayasekera Photos courtesy of Ron Chau.

6 6 Recent Results (cont d) JUNIOR STATE PENNANT ~Julie McDonald State junior pennant rounds one and two were played on 15 th May 2010 at SEBA with 4 teams from Geelong, SEBA, WSBA, and Ballarat. Although the competition has only 4 teams, there were a large number of players playing for their association who have already represented Victoria. Results showed that there were many close exciting games, which demonstrates with our developing players, the talent and depth we have in Victoria. Results were: Round 1. Ballarat def Geelong 11-4 SE Metro def WSBA 12-3 Round 2 SE Metro def Ballarat 9-6 WSBA def Geelong 8-7 It was also great to receive some positive comments regarding the day from team managers. Some comments are: It was wonderful to watch all team members supporting and cheering their team mates throughout the day. That is what team play is all about. I wish we had more of such team events in our calendar. The quality of games was as good, if not better than the selection events. The kids had a great experience and all involved are to be commended for their sportsmanship and the way they helped with umpiring. It just shows that these events are where we develop great team players and where the team spirit starts with local clubs and associations playing this high standard of matches. Developing players have much to gain from the experience of good competition in a team environment, not to mention the comradeship and the good sportsmanship they experience. The next Junior State Pennant rounds will be held on June 5th at MSAC. STATE DOUBLES LEAGUE SENIOR STATE PENNANT ROUND 4 LADDER (after Rounds 1 to 4) POOL A Ties Games Pts (net) 1st MELB UNI BLK nd D/VALLEY rd WSBA GOLD th BALLARAT th MELB UNI BLUE th WSBA BLUE Match # 1 Match # 2 1st A MONASH BLUES 10 4th B W.S.B.A 1 2nd A MELBOURNE UNI 4 3rd B MONASH GOLD 7 Match # 3 1st B B.A.V 9 4th A KBC FITNESS FOR LIFE 2 Match # 4 2nd B CENTRAL 11 3rd A GEELONG B.C.A. 0

7 7 Badminton Around Victoria As badminton is now in full swing, some exciting events have been happening across the state! What s going on at your club? BENDIGO & EAGLEHAWK BADMINTON ASSOCIATION Congratulations to Melisa Pearce of Bendigo who not only won the Badminton Athlete of the Year at the Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport 2009 Awards Night, but also took home the Gary Tierney Memorial Scholarship for overall athlete of the year. The 15 th Annual Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport presentation night was held last Friday May 29 th at All Seasons Function Centre, Bendigo. There are 7 sports involved in the Bendigo Academy of Sport Badminton, Baseball, Canoeing, Cycling, Golf, Soccer & Volleyball. The Gary Tierney Memorial Scholarship, which is voted on by the Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport Board was won by Melisa Pearce. Melisa received a trophy and a scholarship to assist with continuation of her badminton training. Melisa is aged 16, her achievements for 2009 are listed below. Selected for both the U17 June Bevan & U19 CP Maddern Victorian teams, both of which finished 3rd in their respective Carnivals. Winner of Ladies Doubles at both the Ballarat U17 State Tournament & Altona U17 State Tournament Runner Up of Ladies Singles at Altona U17 State Tournament Runner Up In Ladies Doubles at Ballarat U19 State Tournament. Winner of both Ladies Singles & Doubles, and Runner up in Mixed Doubles at Bendigo U19 State Tournament. Winner A Grade Ladies Doubles at Altona Open Winner of Ladies Singles at Eaglehawk/Bendigo Championships Melisa has again been selected in the U19 CP Maddern Victorian Team for 2010, and will represent the state at the Carnival in July in Launceston, Tasmania. Prior to the Teams event she will also participate on the international stage, playing in the U19 Australian Junior International, against players from around the world. Congratulations Melisa and keep up the great work! WARRNAMBOOL BADMINTON ASSOCIATION Warrnambool Badminton has certainly had a busy month of May! Badminton s Big Week has produced 5 new coaches and given 250 Warrnambool Primary school students a chance to experience the fastest racquet sport in the world, badminton, for the first time. Following from that our regional tournament gave our Warrnambool juniors the chance to meet and play against other players from Geelong, Colac and Terang. For both juniors and their coaches these regional tournaments are very beneficial for future development. One such junior player, is rising star, Jayden Stokie, 14, who has been playing with our association since he joined at 8 years of age. He has previously trained with the Bendigo Academy of Badminton which gave him a solid skill level. He is a very consistent player with tremendous footwork that enables him to cover the court very well and has great endurance. His strength is both Doubles and Mixed and he recently won the Doubles at the U15 SEBA Tournament. Jayden has previously played for Victoria as an under 13, and no doubt will continue to excel in 2010.

8 8 Badminton Around Victoria (cont d) WSBA TRIVIA NIGHT On Saturday night, 29 th May, over 50 players and friends attended the WSBA Trivia night to help raise funds to subsidise WSBA s Ann-Louise Slee s travel costs to Paris for the Badminton World Championships. Ann- Louise has been invited to play in the Ladies Doubles with Leisha Cooper (WA) at the Championships from August 23 rd 29 th The night was fast and full of fun. It really is surprising what some people know about the most trivial matters! A highlight of the evening was the game where one team member had to hit shuttles into buckets that were on the heads of other team members. It was a great success thanks to the fantastic work done by our Trivia Compiler and Master of Ceremonies, Philip McNally, and our scorer, Tresna McNally. With the takings from Saturday, donations from members who could not attend on the night and a grant from the Committee of WSBA, a total of just under $1,800 has been raised. Ann-Louise was stunned by the support that she received on the night and went on to thank Philip and Tresna McNally and the WSBA community for the encouragement and assistance shown by all. Participants trying to catch shuttles in buckets on their heads! Photo courtesy of WSBA. Ed note: It sounds like a lot of fun! What a great fundraising idea for both players and clubs. Any other clubs have unique ways to fundraise and support their activities? BAMINTON GEELONG STADIUM RELAUNCH A major event designed to raise awareness of the sport of badminton in Geelong and the well-equipped facilities available for players will be held on July 25 at the Geelong Badminton Centre. The event aims to attract new and lapsed players as well as provide encouragement and support to current players and members. The event celebrates the reopening of the Geelong Badminton Centre after a $150,000 refurbishment, including a new playing surface, court lines and internal cladding, carried out in conjunction with the City of Greater Geelong. The recently completed work means the six-court Geelong Badminton Centre is among the best facilities for the sport in the state. The event will include a come and try day aimed at families to discover the attractions of the sport during a leisurely and fun-filled Sunday afternoon. Members of the Australian representative badminton squad will be invited to conduct playing clinics and put on a demonstration match. There will be giveaways of court hire vouchers, racquets, shuttles grips, and restrings and free food and drinks. Leading local badminton players will also be on hand to take new players through the basics. Anyone interested is invited to come along to celebrate and test out the new floor! Contact: badmintongeelong@bigpond.com.au for more info.

9 9 FUNDING, GRANTS & RESOURCES HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH: SPORT UNIFORM GRANTS: AllDocs/44E3B4F FCA DF5A8 Deadline: 30 July 2010 (Applications open 21 June 2010) Grants of up to $1,000 available for the purchase of new uniforms. The third and FINAL round of funding for sport uniform grants opens mid-june. A number of clubs missed the first two rounds, so please be prepared for this one! As always, we re more than happy to help with applications, questions etc. Contact Carolyn on or bvdevelopment@badmintonvic.com.au LOCAL SPORTING CHAMPIONS: ( juniors/get_involved/local_sporting_champions) The Local Sporting Champions program is an Australian Government initiative designed to provide financial assistance for juniors towards the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment when competing, coaching or officiating at an official national sporting organisation (NSO) endorsed state or national sporting competition or a School Sport Australia national championships. Deadline: Prior to the event. ACTIVE MELBOURNE INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE GRANTS: ( AboutCouncil/grantssponsorship/ActiveMelbourne/Pages/IndividualAthlete.aspx) Financial assistance is available for individual athletes representing a club or organisation competing at an international level. Assistance is available for costs associated with training and competitions only. You must be a resident of the City of Melbourne or play, train or compete in the municipality for at least 60 per cent of your participation. Deadline: 5.30pm, Friday 25 June 2010 This month we chose to focus more on Athlete specific grants as there have been recent inquiries in this area. However, more grants and funding opportunities are available so please call or the office. We re always happy to help! Other websites for grant information: Sport & Recreation Victoria Australian Sports Commission: VicHealth: Regional Sports Assemblies: Your local council or government website. Corporate websites such as Telstra etc. offer grants to clubs their employees are involved with.

10 10 Coaching Corner BV COACHING CALENDAR 2010 Below are courses currently being advertised June 19th Level 1 Course SEBA Refresher Course Level 1 & 1 Advanced SEBA July 25th Coaches Workshop Core Training MSAC August 22nd Level 1 Course Monash Uni Level 1 Coaches looking to further develop their coaching skills should consider completing the Level 1 Advanced Course A Level 1 Advanced Course will be delivered in September at MSAC - For Course Guidelines contact Michelle For more information on any of the above please contact Michelle Rigg coaching@badmintonvic.com.au COACHING OPPORTUNITIES BV is currently seeking coach nominations for the following team/s. Badminton Victoria will pay the travel and accommodation costs for BV Team coaches for the following. All coach nomination forms must include your WWCC ID number. Victorian U15 Teams 2010 BV will enter 2 teams in the Val Nesbitt U15 Carnival Shepparton Victoria Your Nomination for this position should be submitted ASAP BV Coach nomination forms are available on the BV website on the Coaching page. VIDEO ANALYSIS: Where Do I Start? A great article below from the ASC website by Alan Pearce, School of Human Movement, Recreation and Performance, Victoria University. For more great reading and info visit Video analysis, once considered a tool only for the biomechanist or high-performance coach, is now becoming a technology used by many coaches working with athletes of all ages and standards. As discussed by Keith Lyons (2003a, 2003b), there has been an enormous growth in video-analysis software, which has allowed the coach to improve their qualitative technical and performance analyses to their athletes. However, for many coaches, particularly the majority who may not be IT savvy, video analysis may appear threatening rather than friendly. Moreover, the technology may be more detailed than one might think to get started. The aim of this article is to discuss some of the details that coaches need when considering the use of video analysis. Video analysis software Table 1 illustrates examples of technique-analysis software programs currently available. These programs

11 11 Coaching Corner (cont d) essentially capture video, edit, compare and allow for graphical overlays (Lyons 2003). However, each program has its own variations on how these components work, including up to four comparison windows and in some programs blending of one video over another for more exact comparison. Some software (for example, Dartfish) comes in different packages, known as multi-model, that have specific (or extra) components such as Simulcam TM (superimposing one athletic performance over another) or StroMotion TM (breaking down an athletic movement frame-by-frame). Basic programs do not have these specific components, so for coaches experienced with video analysis, multi-model software is recommended (it is cheaper and gives greater coaching flexibility in the long run). However, for coaches starting out in this area, the questions that should be asked are For what essential purpose will I be using the video? and Will I use these extra capabilities on a regular basis? As the saying goes, use it or lose it ; if you do not use a component of the program, chances are you will forget how to do so, creating needless delays and frustrations for both you and your athletes. Table 1: Current technique-analysis software programs available Program Country Computer platform Dartfish TM Swiss PC DV Coach TM US PC V1 TM US PC Neat TM US PC Quintic TM UK PC Silicon Coach TM NZ PC Sports Coach TM UK PC Swinger TM Australian PC SportsCode TM Australian Apple Computer hardware One of the decisions you have to make relates to ensuring the analysis software will work on your computer. There are two types of computer hardware system available on the market: IBM compatible (PC) Apple Macintosh. Most software is made for PC, which operates using Windows (2000 or XP platforms); however only one analysis system uses the Apple (OSX platform). Modern computers have the capacity to run video analysis programs, but coaches need to be aware that with updates to these programs, computers may similarly need updating. Make sure that when speaking to a video analysis distributor you tell them what operating system your computer is running and, if possible, what type of processor your computer uses (for example, Pentium 4). Also, be aware of minimum requirements versus recommended requirements, as this will also affect how efficiently analysis can occur. If you are purchasing a computer, another decision to be made is whether you choose a desktop or a laptop (portable) computer. For functionality and versatility, a laptop would be preferable in coaching. More recently, hand-sized pocket PCs, once little more than electronic diaries, are now rapidly catching up to laptops in processing capabilities (however, memory capacity, and important consideration for storage, is still lacking). With laptops and pocket PCs being transportable, the coach can capture and show the video to the athlete during the practice session. Knowledge of performance is beneficial when the athlete observes and evaluates their performance (Magill 2003).

12 12 Coaching Corner (cont d) Camera Digital video cameras are essential in video analysis, and with the technology being so prevalent, digital video cameras are now relatively inexpensive. Your camera must be able to interface with the computer, so make sure you also have a video capture card and fire wire cable to feed into the computer. Consider whether you will set up the camera in a fixed position (on a tripod) or operate it by hand. In most cases having a fixed camera position is preferable, as it allows for an aspect of the technique to be fully observed and analysed (such as the foot plant during running cycle). Further, it allows you to coach at the same time as you are analysing (for example, coaching and analysing a tennis backhand stroke). A good software package should have a functional remote controller that allows freedom of movement and coaching while the video records (you can place the tripod where normally you would be standing). Of course, not all sports analyses can be effectively conducted with a fixed camera; sometimes the coach needs to see the whole skill performed, not just one part of it. The positioning of the camera is also important. Most analyses are conducted from the side, but similar to coaching, observation must come from different angles, so make sure you position the camera at various angles to capture all movements (even on non-dominant sides for asymmetrical sports such as the racket sports). For coaches who are fortunate enough to obtain two cameras, some software programs are able to take dual-incoming feeds that provide simultaneous observation from different angles. The coach should also be aware of environmental influences. Consider the direction of sunlight, shadows from trees or buildings; or if indoors, how to compensate for the lower levels of light. For sports played on sprung floors, movement from the athletes can give the camera the jitters, affecting the quality of the capture. Analysis is only beneficial if standardised comparisons can be made. It is not uncommon for coaches to use comparisons of young athletes to current champions. Although they are well meaning, there are many aspects of such comparisons that are not standardised, particularly in reference to that particular moment in the event or match. Further, camera placement is unlikely to be in the exact same place, which also influences the analysis. Standardising the analysis does not have to be complicated. Aim to try and utilise the same area each time. Use reference markers such as cones and, if possible, have some previous data loaded into the software program to compare reference points. Finally, coaches need to think about where to store their data. As mentioned above, it is important to consider memory space. Table 2 outlines data storage terminology and average memory costs of a typical video clip. Do not get into the habit of hording clips; even if you have a computer with the largest hard disk it will not take long before it is filled. If you are a coach who likes to keep every clip, transfer these onto a CD (cheap but limited in space) or an external hard disk (plenty of space, but another expense). Regardless of your choice of data storage, transferring your files can serve as a back up if the unthinkable happens and you computer crashes! Table 2: Hard disk memory storage terminologies and typical video clip memory costs Term Byte (single unit of information) Kilobyte (KB) Megabyte (MB) Gigabyte (GB) Audio Visual Interleave (AVI) Definition / conversion Measure of data storage equalling eight bits Equals 1000 bits Equals 1000 kilobytes Equals 1000 megabytes Video file format

13 13 Coaching Corner (cont d) Examples: 18MB AVI video clip = Approximately eight seconds One rugby match will require five to eight GB of storage Video analysis is a technology that assists the coach in observing an athlete s technique and providing feedback. However, just like any technology, the potential can only be realised if the coach knows what they need and how to use it. Some video-analysis software dealers run introductory courses, as do state sporting organisations. These courses and workshops will save you time and possible frustration, and will benefit your athletes. THOMAS & UBER CUP ~Kuala Lumpur FROM THE PLAYERS POINT OF VIEW by Glenn Warfe A few dozen people standing around watching, giving a polite clap to the players after a good point, that s the kind of badminton crowd we are used to playing in front of here in Australia. While I have played in front of some large crowds overseas before, including 8,000 people at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, nothing could have prepared me for what the crowds at the Thomas Cup in Malaysia would be like. 15,000 screaming fans packed in to stadium the size of Rod Laver Arena to watch a game of badminton. However, unlike tennis there is no rule that states the crowd must be quiet during points, meaning fans are constantly screaming and singing through out every rally, creating an absolutely amazing atmosphere, louder than anything I have ever experienced before. Badminton is the number one sport in Malaysia and the amount of media coverage the tournament received was on a similar level to that which is received by AFL here in Victoria. Everyday badminton was on the back page, as well as at least 4-5 pages inside the paper dedicated solely to the Thomas and Uber Glenn Warfe and Ross Smith play Men s Doubles against Indonesia at the Thomas Cup. Photo credit: unknown Cups. Even Australia as one of the minnows of the event received a vast amount of media coverage, with regular press conferences, photo request and media interviews for TV, Radio and Newspaper. 3 out of Australia s 4 matches were also broadcast live on TV throughout Asia and streamed live all over the world on the internet. While playing for my country against the world s best in an event such as this was the highlight of my trip, I will always remember the feeling of being in front of such an amazing crowd and hope that one day we can lift the profile of badminton in Australia to rival that which it receives in Malaysia and throughout many parts of the world.

14 14 THOMAS & UBER CUP ~Kuala Lumpur By Peter Roberts I had the great pleasure to take annual leave to attend the finals of the Thomas & Uber Cup in Kuala Lumpur in mid May. It had been some time since I d seen Badminton at the very elite level, the Sydney Olympics in 2000 would have been the last time I watched world class Badminton. All the top Badminton nations were in KL, defending champions China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Japan & Denmark. Watching the likes of Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei & Peter Gade playing in the 10,000 seat Putra stadium in Kuala Lumpur was an amazing experience. Seeing a stadium full with fans that were screaming with delight at every opportunity, colourful painted faces, hundreds of Malaysian flags, drums & whistles made for a fantastic atmosphere. Seeing this event made me realise how much miss seeing our sport at the very top level. (I would love to see this type of atmosphere at our Australian Open) One of the highlights was seeing our girls give the Danish team the fright of their life in the preliminary round robin match. After the first 3 singles matches Australia lead Denmark 2 1, at this point the Danish team became unusually quiet, perhaps realising they could be eliminated in the preliminary rounds by a Badminton minnow. The Danish women rallied to take out the 2 women s doubles rubbers. Our girls put up an excellent performance and ran the Danish pairs to very close scores in the doubles, however the Danish girls proved to be a little too strong in the finish. Clockwise from top left: Aussie girls; Germany performing a pre-match ritual; Denmark & Australia pose with matching hats; a completely packed (and noisy!) stadium; Erica Pong competing in Women s Singles. Photo 1 courtesy of Badminton Australia; all other photos courtesy of Peter Roberts.

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16 16 Badminton Victoria would like to thank our official Partners and Sponsors for their ongoing Support... If you haven t already, join the Badminton Victoria Facebook page to keep up to-date on all the news wherever you are! Facebook is easy to access on your mobile, laptop or home computer and we d love you to join the conversation!