BALLLLL!!!!!!!

BEN

Featured Player - Artur Vieira

Hailing from Portugal, Artur is on of the teams most entertaining members. His slightly unconventional playing style and crazy trick shots (or attempted trick shots) make for an interesting match anytime he is on the court. Artur is a junior and is studying Electrical Engineering. No fail sauce here, ladies and gentlemen.


1. Who is your badminton hero? 
    Lee Chong Wei. I love his playing style.
2. Describe your badminton fantasy. 
    To actually get a trophy in a tournament. Not just get a medal for beating 2 13 year olds in a match.
3. What makes you angry?
    Getting gum on my shoes. See people spitting all over the floor. Lagging in Counter-Strike.
4. When you look in strange directions as you hit the shuttle, what do you hope to see?
    I want to see the reaction on people's FACES as I trick my opponent...or just completely miss the shuttle.
5. What is your best badminton move?
    Deceptive drops - when they work.
6. Describe fellow team mate Linh Bui in three words.
    He's Bui Wonder.
7. What is on your badminton wish-list?
    Some serious badminton shoes, instead of my usual basketball shoe supply.
8. If you could have lunch with any three people, living or dead, who would they be?
    Bruce Lee - so he can teach me all his moves
    Rambo - so he can train me to survive in the jungle with all his moves
    Chuck Norris - so I can own him with all the above moves.
9. What is your worst badminton move?
    360 backhand jump smash - because a normal backhand smash isn't enough.
10. If you could choose, how would you like to die?
    Some painless way: BOOM headshot, nade frag, in my sleep
11. What is your motto?
    Live life one day at a time. The future is dynamic so don't doubt anything.


Another one down. 


BEN

New York, New York

This past saturday the DBT participated in a tri-meet in NYC against Columbia University and Marist College.  We all (except maybe Will) enjoyed some delicious mexican food after the match and toured the Columbia campus just enough to make us jealous of their surroundings. And Despite the snow, rain and wind, Peter and Sara managed to get us there and back safely. But more important than safety, we played pretty well.

Scores:
Drexel Men (won) v. Columbia : 6-3
Drexel Men (won) v. Marist : 9-0
Drexel Women (lost) v. Columbia : 1-8
Drexel Women (won) v. Marist : 9-0
Drexel Mixed (won) v. Columbia : 2-0
Drexel Mixed (tie) v. Marist : 1-1

Good job team!

AND in VK fashion I will be starting to post pictures from events on Picasa for you all to take a gander at. Click HERE and HERE to see the pictures from the NYC event.....
and HERE for pictures from the Mid-Atlantic Jr's Tournament.

BEN

Wilf

Hey Guys! Do you ever reflect upon your life and find that it is lacking of great Will quotations and content??? If so, please take some time to check out the Yea Wilf blog!!! It's yet another way to get that extra insight into a fellow team member's life. Enjoy!

BEN

Featured Player - Diane Yang

Photo: Swanna Luo

Diane Yang, a first-year student, has just begun her premiere term playing for the team.  She is majoring in nursing and will probably be an awesome caretaker someday.  On the courts, Diane is known for two things; smack talking just about everyone (especially Vince) and her devastating smash. Don't let her fool you. Now, lets reVIEW her interVIEW. 

1. Who is your badminton hero?    

    CHERN! :D
2. Describe your badminton fantasy.

    To be as good as Chern.

3. What makes you angry?

    Promise breakers, negligent parents, smokers
4. What would you do with 10 million dollars?

    Buy a mansion, set up a new hospital near my mansion, and donate to different charities :3
5. What is your best badminton move?

    Bench warming
6. Describe fellow teammate, Jichang Ni in 3 words.

    Hopeful weak sauce
7. What is on your badminton wish-list?

    Badminton shoes or another racket...
8. If you could have lunch with any 3 people, living or dead, who would they be?

    My grandpa, Jackie Chan, and Masuda Takahisa
9. What is your worst badminton move?

    It's a toss up between drops and serves.
10. If you could choose, how would you like to die?

      In my sleep. I love sleep.
11. What is your motto?

      I stole it from A Beautiful Mind, but it's: "The only thing I know for sure is that nothing is for sure."

Very nice, Diane. Way to answer those questions!

BEN

A Very Badminton Holiday Potluck Party

On December 5, you are all cordially invited to a badminton X-Mas holiday partaayyy. Check out the Facebook Event for further information.

Now, listen here.  I am not friends with everyone on facebook.  If you are in the club, you are invited to the party so please DO add yourself to the event page.

Take a study break and please attend... or be a loser.

BEN

Featured Player - Zdravko Tyankov

Photo: Vanessa Iyua

Better Known as Z, this cool kid has served as a club officer for many a year, helping to steer the team to  greatness.  Z is majoring in computer science and this will be his last year on the courts as a Drexel student. He shall be missed. Now, some of you may be wondering; Why am I having trouble pronouncing his real name? Well, it's because Z is from Bulgaria! Okay, let's take a look at Zdravko's interview.

1. Who Is your Badminton hero? 

    Lin Dan

2. Decribe your badminton fantasy.

    To beat Lin Dan:))
3. What makes you angry?

    When people cheat during a badminton game...
4. What would you do with 10 million dollars?

    Travel around the world and donate the rest to Drexel Badminton Club for a brand new awesome Badminton Gym with 20 courts and an endless supply of shuttles - Yonex AS-50:))

5. What is your best badminton move? 

    Surprise drop-shot
6. Describe fellow teammate, Yehan Ranasinghe in three words. 

    Fast, Furious and Friendly...  From Vanessa: His smile makes the world go around. (Chinese Fortune Cookie)

7. What is on your badminton wish list?

    Learn how to do Chern's cross court, backhand smash, improve my footwork, be more consistent, win a couple of gold medals:))

8.  If you could have lunch with any 3 people, living or dead, who would they be?

    Creator of Google, Geronimo, Monica Bellucci

9. What is your worst badminton move?

    Backhand smash...

10. If you could choose, how would you like to die?

      I don't think about things like that... I will live forever! :))

11. What is your motto?

      Smile, Be Positive and Stay Strong! :-D

Well done, Z (and vanessa)!

BEN

The Blog Turns 1

Today is in fact the one year anniversary of the Drexel Badminton Blog. Vince's baby is growing up fast. 

That will be all. 

BEN

Mid-Atlantic Classic Jrs Tournament

The MAC Juniors were this past weekend and I'm happy to report that Drexel won the team competition! The way it works is that each team selects five member to "count" for points.  Yehan, Peter, Chern, Z, and Akhil conquered all, beating out Penn(a close second).


And here are the highlights from individual and doubles competition:


Chern & Yehan - Won Men's Doubles
Peter & Z - Reached semi-finals in Men's Doubles
Akhil & Devin - Reached semi-finals in Men's Doubles

Yehan - Won Men's Singles
Akhil - Reached semi-finals in Men's Singles

Sara - Reached semi-finals in Women's Singles

Chern & Sara - reached quarter-finals in Mixed Doubles
Aaron & Swanna - Reached semi-finals in Mixed Doubles



Consolation--
Anna and Ta - Mixed Doubles finalists
Dan - Women Singles finalists




Good Job Team!


BEN

Is that...? Yes.

                                                            

Have you guys seen the future? I have. And Vince is still playing badminton.

With the same infamous bag in hand and signature swagger in check, VK has been featured in simulation photos for the new Drexel athletic center.

Glorious!

BEN

Featured Player - Swanna Luo

In order to spark an interest in the blog, I am starting The Featured Player of the Week(or so) Series. The posts will consist of a wonderfully awesome (or awkward) picture of a Drexel Club member and a few interview questions. The series will hopefully help readers understand their teammates better, on and off the court.

Name: Swanna Luo

Status: Freshman

Major: Physician's Assistant 

1. Who is your badminton hero?

    Obviously Devin Dobrowolski. That shouldn't even be asked.
2. Describe your badminton fantasy.

    Being the bestest badminton player ever. Thus proving to my parents that I don't win by chance. ...or watching ben play half naked (1 to 5 people) with a ponytail in his fab hair. xD
3. What makes you angry?

    When people break promises :( or lie, or cheat, or ruin my reputation.
4. What would you do with 10 million dollars?

    Buy a nice small cottage somewhere remote with a lake, a cook, a badminton court (with birdies to last a lifetime), and the rest to eliminate poverty.
5. What is your best badminton move?

    DEH DROP.
6. Describe fellow teammate, Artur Vieira in 3 words. 

    Fail. Sneaky. and unworthyofhighfives.
7. What is on your badminton wish-list?

    Badminton shoes, better badminton nets, badminton COPCAKES and the skill of smashing.

8. If you could have lunch with any 3 people, living or dead, who would they be?

    My bff #1, the most successful person on earth and God.
9. What is your worst badminton move?

    DEH SMASH. >:( (or lack thereof)
10. If you could choose, how would you like to die?

      Die peacefully and happily in sleep, next to the one i love most. :) without any regrets in the world.
11. What is your motto?

      Be open to everyone's opinions, while retaining your own, and you will succeed. :)

There you have it folks. Swanna's 11 answers have let us peer deep into her soul and more importantly have exposed some of her badminton weaknesses. You're welcome, rest of the club.

BEN

Women's Match at Bryn Mawr College

Fun Facts about Bryn Mawr:

1. It is one of the Seven Sister colleges

2. It's colors are yellow and white

3. Hillary Clinton, Emily Dickinson and Audry Hepburn are alumni

4. They were defeated by the Drexel Badminton ladies' team

Final score:  Drexel - 5     Bryn Mawr - 4

Way to go!

BEN

Practice Schedule - Fall Term 2009

Practices are held in the South wing of the DAC

Tuesdays: 6 - 9 PM

Thursdays: 6 - 9 PM

Fridays: 7 - 10 PM

In addition: For those of you who are unaware, put down your copy of the bible and check out this Bible.

BEN

Penn & Potluck

First off, thanks to Penn for hosting the match and potluck dinner! I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time and even more sure that the food was delicious.

Also, congrats to Penn's men's, women's and mixed teams for coming out on top. At least we put up a good fight!

Noteworthy: Chern and Anna won in an exciting mixed doubles match, Sara White won the handicapped women's bracket, and Yehan defeated his opponent in a crazy intense single's match.

Check out more pics from the potluck at Penn's Gallery.

BEN

Le Champions

Le Badminton Tournament was a success! Good job to everyone involved in the planning, set-up and execution of the tournament. Shout out to Peter's aunt for providing us with extra nets.

Without further delay, I would like to present you with the results from the championship.

Singles: 1st Place: Yehan Ranasinghe

2nd Place: Chern Lim

Finalists: Peter Thai and Devin Dobrowolski

Doubles: 1st Place: Yehan Ranasinghe and Chern Lim

2nd Place: Devin Dobrowolski and Akhil Kapoor

Congratulations to all!

BEN

HELLO

I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that I will be taking over as the official Drexel Badminton Club Blog Updater!

Cheers to VK.

That will be all.

BEN

Le Badminton Tournament 2009

This coming weekend is the Drexel Badminton Club's Fall term tournament and team tryouts. We will have 6 courts and feather shuttles to play with! As a reminder, all people who are interested in the Drexel Team must play tryout. Below is the lowdown for the events:

LE BADMINTON TOURNAMENT (check out the attached flyer!)

Date: Sunday October 4th
Time: 12:00pm - 5:00 pm
Location: South Gym of the DAC
Type: Round Robin

- You will most likely play in 5 group brackets, so you will play at least 4 matches.
- The totaled score out of 2 games (no set), will be recorded
- The best teams from each bracket will advance to the final bracket
- There will be a consolation bracket, but it may be abbreviated due to time constraints

Registration:

- To register, Email drexelbc@gmail.com. You will receive an email form to fill out
- To play 1 event (either doubles or singles), the admission is $15
- To play 2 events (both doubles and singles), the admission is $25

Doubles:

- Teams can be mixed gender.

Prizes:

- ummm... not cash, but something much much better (of course)

TEAM TRYOUTS
- You must play in the tournament
- When you register, let us know you're trying out for the team
- Your admission for the first event is covered as long as you have joined Drexel Badminton Club
- We will be watching you play and let you know :)

Le JPEG

Makin' a career out of guest posting...

-VK

The Badminton Soundtrack: Chern-Hooi Lim

Hello! A guest post from a familiar face.

Why haven't there been more posts recently, you ask? Well, times of transition are always difficult and, frankly, action is slower during the summer term. Don't you fret, though. Two-thousand-ten has a lot in store for you. In the meantime, enjoy Drexel Badminton's latest video.

The highly anticipated secret project - a collaborative work between 3 Drexel Badminton members is complete. Your life will never be the same.

Produced by Arturinho, B. Pubusky, V. Kan.

The Badminton Soundtrack: Chern-Hooi Lim


The first in a multi-part lyrical reimagination series.

Don't tell us we're not ready for prime time.

-VK

Change: count on it.

Well folks, it's been a fun ride. This will be my last official post as a club officer. What's the significance of that anyway?

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed what the badminton club has been able to offer you for the past year. Changes have come to us through the club sports council and we've done our best to run our club the best way we saw fit. I'd like to think that we've learned from our mistakes and that the club is on a path of determined improvement. If you have any comments regarding how the club/team is run, please feel free to let us know. You can email the club at drexelbc[at]gmail[dot]com at any time.

These kids are outta here. Courtesy of one Ben Pubusky.

Jeers and cheers to you all.

-VK

The DAC is ours again.

Hi kids. Quick note here: badminton courts are open again.

This Friday the 19th, come play with us from 4 - 8 PM.

If you're on break, make the most of it. If you're not, I weep with you.

Her hands went into withdrawal after giving up badminton for two weeks. Doctors expect a speedy recovery.

-VK

2010 Budget Allocation

Apologies for the usual delay. I'm still reeling from the official budget allocation for fiscal year 2010. While we tried to fight for more money, the bottom line is that the badminton club needs your support now more than ever. How much did we get this year? $6,865.36. About half of last year's budget.

The direct effect on you is still uncertain. We want the club to grow. We want the team to excel. But we can't do this alone.

You will see more fundraising activities from us this year so we can purchase enough shuttlecocks for your practices. We need to make sure our team members are making the best use of our funds when we send them to tournaments to represent Drexel. This won't be easy, but I think challenges will bring out the best in our new officers. As more news unfolds, we will bring it to you.

We'll figure something out.

-VK

Minor Minutes

Z-String and I attended this evening's club sports council meeting. There are a couple notes about your badminton club that are worth sharing. Here they are:

• Budget allocations should be revealed to us tomorrow. All clubs had a minimum of 36% cut from their budget request.
• Starting next school year, physical examinations will likely be required for any student who participates in a club sport. More details will be announced later.
• Finally, we are coming close to finalizing a design for our club's t-shirt. Stay tuned. These shirts are gonna be hot.
  

Safety first.

-VK

Spring Term Court Closure

We're mightily disappointed to have to tell you this, but the badminton courts will be closed from Monday, June 1st through Wednesday, June 17th, 2009. This year's commencement will be held at the DAC on Saturday, June 13th, and I guess they need a lot of time to set up for the event.

Therefore, club and team practices will not be held for the remainder of Spring term.

If you know of any other clubs in the area where the public can play during this time, please drop us a line in the comments that includes place, time, and cost. We can't go without our badminton for very long.

We don't recommend trying other activities in the meantime.

-VK

2010 Officer Election Results

Please join me in congratulating the newly elected officers of Drexel Badminton Club for the 2010 fiscal year. They are:

President: Peter Thai
Vice President: Zdravko Tyankov
Treasurer: Joseph Angelo
Secretary: An Nguyen

Some old faces and a new face to the ranks of leadership, your beloved badminton club is in good hands. Many thanks to those of you who came out and participated in our election meeting. Couldn't have done it without you. We hope to serve you well next year.

-VK

Elections and Free Pizza

Word on the street is that club officer elections are being held this Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 5PM. Where? The theatre room at The Stratum. 36th and Ludlow, for those not in the know.

FREE PIZZA, COOKIES, AND SODA.

If I were you, I'd get there early to secure a sweet seat and a slice of pizza pie. We'll go over the performance of our club this year, expectations for next year, and get underway on elections. Club practice will commence immediately after our meeting is over.

DID SOMEONE SAY FREE PIZZA?

See you there.

-VK

Reminder to nominate next year's officers.

You made me do this.

We need you, Drexel Badminton club members, to nominate next year's president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Response has not been as high as we would like.

Email us your nominations by 11:59PM, Wednesday, May 27th, 2009.

Remember that elections will be held this Friday, May 29th, at the Stratum.

Send in your nominations or Peter will commit shameless arson.

-VK

Spent shuttles.

It's not uncommon to see shuttles getting replaced after every 2 or 3 points at professional badminton matches. Surely these birdies, while not 100% intact, are still in very fine condition. What do they do with these shuttles? Is there a black market for shuttles that have been ruthlessly pummelled by world-class badminton players?

I'm just curious, is all.

These were obtained through legitimate means.

-VK

Reminder for this week's schedule

Drexel is holding yet another event this coming Saturday. Set up for an open house at the DAC will begin on Friday afternoon. Therefore...

CLUB PRACTICE IS CANCELLED FOR FRIDAY, MAY 15TH, 2009.

Poop.

-VK

The Ten Commandments of Drexel Badminton

1. Thou shalt always have badminton on the mind.
2. Thou shalt not play two games in a row if players are queued.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of Chern-Hooi Lim in vain.
4. Remember Tuesday and Friday, for they are club practice days. Club members must attend at least 50% of practices.
5. Honor your club officers, who make everything possible.
6. Thou shalt apologize if you strike your opponent with the shuttlecock.
7. Thou shalt high five or shake the hand of your opponent(s) after a completed match.
8. Thou shalt not walk onto a court while the shuttlecock is in play.
9. Thou shalt make honest assessments of close line calls.
10. Thou shalt always remember to have fun.

I've finished drinking for the evening. Your regularly scheduled program will now resume.

-VK

Club practice schedule for this week

It looks like club practice will be truncated this week. Spring Jam is taking place in the DAC this weekend and they're beginning setup on Friday.

CLUB PRACTICE IS CANCELLED FOR FRIDAY, MAY 8TH, 2009.

Please don't kill the messenger.

Good luck on your midterms, whatever those things are.

-VK

Club shuttles have been ordered

I know. This stinks. We ran out of nylon shuttles for club use a couple weeks ago.

Rest assured, a shipment of Yonex Mavis 350s are coming in next week. Please stay patient. We'll see you at practice.

-VK

Tri-meet with Rutgers and Princeton

Still chugging along on that one-post-per-week train.

This past Saturday, April 18th, 2009, Drexel Badminton headed to Rutgers University up in New Brunswick, NJ for a tri-meet against the host and Princeton University. If I were smart, I would have taken pictures of their beautiful campus, but for now, you'll have to take my word for it. There were students, real live human beings, on campus during the weekend enjoying outdoor activities and having loads of fun. Drexel... dream on.

Anyway, here are the results of our badminton matches:

Men's Team
Drexel vs. Rutgers: 9-0
Drexel vs. Princeton: 9-0

Women's Team
Drexel vs. Rutgers: 6-3
Drexel vs. Princeton: 3-6

Mixed Team
Drexel vs. Rutgers: 3-2

An impressive clean sweep from Drexel's men's team against our competitors. I fell on my goods during my singles match but it was clearly worth it.

Congratulations to Drexel and thank you to Rutgers and Princeton for a fantastic afternoon, especially to Rutgers for hosting us.

-VK

Lee Chong Wei vs. Lin Dan to pass the time

I don't usually play better after watching an intense match, especially not between the top 2 players in the world, but what are you gonna do...

Badminton Freak has the videos for the All England 2009 Men's Singles Finals match uploaded here. An exceedingly entertaining match to watch.

We'll be up in North Jersey this weekend for an IBA tri-meet with Rutgers and Princeton Universities.

-VK

NYC Badminton Club Annual Tournament 2009 Results

New York, New York, Big city of dreams;
And everything in New York ain't always what it seems.

Who would've figured that Drexel Badminton would walk away from the NYC Badminton Club's annual tournament with 10 medals?

Here are two of them.

Held from March 27th - 29th, 2009 at John Bowne High School in Flushing, NY, this was their club's 13th annual tournament. To make things fun, half of the group travelled by car with Nisarg. The other half rode the Chinatown bus up to NYC, hopped on the subway, caught a bus, only to walk a fair amount to the actual gym. I also made the group walk about 3 miles to our hotel in Jamaica, NY, passing through a heavily Jewish neighborhood at roughly 1 in the morning. Good times.

Here are the Drexel Badminton team highlights:

• Yehan Ranasinghe - Division A - Men's Singles - Bronze
  
  
• Peter Thai & Zdravko Tyankov - Division B Consolations - Men's Doubles - Golds
• Xiang Mao & Sara White - Division B Consolations - Women's Doubles - Golds
  
  
• Vincent Kan & Artur Vieira - Division C Consolations - Men's Doubles - Golds
• Chunyin Li & Sara White - Division C Consolations - Mixed Doubles - Golds
• Artur Vieira - Division C Consolations - Mixed Doubles - Bronze

Some photos are here. The lighting was really orange and there wasn't a lot of space to shoot from.

And Yehan won 70 bucks. Cha-ching!

For some Grandmaster Flash lovin'...

-VK

Collegiate Nationals: A Fantastic Voyage

Slide, slide, slippity slide; I do what I do just to survive…

In a bid to stay chronologically relevant, I am posting the details of our trip to the 2009 Badminton Collegiate Nationals a mere 17 days after it ended. That’s only a postponement of 1/26th of a year, or so. That’s such a small fraction, I may well have just stepped off the plane yesterday!

An annual gathering of the nation’s most dedicated badminton players who happen to be undergraduate college students, this year’s tournament was hosted by Irvine Valley College in Irvine, CA from March 20th to 22nd, 2009. Yeah, we went to California to play badminton. Jealous? You should be.

We have risen.

Our journey has us trapped in those giant Pringles cans with wings for about 3 hours at a time. Departing from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), we have a short layover in Houston, Texas at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Well, it was scheduled to last about an hour, but extended to easily double that when our initial plane was found to have been malfunctioning mechanically. How naughty. Appropriately agitated and seated on a new plane, we finally take off for John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California.

It’s pretty empty ‘cause it’s pretty late.

With not much time to practice on a Friday night, we grab our rental cars, check into our hotel rooms, and head out to gorge ourselves on Chinese buffet. We would easily burn off those calories the next day when most of the action would take place at Irvine Valley College’s gym. This is what we came here for. Not for the beautiful weather, flash cars, or sandy beaches, though there was plenty of that. No, we were here for domestic-class collegiate badminton.

Saturday arrives and we find ourselves on the courts awaiting our competition. I’m not sure how to write about our badminton matches except that West Coast players are formidable and relentless. Yehan played his Men’s Singles semifinals and finals matches on Sunday with his Drexel crew intensely cheering him on. And our support clearly worked. Yehan Ranasinghe became the 2009 Badminton Collegiate Nationals Men's Singles Champion. Drexel University placed 5th as a team.

Great sportsmanship from both players.

With the hard work over, we had some time to relax and enjoy ourselves at In-N-Out, the beach, Vietnamese restaurants and yogurt bars. Suffice to say, we partied with reckless abandon. (Hey, I don’t know who’s reading this thing.) We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on the left coast and returned Monday evening to Philadelphia.

California, we’ll miss you.


The trip’s photo album is here.


And just in case you missed the reference to Coolio’s Fantastic Voyage…


-VK

Guide to Badminton Fashion

DO wear light fabric to decrease undesired perspiration.

Proper clothing can enhance athletic ability when you need it most.


DON'T forget to wear socks.
Lin Dan regrets nothing.

This concludes Drexel Badminton's definitive Guide to Badminton Fashion.

-VK

I live vicariously through legitimate badminton players

I must make a confession. I am not a world class badminton player. OK, no one was surprised.

Therefore, I attain satisfaction from watching legitimate badminton players duel it out as the game is meant to be played.

Taufik Hidayat

I will also admit that Taufik Hidayat is one of my favorite players to watch. See his quarter finals match against Peter Gade here at the 2009 All England badminton tournament.

And while we're making confessions anyway, I have a naughty British commentator crush on Gillian Clark. Every word she utters is to be savored. Point after point, jewels to be preserved. If I could have a gender, nationality, and badminton ability change, I would be her.

Gillian Clark

Maybe.

-VK

Practice Schedule - Spring 2009

Location
South wing of DAC - 2 courts

Team Practice
Wednesday - 8:30pm to 10:00pm

Club Practice
Tuesday - 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Friday - 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Yonex Mavis 350 nylon shuttlecocks will be provided for use during club practice times. We encourage you to bring your own racquets. Racquets are also available at the equipment rental booth if you do not have your own.

Practice times are subject to change due to other events occurring at the DAC. We will attempt to notify you at least a day before any schedule changes.

Please remember to have fun.


-VK

Club Spotlight: US!

That's right.

We got some pixels dedicated to the Drexel Badminton team in the latest Drexel Club Sports weekly newsletter thanks to our phenomenal performance at recent tournaments.

Click to embiggen.

A pat on the back for us. 'Cause we're egotistical like that.

-VK

PA State Open 2009 Results

A little behind on my posts, but, as always, it’s worth the wait.

Who am I kidding…

Your Drexel Badminton team traveled to Reading, PA on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 for the 2009 PA State Open. It’s hosted by John Lim of Albright College, brother of our club’s academic advisor, Dr. Teck-Kah Lim.

This year, Drexel made a definitive statement by taking home the Collegiate Team trophy. With a 23-point margin over 2^nd place Swarthmore College, Drexel was declared the 2009 PA State Open’s Collegiate Team Champion.

Here are some Drexel team highlights:

• Yehan Ranasinghe – Division A – Men’s Singles – Runner-up
• Chern-Hooi Lim & Yehan Ranasinghe – Division A – Men’s Doubles – Champions
• Anna Luong & An Nguyen – Division A – Women’s Doubles – Runners-up
• Chern-Hooi Lim – Division B – Men’s Singles – Champion
• Zdravko Tyankov – Division C – Mixed Doubles – Runner-up
• Vincent Kan – Division C – Men’s Singles – Runner-up

Photos are uploaded here for your gleeful viewing pleasure.

We will be back next year to defend our title and we look forward to tougher competition next year from our fellow Pennsylvanian colleges and universities.

-VK

Collegiate Nationals: The Verdict

Aaand we're back.

This will be a quickie. Drexel Badminton placed 5th at the 2009 Badminton Collegiate Nationals tournament.

Oh, and some kid named Yehan won the Men's Singles event. He's pretty good at badminton.

The burger king.

More to come later.

-VK

Collegiate Nationals: WE GOT THIS

Hey, you. If you're going to Collegiate Nationals, then you already received an email from me. Look for it. Then read it. All of it.

If you have any questions or concerns at all about it, let us know ASAP.

In the meantime, study hard. Take your final exams hard. Wake up hard on Friday morning. Then play hard this weekend when we're in Irvine, California.

'Til then.

-VK

Drexel Badminton SkillZ: It's Over 9000

Chern vs. Chern
From Mid-Atlantic Juniors 2008.
Produced by Arturinho.

Drexel Badminton SkillZ: It's Over 9000


Final point. Artur takes the win.
Enjoy.

-VK

Quad-meet with Bryn Mawr, UPenn, and NYU

Hello, friends.

Since the number of courts at Drexel is pitiful, we met at Bryn Mawr College on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 to conduct an IBA quad-meet. Drexel played against New York University's badminton team. They had legitimate jerseys. Serious business.

I don't have the results of our individual matches.
Just know this: Drexel defeated NYU 5-4.

We are the IBA champions of the east coast, supposedly.

Some photos are here. Bui Wonder bogarted my camera and took some of the shots toward the latter half of the day. Pz.

-VK

Register for PA State Open 2009

Register for PA State Open 2009.
Deadline is Wednesday, March 4th, 2009.
That's tomorrow.

Register.

Do it now.


Be there, Saturday, March 7th, 2009.
Albright College - Reading, PA.


Or Artur will cry.

-VK

Another Drexel/UPenn showdown

Drexel Badminton found themselves on Penn grounds again February 21st, 2009.
The reason? Dinner and shenanigans.

DOF was a bit too shallow but you get the idea.

Some of us like spicy food. Some of us like to add hot sauce to our spicy food. And some of us are Devi.

After devastating Koreana and terrifying the hosts/hostesses at Chili's, we raided 7-11 and headed to the Rodin housing building to enter... THE UNDERGROUND. It's not exactly what you think it is.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

We spent the evening pitting our best against each other in ping pong, foosball, and pool. Thank you to An and Devi for planning the whole thing. Penn, we went easy on you this time.

The evidence is here.

Edit: Penn also wrote about the evening. I will do the socially acceptable blaggy thing and cross-post. Cheers.

-VK

Mid-Atlantic Classic 2009 Results

I LIKE SUSHI.

What? Another one-post week? You ought to cut this guy's salary. That is, if he got paid for doing this. But no, he doesn't.

We were at Bryn Mawr College for Mid-Atlantic Classic 2009 from February 13th-15th, 2009. Somehow, we always seem to find our way back to the Main Line time and time again. Tournament results are here.

Drexel Badminton highlights:

• Zdravko Tyankov - Men's Singles - B Level Quarterfinalist
• Peter Thai - Men's Singles - B Level Quarterfinalist
  
  
• Chern-Hooi Lim and Yehan Ranasinghe - Men's Doubles - A Level Quarterfinalists
• Chunyin Li and Henrik Lam - Men's Doubles - B Level Quarterfinalists
• Zdravko Tyankov and Peter Thai - Men's Doubles - B Level Consolation Quarterfinalists
• Anna Luong and An Nguyen - Women's Doubles - A Level Consolation Quarterfinalists
  
  
• Ta Lin - Mixed Doubles - B Level Consolation Quarterfinalist
• Peter Thai and Xiang Mao - Mixed Doubles - B Level Consolation Semifinalists

Photos from me are scarce. Peter Teuben's gallery is much meatier.

This tournament was a bit of a wake-up call for Drexel Badminton. We could've done better. Much better.

Change is a-brewin'. I can feel it. In fact, if I may borrow from Phil Collins, I can feel it coming in the air tonight.

You just wait and see.

-VK

Practices Cancelled for week of 02/16/09

Good day everybody,

Many events are occurring at the gym this week. Two of them will affect you, badminton club members.

• Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 (6:00 - 9:00 PM): Drexel Badminton (Women's) vs. Bryn Mawr
• Friday, February 20th, 2009 (5:00 - 9:00 PM): Drexel Wrestling vs. George Mason

The badminton courts will be CLOSED during these times. Therefore, practices will be cancelled on Tuesday and Friday. We apologize for the inconvenience.


-VK

Results of IBA Matches against UPenn

One post a week is pretty good, innit? No? Well, I'm trying.

The Drexel Badminton team squared off against UPenn for friendly IBA matches last week. We hosted UPenn's women's team on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at the DAC. Thursday, February 5th, 2009 saw the men's team at Hutchinson Gym on UPenn's campus.

Anna convincingly faked a career-ending leg injury while Yehan, a newly-joined team member fresh from Sri Lanka, dominated his matches with aplomb.

The results:
Drexel vs. UPenn [Women's]: 4-5
Drexel vs. UPenn [Men's]: 5-4
Drexel vs. UPenn [Mixed]: 3-2

Too close for comfort, but Drexel edged out to become the winner of this exciting bout. Well played, all.

Edit: Here's a straight copy/paste job from Mindy Lee of UPenn with the results of each match. If you have any problems with it, I don't wanna hear it. Thanks.

Mixed Team results: Drexel def. Penn 3-2
Men's doubles: Chad/Jason lost to Chern/Yehan 16-21, 16-21
W Doubles: Devi/Mindy def. An/Anna 19-21, 21-19, 21-14
M Singles: Sanket lost to Yehan 13-21, 14-21
W Singles: Devi def. An 21-12, 19-21, 21-12
Jimmy Lin/Devi lost to Chern/An 15-21, 16-21

Men's team results: Drexel def Penn 5-4
Doubles
1 Chad/Jason lost to Chern/Yehan 16-21, 16-21
2 Jimmy Lin/Sanket def. Zdravko/Peter 21-17, 20-22, 21-14
3 Jimmy Ma/Swee def. Vincent/Arthur 18-21, 24-22, 21-15

Singles
1 Sanket lost to Yehan 13-21, 14-21
2 Jimmy Lin lost to Cher 16-21, 9-21
3 Jason T def Zdravko 21-15, 21-13
4 Chad def Peter 21-19, 21-19
5 Swee lost to Vincent 21-11, 17-21, 19-21
6 Jimmy Ma lost to Linh 21-15, 18-21, 16-21

UPenn Women def. Drexel Women 5-4
Doubles
1 Devi/Mindy def. An/Anna 19-21, 21-19, 21-14
2 Yue/Jennifer lost to Xiang/Jackie 5-21, 21-23
3 Angela/Michelle lost to Sara/Yung 21-14, 22-24, 14-21

Singles
1 Devi def An 21-12, 19-21, 21-12
2 Yue lost to Xiang 11-21, 11-21
3 Mindy def Anna 21-9, 21-12
4 Jennifer def Jackie 21-15, 21-14
5 Angela lost to Sara 17-21, 17-21
6 Michelle def Yung 21-11, 21-11

-VK

So you. So Yang. So wow!

-VK