In the second of four tournaments this year, the club badminton team will play in the first annual Oregon Winter Classic badminton tournament in Portland Jan. 28-30.
Club coordinator Yiwen He said eight team members are going to the tournament. It is an individual tournament, meaning it is not a team competition. Orie Fukuda and He are entered in women’s doubles, while assistant coach Aaron Siu and Sandy Tang, Yasuhiro Hirayama and He and assistant coach Kevin Penn and Moon Nguyen are entered in mixed doubles. The tournament is open, so all ages are welcome. Oregon State and Portland State will send members to the open as well.
The coordinator said the players all have a good chance to go far in the tournament. Siu, a student originally from China, has played badminton her entire life. Siu said she is the best female badminton player in Oregon because of the instruction and training she received in China.
Club badminton combines casual interaction and competitive play, and all members enjoy the interaction and encouragement in an unfamiliar place.
The club is divided into club members and team members. Club members want a more flexible schedule and less commitment, while team members seek more intense competition. One can become a team member by attending every practice. Team members are allowed three absences per term, while club members can attend fewer practices.
Aside from the unique club structure, many club badminton players hail from countries around the world. Siu said there are players from Germany, France, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand. There are some Americans on the club, but most Americans are beginners. Siu said the sport is unappreciated in the United States, much like soccer.
“(Badminton) is much more popular internationally. The U.S. focuses on basketball and football so much. Badminton is a backyard sport,” Siu said.
Many of the members were uncomfortable when they first came to the University, and they used the diversity and friendly atmosphere of the club to feel more at ease. Team member Tang, who is from Taiwan, received her master’s degree from the University and decided to come back as a doctoral student in economics. Tang said she is shy, and it was hard for her to come out of her shell, but the badminton club helped her be more outgoing. She tries to help other new members do the same.
“If you don’t care about others, they won’t come again,” Tang said.
The club tries to be encouraging to new players. In practice, Siu works with club members on basic techniques, while Penn works with team members on more advanced techniques, such as specific shot selection.
Siu teaches team members the proper footwork and racket movements needed to be a more effective player. Once the players learn the basic concepts, their play skyrockets.
“With the right form, you can improve very quickly,” the coordinator said.
Tang said when playing doubles in practice, they try to put the worst player of four with the best players and pair the middle two players together. They want to make games as competitive as possible so they can get better while also including everyone.
“I’ve played with really good players, and that’s helped me improve,” Tang said.
The coordinator expects good players from Washington, California and Oregon at the tournament. With luck, she said, their team can go far.
“We want competitive games to improve our skills,” the coordinator said.
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