Is there anywhere I can get coaching in Toronto? I'm looking for something during the summer (april onwards) but anytime is ok. Hopefully the place is not too expensive, as I'm broke enough as it is.:o Lee's is too far for me though. I live in downtown TO and have no car, so it takes me about 2 hours to get there by bus if you count the wait times.

Call the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto and see what they have to offer. They're right in downtown.

Originally posted by reaper
Call the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto and see what they have to offer. They're right in downtown.
They're too pricey for my wallet though... from what I recall, membership alone costs $1000+ and lessons are another $60 an hour. I'm hopping to find a place much less expensive.

:D
Your local community center! $25 for 9 Saturdays of badminton lessons!
Cept they prob teach crap so you can't expect much for $25.

If you're willing to spend quite a lot anyway
Y not just spend $10 - 20 each week and take a taxi up to Lee's?
Sounds crazy but.. It'd work. Or find someone that goes to Lee's and lives near you, a friend or so.

But if you're really that broke.. then community centers might not be too bad. Maybe you'd make friends with the coach and ask him to private tutor you. Some of the coaches are really skilled at the centers. Or if theres a drop-in badminton at the community center, then thats perfect! As many adults / elders who are pros at badminton often go there and enjoy a few games. They'd be more than happy to teach you.. I think.. Besides that I can't think of much.. Tell you if I think of anything else.

Originally posted by crazyboy139
:D
Your local community center! $25 for 9 Saturdays of badminton lessons!
Cept they prob teach crap so you can't expect much for $25.

If you're willing to spend quite a lot anyway
Y not just spend $10 - 20 each week and take a taxi up to Lee's?
:
Taxi to Lee's is around $50 from where I am :(. That's $100 a day! :(. The community centre idea sounds good except there is no community centre around here that I know of. Sounds like a great idea though.. i'll take a look.

O man..
$50.. :eek:
Thats quite the sum..

BRL,
Have you tried Kim Ng @George Brown College? He runs drop-ins sessions for Tues/Thurs/Sun and I know he coaches too except I have no idea how much he charges.

Originally posted by Winex West Can
BRL,
Have you tried Kim Ng @George Brown College? He runs drop-ins sessions for Tues/Thurs/Sun and I know he coaches too except I have no idea how much he charges.
I heard he stopped running his coaching sessions last year? If (s)he's still running them then that'd be perfect for me since I need to join another club anyway. I hope his sessions aren't ending when my club's sessions are ending this season.

crazyboy,

thanks for the tip... I just found a community centre 30 minuts away from me, and their meet times don't conflict my existing club... so i guess twice as much play time for me! :) No luck on the coaching part though.:mad:

Congrats!
No need to thank la!
Thats what the forums for ;)

Really glad u found one actually
Cause there isn't anywhere near where I live
So it blows for me :D

Have fun for the both of us!

Originally posted by crazyboy139
Really glad u found one actually
Cause there isn't anywhere near where I live
So it blows for me :D


r u sure? There's tons across GTA actually... prob almost a hundred!! :eek:

I live a street away from pickerin
The nearest one is around an hour+ bus
So Lee's lessons is cool nuff for me
Takin the bus is sooooo long.. and.. Zzzz. :p

Originally posted by crazyboy139
I live a street away from pickerin
The nearest one is around an hour+ bus
So Lee's lessons is cool nuff for me
Takin the bus is sooooo long.. and.. Zzzz. :p

Ok, you win the Badminton Fanatic Award!

I agree, bigredlemon. Congratulations crazyboy! You have been awarded the Badminton Fanatic Award!:D

When do I play..?
You're talking about playing on the other courts..?
I go there to take lessons..
Actually today was the end of lv 1!
lol
I feel special for being able to advance to lv 2 :)

like, what day and time do u go for level 2 training?

uh..
saturdays
I'm not too sure when the new lv 2 lessons are for next week
I kinda walked around when my mom signed up :rolleyes:

That's useful. I'm guessing 3:30 to 5:00?

So would you people that train at Lee's say it is worth it?

Nanashi, do you have any other clubs you could recommend me to go to? That has good value and good coaching?...hehe...:rolleyes:

Because the club I goto now basically just does nothing, all I do there are drills and games....haha..

it's worth it if you go to the lv 5 class and/or if you have a private lessons coach by if u're just there for beginner classes and if you're not a beginner (no offence to crazyboy) it's not worth it

Originally posted by baddy.dude
where is this unionville club you're talking about?
didn't know you could go for team at lee's.... maybe i'll try that if i don't make varsity at school.

unionville is at mccowan and 14th i think.... it's mccowan and something.... it's at father mcgivney (sp?) high school...

to get into the team you gotta either:
a) be fairly good and then tryout
b) have connections....

at least that's the way it was for me.... i didn't have connections, so i'm surprised i didn;t have to tryout.... (at least i THINK there was a tryout)...

anyway, if a guy like me can make it, i'd say it's not too difficult to make it on the team... :D

Originally posted by Nanashi
unionville is at mccowan and 14th i think.... it's mccowan and something.... it's at father mcgivney (sp?) high school...

to get into the team you gotta either:
a) be fairly good and then tryout
b) have connections....

at least that's the way it was for me.... i didn't have connections, so i'm surprised i didn;t have to tryout.... (at least i THINK there was a tryout)...

anyway, if a guy like me can make it, i'd say it's not too difficult to make it on the team... :D

how were you selected to be on the team? did you just try out? or someone just came up to you ?

Oh, I also heard that there are camps at Lee's in the summer that are for advanced people or something. Does anyone know about these camps, when they are, what skill level, etc.?

'Cause it'd be much easier for me to shell out money for a week or so than to shell out money and then more money for gas to get up there every weekend.

Phil

Nanashi, how does the unionville club work? i heard westmount doesn't do dropins anymore and i'm looking for a new place to go.

Originally posted by TOmike
Nanashi, how does the unionville club work? i heard westmount doesn't do dropins anymore and i'm looking for a new place to go.


yeah.. whatever happen to westmount! that place was good. .

Originally posted by Jus_anothr_grl
yes but you're good and you actually made it on the lee's team. if you make it on the lee's team, u can make it to any team pretty much. they just probably saw you play and were like, "wow, this guy's good, we need him on our team"

you give me too much credit my friend :D

mike: basically, you go and you play... i think it's $5 each time.... or $50 for a year... it's from 6-8 and 8-10....

6-8 is $5 or something like that.... not sure about 8-10, cuz 8-10 is run by someone else

jayson also takes private with troy i believe...

Originally posted by Nanashi
you give me too much credit my friend :D

mike: basically, you go and you play... i think it's $5 each time.... or $50 for a year... it's from 6-8 and 8-10....

6-8 is $5 or something like that.... not sure about 8-10, cuz 8-10 is run by someone else

jayson also takes private with troy i believe...



so for the unionville thing, it's at Mcgivney high school, from 6-8 and 8-10? which
days?

how much do private lessons cost at lee's? i'm thinking of taking some.

uh...pretty expensive to me anyway...like 45-50 bucks depending on the coach

Originally posted by Jus_anothr_grl
uh...pretty expensive to me anyway...like 45-50 bucks depending on the coach

thanx just_anothr_grl....
not bad i guess... i hope it's 45 with troy...
how do private lessons work? do you just schedule when to train? or do they
schedule for you? i guess it wouldn't matter to me much, since i live 5 min's
away from lee's.. but just wondering...

You work with the coach to find out when he/she's available and find the time that suits the both of you best. Usu. the lesson's 1 hour. All the ones that I've taken so far, anyway.

Lucky you! Five minutes from Lee's is v.good.

Originally posted by baddy.dude
so for the unionville thing, it's at Mcgivney high school, from 6-8 and 8-10? which
days?


fridays

I'm so beginner I think of myself as "noob" :p

Any way me lv 2 lessons are 1:30 - 3, saturdays.

[Edit: I think Troy is a GREAT coach, but so far, I prefer Annie's style of teaching. Not trying to say I don't like Troy, hes a super coach, but personally I liked Annie's ways. Her 0-tolerance, where as Troy is really kind and nice :) ]

Originally posted by crazyboy139
but personally I liked Annie's ways. Her 0-tolerance, where as Troy is really kind and nice :) ]

woh wtf?! have things changed THAT much?! When i was there, annie was REALLY nice to me... she practically stayed away from me and let me do my own thing! Troy on the other hand was a complete hard ass (at least when i was on the team)... which is a kind of a good thing, you gotta have a coach who doesn't baby you....

maybe troy is like that cuz it's lvl 2....

crazyboy139: Can you describe to me the players/training in each of the following levels? It is looking that I will probably be able to go to Lee's in the summer each week, so I want to know what level I should enter:

III: Intermediate?
IV: Intermediate/Advanced?
V: Advanced?

Thanks,
Phil

Originally posted by crazyboy139
I'm so beginner I think of myself as "noob" :p

Any way me lv 2 lessons are 1:30 - 3, saturdays.

[Edit: I think Troy is a GREAT coach, but so far, I prefer Annie's style of teaching. Not trying to say I don't like Troy, hes a super coach, but personally I liked Annie's ways. Her 0-tolerance, where as Troy is really kind and nice :) ]


I agree with Nanashi....Annie was totally nice back then...which was like maybe 2 yrs ago....but i haven't seen her for the longest time....is her hair still short??

yeah, she still does...


when i saw her, i was like "woh... she's like yelling at the kids, when did that happen?"

does she still even compete or is she too old for juniors?

Originally posted by Nanashi
yeah, she still does...


when i saw her, i was like "woh... she's like yelling at the kids, when did that happen?"

Well, she doesn't exactly yell, but sometimes you have to be firm with younger kids, especially when they don't seem very keen on actually listening to you. Then again, I think a coach should be careful, too, because some innocent kids might feel hurt that they're being scolded for something small, like taking a drink of water during a rally. My lil bro got shouted at by one of the coaches once just because he swung his racquet before anyone told him to, so he threw an absolute tantrum when my mom signed him up for a lesson with that coach in it.

which class was that and which coach?

Originally posted by Phil
crazyboy139: Can you describe to me the players/training in each of the following levels? It is looking that I will probably be able to go to Lee's in the summer each week, so I want to know what level I should enter:

III: Intermediate?
IV: Intermediate/Advanced?
V: Advanced?


Hmm..
About what level you should enter, I think Jus_anothr_grl would be better at answering that.

Level I: For true beginner, ones who don't know how to hold a racquet or high clears and such.
Usually kids take this, oldest was around.. 14, while I was 17 :rolleyes: I've learnt nothing but high clear, non stop high clearing. We learnt to drive for half a lesson, cause our group (with Kevin) seemed to advance faster. But went back to high clear the next lesson.

Level I & II (as they call it): Just past beginner, you're expected to know how to high clear.
Age avg 15
So far, in the first lesson, brief recap on how to swing for high clear, and how to hold a racquet. Turns out 10 outta 16 people didn't know how to high clear, cause it was their first time at Lee's and didn't want to join level I with kids. So only us 6 were practising high clears, other people were beginning to learn it. We also learnt to serve the bird. At the end we finished with side skippin and net shots (runnin back and forth as a drill).

I think just Jus_anothr_grl is able to describe all levels, see if she could help.

Levels being
Level I
Level I & II
Level II & III
Level III & IV
Level V

I think, personally, if you got the money and stamina, just go for private lessons. :D
I would've gone for private, but with 16 people (sep into groups of 8), I'd have 8 people to do the same thing before I have to redo it, so breaks, which I need, cause I ain't in good shape, get tired too easily :(

----------

About Annie, yea she still has short hair. Annies a really nice person, but I suppose I was a little too old to be taking too much girl attitude :p I don't joke around too much, so she doesn't yell at me, besides, yellin at someone my age is just pointless. I've seen her yell at kids tho.. Wow.. She was like.. Going crazy.. But the kids usually deserve it, so thats alrite. Otherwise Annie is a great coach. I was actually hopin to get into a lesson with her as coach again, but no luck there. She yells, only if you deserve it, otherwise nice gal ;) ;) :D :D

[Edits: Spellin errors and whatnot :p]

Okay. Uhh...

Well, Level II & III, the kids are a bit older. Most of them are 10 and up and you get the occasional 8 yr old somewhere. Umm, the kids do clears, drops, drives, learn a bit about smashes, and during the last class, they might play games.

Level III & IV classes are fun. The people are about 13-15 and friends can be easily made. Uhh, you're expected to know how to do drops, clears, drives and smashes and games are often played at the end of classes. However, footwork can be intense.

Level V is rather a social gathering of people than actual lessons since you're expected to know how to do all the basic moves in badminton. Drills are intense and confusing (well, to me anyway) but you still learn a lot. The environment is a bit more relaxed and people range from 13 - adults. Coaches and assistant coaches are more friendlier and give you more respect and even joke around with you sometimes. Games are played at the end of every class and footwork is not very intense.

That's about what I can remember for now. Hope this helps!

Originally posted by Jus_anothr_grl
which class was that and which coach?

7:30-9PM, Cherry

Originally posted by Bombshell
7:30-9PM, Cherry


hahahahaha.... everyone seems to just get along so well with cherry ;)

apparently, only jennifer likez her...
i thought troy taught 7:30-9 and cherry taught 6-7:30

Lol really? Guess they switch around. How was the TDCAA tournament?

Thanks again for the info. I'm going to sign up for Level III & IV classes (if they have the same schedule in the summer as now), since it seems like it will benefit me the most. Intense footwork sounds very appealing to me. :)

Phil

Originally posted by Bombshell
Well, she doesn't exactly yell, but sometimes you have to be firm with younger kids, especially when they don't seem very keen on actually listening to you. Then again, I think a coach should be careful, too, because some innocent kids might feel hurt that they're being scolded for something small, like taking a drink of water during a rally. My lil bro got shouted at by one of the coaches once just because he swung his racquet before anyone told him to, so he threw an absolute tantrum when my mom signed him up for a lesson with that coach in it.

As a coach for beginners (especiallys young kids who are just starting out), it is crucial for the coach to go over some safety rules. Swinging racquets in a crowd is a no-no as you could hit someone on the head. Happen to one of my coaching sessions, right after I have told the kids to be quiet and listen up about safety. This one kid fooled around and took a swing with his racquet hitting another boy in the face. Well, you can guess what happen next.

Originally posted by Bombshell
Well, she doesn't exactly yell, but sometimes you have to be firm with younger kids, especially when they don't seem very keen on actually listening to you. Then again, I think a coach should be careful, too, because some innocent kids might feel hurt that they're being scolded for something small, like taking a drink of water during a rally. My lil bro got shouted at by one of the coaches once just because he swung his racquet before anyone told him to, so he threw an absolute tantrum when my mom signed him up for a lesson with that coach in it.

Well, I can understand ur feeling, but sometimes, I think it's necessary to "set the rule" to prevent something really serious to be happened (like, hitting others in the face).

I know it's very hard the draw a line between "right and wrong", also, depend on the kids and coach's own personality and situation, it's hard to apply different std. every single time. Maybe ur brother did not do that on purpose, and maybe there's nobody next to him, however, what about if everyone starts to think, "ok, no one said anything, so, why can't I do it???"

No one wants to be yelled at, but if we really think we follow the rulez, then, I don't think most coaches are jerks anyway. Introduce rulez eariler and with a little bit restricted std is always better than being a nice guy, while ppl are really hurt later on just due to no regulation or fooling around.

Also, sports can be cruel sometimes. I am not saying coach should be mean or take advantage on little kids. However, with a little bit "harsh" rulez and "push", most of the time, it will benefit students in the future. Little kids who don't really understand a lot of things might feel hurt right at the moments, but when they grow up, most of them will reliaze that most the "harsh treatment" were positive, and good for their later career.

That is true. I suppose it all adds up to the concept of "building character." And you're right, Winex West Can, people can get smacked in the face by a racquet.

ture...BUT. i'm a camp counsellor and I deal with the kids with "behavioral problems" and well, i dunno. i tend to the be "softie" and the kids are just fine. I mean, if you're nice to them, they're nice to you.

or they take advantage of you....

true...but i DO have my limits...I mean, one of the kids did have to get expelled from the camp

I agree with "they take advantage of you"
last time I was a leader at a kid's sports camp
the other leaders were strict
cept me
so they always hung (literally) onto me
forcin me to play with them e,lse everyone would sit down to rest with me
one of which got me in trouble cause the kids seemed lazy, which meant I seemed lazy
another one cracked the LCD screen on my phone
just crazy stuff! :(

:p Lol. Kids, eh? Sweet as sugar one minute, driving you up the wall the next. Where do they get all that energy?!?

actually, the kids are fine. what really bugs me are the stupid *********** in the saturday 4:30 class(I'm not sure if they're there anymore). The girls who form cliques and think they're better than everyone else and they wear denim shorts to class...

jus
I think I know the ones you're talking about
I was actually ranting about them in my journal last week!!

I went into Lee's
and 3 girls were sitting there
eatting KFC
gossipin
BS-in about every show that they channel-surfed to

they're still there alrite!
and yea, they think they're so great
I'm only in lv 2 and I would **** them up if I played them
all they do is whine and get the bird into the net like crazy

ah!!
boggles the mind!

haha yeah. well, i never actually talked to them or know their names. I've just seen them once but my friend tells me about them...i dunno...they're one of the people who you look at, and the just hate right away for some reason...

crazyboy: kick their butts at baddy for me!

Hey, those girls are in the class I'll be taking. If crazyboy doesn't kick their butts, I'll do it! :)

Who eats KFC before badminton anyways? It's so unhealthy!

Phil

I don't think I can, cause my lessons are 3 hours ahead, they prob won't let me even get close to them.

And yea! KFC! MG! They eat, and one of the girls for some reason, just licks her fingers, then goes in and plays when I went in, like.. mg!

I hope someone gets a chance to beat them!!

Are they even good? From the sounds of it, they are the type of people who act pro, separate themselves from others, yet by their actions and habits, reveal themselves to be phonies.

Hey crazyboy, maybe I'll meet you in the summer. If you advance to II & III, and I take III & IV, then we'll both be there in between classes. Oh, and my friend will be taking I & II, so I'll be there the whole time anyways!

Phil

hmmm...maybe i'll go tomorrow. just to check things out...i need to workout...out of shape..

Denim shorts! What a fashion statement! Next they'll be wearing off-the-shoulder 80's-style hot pink sweaters! Perfect for badminton! And yes, I must agree... KFC is very unhealthy, apologies to the Colonel...

yeah aside from lee's is there any other place running rigourous training lessons during the summer?

there's a pretty good coach who's running summer group lessons. she used to be a coach at lee's but quit. and the group lessons are supposed to be pretty good.

any other info?

Originally posted by Jus_anothr_grl
there's a pretty good coach who's running summer group lessons. she used to be a coach at lee's but quit. and the group lessons are supposed to be pretty good.

:confused: :confused: Are you trying to say the coach now are not as good?:confused:

no. she just got in conflicts with the head coach and just quit lee's. she's a good coach. provided that you understand chinese that is.

Uh oh. You don't have to know Chinese to take lessons at Lee's do you? :eek:

Phil

no. they usually speak english.

whats her name?

Jus_A_G, u got any other details?

Whew, that's a relief! I can understand a good portion of Cantonese, but I can hardly speak any.

I'll definately be going to take lessons there in the summer, except for one thing: SARS. :( My friend's mom (and they are my ride) is concerned about the SARS risk in Toronto I guess. Hopefully there will be a vaccine by then or something.

Phil

uhh you're going to the saturday 4:30 class right?

if you are, the coach is stacey. she's really nice. she's not chinese though so she'll speak good english. The assistant coaches there are matthew and calvin. stacey's a good coach but she does a lot of footwork.

oh and you really shouldn't worry about SARS. I mean, more non-asian people are contracting it than asian people

Yeah, 4:30 class on Saturdays, level III & IV. Nice coach sounds good. As for lots of footwork, that's what I want. Call me a masochist. :D

Phil

how much are those lessons you're taking phil?

From the website ( www.leesbadminton.com ), it's about $236 for 13 lessons, which is about $18 per 1.5 hours lesson.

Phil

Originally posted by TOmike
whats her name?

Jus_A_G, u got any other details?


her name is susanna... she's my coach too...

What exactly happened to susanna? She got in some fight?

well, it's a long story. in a nut shell, ******************

oh and shh...i'm not supposed to know about this



Edited by moderator

oh... suzanna taught me a long time ago, too bad.

postings are bordering on being personal and subjective.

For example

well, it's a long story. in a nut shell, ***************************

And also

what really bugs me are the stupid **************in the saturday 4:30 class

One could be accused defamation. Please be a little more considerate in future

Thank you

whoops....sorry!!! I really am!
i tend to be a bit outspoken at times....

They speak mad english.

Only Kevin spoke cant cause I spoke cant to him.

Otherwise all english.

Theres different races aside from chinese (no offence to anyone) there, so language is not a problem ;)

The SARS thing is pretty bad..

Level I & II on saturday before my lessons (1:00 pm), the class had only 4 people.
2 of which did not show up on the first day.
They now combined that class with our class.
I think we have like.. 23 ppl now or something!

But yea, SARS.. Driving everyone nuts :)

[Edit: About defamin the girls. I think if anyone saw them they would agree.. I sure as heck agree with jus_gurl.. Its wrong......
]edited by moderator

Let's put it this way.

Sometimes stories like these lead up to a point where the victims have had enough. It may be their reputation or business that suffers - all possibly due to baseless rumours. So the victims may seek legal advice leading to action that forces the administrator to reveal members details so that individual members can be sued.

Just by saying "I wrote what somebody else said" won't get you out of trouble.....

None of us wants to see others get into trouble so let's keep personal critiscisms done in a non-committal manner - (cb139)

You have been warned -

I'm sure we don't want a repeat of the playbadminton incident.

lmao
cool

where does susanna coach now? she's a really good coach

Originally posted by reaper
where does susanna coach now? she's a really good coach

mainly parkway i believe

and also pierre elliot trudueau high school and miliken mills (sp?)

anyone have her contact info?

why? do you want her to coach you?

maybe this summer, she coached me back in 2001, she's a really good coach

does she give private lessons?

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THE SUMMER SESSIONS ARE AND WITH WHO??

Originally posted by grgonium
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THE SUMMER SESSIONS ARE AND WITH WHO??

ok well, the summer sessions are obviously i the summer around july and well, there's a whole bunch of places and coaches to choose from...

reaper: yes, suzanna does give private lessons but i'm not sure if she has enough courts. but i think she'll get more in the summer

I emailed Jennifer, and she said that the website would be updated soon with the new summer schedule. She also sent me the information in Excel format.

I will be going in the summer if we can get one more person to go...

Phil

Originally posted by Phil
I emailed Jennifer, and she said that the website would be updated soon with the new summer schedule. She also sent me the information in Excel format.

I will be going in the summer if we can get one more person to go...

Phil


i am interested in going!!

Jus_anothr_grl: there's another gym that I can rent in scarborough to run private lessons on, can you please give me her (Suzanna) contact info?

Originally posted by grgonium
i am interested in going!!

We live about 2 to 2.5 hours East of Toronto area, so...you can see why we need more drivers.

Phil

ARG!! Mom says her and dad "discussed at length" last night and decided that they can't "commit" to such a "long-term" thing and therefore won't drive. That pretty much means I can't go because we are in need of drivers. *$@(@$&)@!!!

Oh well, I can still go to Brantford Summer Camp and some other things... :(

Phil

Originally posted by Phil
ARG!! Mom says her and dad "discussed at length" last night and decided that they can't "commit" to such a "long-term" thing and therefore won't drive. That pretty much means I can't go because we are in need of drivers. *$@(@$&)@!!!

Oh well, I can still go to Brantford Summer Camp and some other things... :(

Phil Isn't brantford one of those dead mining towns? Last time I went there people reminded me 5 to 300 times a second that it's the home to wayne gretzky and so the town can't be that bad. Aside from the giant telephone there isn't much to look at so at least you'll get tons of badminton in! :D

Originally posted by bigredlemon
Isn't brantford one of those dead mining towns? Last time I went there people reminded me 5 to 300 times a second that it's the home to wayne gretzky and so the town can't be that bad. Aside from the giant telephone there isn't much to look at so at least you'll get tons of badminton in! :D

I would say Brantford is the best place to train when you're a junoir. Then the next place for seniors would be Woodstock.

Brantford has so much badminton because of the dedicated coach they have there. I think her name is Edith Hayman.

Oh yea, I talked to one of the coaches for the summer camp and he said that all spots were full, but he told me that Mrs. Hayman reserved a few extra spots for people from my club...haha...:D

This year's camp is gonna be crazy because there will be Dominic Soong, Kokee Chan, Mike Thitch, and Lance Hunter. Not sure if Mike Beres is coming though.

Okay, I need your input to make a decision. I emailed Mrs. Hayman, and she said she would reserve one of the last two spots until this Wednesday, May. 7 for me. Last night, I had told my mom that Brantford camp was full, and this morning she said that she had talked about it with dad and they can take me to Lee's since the summer camp is full.

So... now I have two options. I can either go to Lee's every week over the course of the summer, or I can go to a week-long camp in Brantford. Which do you guys think I should take? On one hand, going over the whole summer will ensure that I don't get "rusty," over the break, and I will improve. On the other hand, this camp sounds like it has alot of big names showing up to coach.

Phil

Originally posted by Phil
Okay, I need your input to make a decision. I emailed Mrs. Hayman, and she said she would reserve one of the last two spots until this Wednesday, May. 7 for me. Last night, I had told my mom that Brantford camp was full, and this morning she said that she had talked about it with dad and they can take me to Lee's since the summer camp is full.

So... now I have two options. I can either go to Lee's every week over the course of the summer, or I can go to a week-long camp in Brantford. Which do you guys think I should take? On one hand, going over the whole summer will ensure that I don't get "rusty," over the break, and I will improve. On the other hand, this camp sounds like it has alot of big names showing up to coach.

Phil

It's nice the camp in Brantford last for a whole week so your parents will only need to drop you off & pick you up or even you might be able to get a ride back. However, Lee's has a special summer membership for 2 months for $99 + GST. And you can stay there & use their facilities (gym etc) & enjoy a whole day of play. But you have to make sure there're members & friends there to play with.

Just my 2 cents!

Originally posted by zero
I would say Brantford is the best place to train when you're a junoir. Then the next place for seniors would be Woodstock.

Brantford has so much badminton because of the dedicated coach they have there. I think her name is Edith Hayman.

Oh yea, I talked to one of the coaches for the summer camp and he said that all spots were full, but he told me that Mrs. Hayman reserved a few extra spots for people from my club...haha...:D

This year's camp is gonna be crazy because there will be Dominic Soong, Kokee Chan, Mike Thitch, and Lance Hunter. Not sure if Mike Beres is coming though.

Here at the Woodstock Badminton Club, we have a summer camp every year. I don't have any details yet as the times have not been decided upon. It will probably be held sometime in July/August. You can find details of the camp on our website at www.woodstockbadmintonclub.org when they become available. Or you can email the youth director/coach Saj Malik. You can find the contact information on the website.

a week long camp is excellent for intense training, and helps to eliminate habits and reform you to new ideas. also with the names of some of the coaches, and excellent place for high level experience.

but having a regular weekly program also works well as a way to follow up this one week of intense training. else you might gradually lose the benefits from the camp.

do you think you can persuade your parents to allow you both? deal to your advantage - give up things for it - call it a sacrifice.

Well, said camp is in middle of August, so the summer is almost over by the time it happens. I think I'm leaning towards weekly training because then I'll have some badminton throughout the summer instead of waiting a whole 3 months (my club ended just last week). Also, I am aware of another camp at a similar time that is even in my region, and likely will not be filled up. Plus, Brantford has a March break camp, although I've heard it's not as intense.

Phil

Originally posted by dex
However, Lee's has a special summer membership for 2 months for $99 + GST. And you can stay there & use their facilities (gym etc) & enjoy a whole day of play. But you have to make sure there're members & friends there to play with.


hey where do u see this deal? it looks pretty good if u ask me! when do we sign up for this?

their toilet seems to flood a lot though :D

seriously, i went there once and 2 or 3 of the courts were off limits.... and even the lounge was soaked!!! and then i went there again like.. 2 months later, same situation.....

haha yeah...but it only happened twice. Lee's is an okay club for training but I'm still waiting for that new club

Well, the plans for Lee's fell apart, so I'm going to the Brantford camp. I just barely got in to like the last spot too. :D Looks like it should be good, with 1 coach for every 6 players and on the sheet there are some big names for coaches.

Is anyone else going?

Phil

Okay. Uhh...

Well, Level II & III, the kids are a bit older. Most of them are 10 and up and you get the occasional 8 yr old somewhere. Umm, the kids do clears, drops, drives, learn a bit about smashes, and during the last class, they might play games.

Level III & IV classes are fun. The people are about 13-15 and friends can be easily made. Uhh, you're expected to know how to do drops, clears, drives and smashes and games are often played at the end of classes. However, footwork can be intense.

Level V is rather a social gathering of people than actual lessons since you're expected to know how to do all the basic moves in badminton. Drills are intense and confusing (well, to me anyway) but you still learn a lot. The environment is a bit more relaxed and people range from 13 - adults. Coaches and assistant coaches are more friendlier and give you more respect and even joke around with you sometimes. Games are played at the end of every class and footwork is not very intense.

That's about what I can remember for now. Hope this helps!
That's bad... I just paid for my lessons. Troy did an assessment on me and he said I'm suitable in lvl II-III..... If all we learn is simple stuff, I don't think paying that much money is worth it.

I can do clears and drops... *sobs*:crying:

That's bad... I just paid for my lessons. Troy did an assessment on me and he said I'm suitable in lvl II-III..... If all we learn is simple stuff, I don't think paying that much money is worth it.

I can do clears and drops... *sobs*:crying:

Keep in mind that my review was almost two years ago when they just started implementing the level system. I think Lee's group lesson program has probably changed a bit and improved since then.

Oh... I see.

Err one more question, if I'm in lvl II-III, do I have to get to like lvl IV-V before I would be thinking about tryouts on lee's team? Or is there teams for different levels?

Oh... I see.

Err one more question, if I'm in lvl II-III, do I have to get to like lvl IV-V before I would be thinking about tryouts on lee's team? Or is there teams for different levels?

I really don't know much about their team, how tryouts work or their team level arrangements since I go to the Mandarin Club...

Speaking of Mandarin...I'll take this chance of doing some shameless promotion and say, why not try for Mandarin?

Well I went to Lee's because they have a team and I thought maybe one day I can make it in.... But if there is such thing in Mandarin, I might look into it :p

Well I went to Lee's because they have a team and I thought maybe one day I can make it in.... But if there is such thing in Mandarin, I might look into it :p


Don't be fooled by the word "TEAM", if a "TEAM" does not produce any National Players.....a "TEAM" is better to be called "GROUP". I suggested you do a survey or even check their reputation and achievements of their players and do a comparison before making your final decision! Afterall, a title is what we're looking for! Not just the name! ;)

lol... Lee's team would atleast have provincial tournaments O_o... I hope.

lol... Lee's team would atleast have provincial tournaments O_o... I hope.

Lee's has produced at least 6 National Jr. players over the years and more than 15 provincial Jr. Champs. Mandarin has produced NONE of its own Nat'l Champs. But mind you Lee's has a longer history and has established a hall of frame over the years! :)

Don't be fooled by the word "TEAM", if a "TEAM" does not produce any National Players.....a "TEAM" is better to be called "GROUP". I suggested you do a survey or even check their reputation and achievements of their players and do a comparison before making your final decision! Afterall, a title is what we're looking for! Not just the name! ;)


So by that logic, a high school and/or university badminton "team" should be changed to badminton "group" just because they don't produce national players?

There's many different categories of "teams". Every club, whether it be Mandarin, Lee's, Granite, Boulevard...etc has a team. They're all put into different categories whether you are put in a) A,B,C,D teams, b) Masters, Adult, Senior or Junior Teams or c) Regional, provincial or national teams. A team doesn't have to be focused mainly on producing national players.

And Mandarin's not even two years old. I don't think the club can produce a national player out of the blue with that short amount of time. Give the club a few years to develop their U10 and U12 players.

Lee's has produced at least 6 National Jr. players over the years and more than 15 provincial Jr. Champs. Mandarin has produced NONE of its own Nat'l Champs. But mind you Lee's has a longer history and has established a hall of frame over the years! :)


Can't argue with the facts given by "dex" though!

Actually, doesn't the Mandarin have a few very good players that used to play at lees? I'm pretty sure that both sides are competing against each other by now :p (Especially how they are so close)

NO, BUT MY CLUBS BETTER THAN YOURS!!!

Uhmm ... why have a turf war? Badminton's so underexposed, right now, in North America, that the more clubs/groups/people, the better.

-dave

I don't think this is turning into a war, but rather a comparison between two clubs O_o.
Well to me it's better to have these discussions so we know where to go...

Not to promote or anytihng... But Mandarin has some kickass players ;)

(mainly the 11 year olds)

Not to promote or anytihng... But Mandarin has some kickass players ;)

(mainly the 11 year olds)

That's right! I'm definitely "feeling" BethuneGuy's post. ;) I think it's better to have strong U12's and U10's rather than strong U19's because the U19's are going to be gone in a year or two while the U12's and U10's have a long way to go.

That's right! I'm definitely "feeling" BethuneGuy's post. ;) I think it's better to have strong U12's and U10's rather than strong U19's because the U19's are going to be gone in a year or two while the U12's and U10's have a long way to go.


It's better to have top-ranked players in each age category!

That's right! I'm definitely "feeling" BethuneGuy's post. ;) I think it's better to have strong U12's and U10's rather than strong U19's because the U19's are going to be gone in a year or two while the U12's and U10's have a long way to go.
Damn, I'm really feeling that. Not that the U 19 is bad, since we have players making it to the semis in the Nationals, runner-up in OFSSA, strong finishes in tournaments, etc etc. OK, I'll stop advertising.

I just got back from Lee's promotion thingie at market village. They set up this place in the middle of no where and sell stuff lol. My first time holding a Nanospeed 7000 *drools*

And man, Amortec 300 is $140... That's the exact same price I got my MP30 for...

just a note.... the idea: "since club a has x number of national champions, and club b doesn't, club a must be better" is absolutely absurd...

why do you think they are national champions? the answer, obviously, is that they worked very very hard.

So what does THEIR effort, have to do with you? While i will grant that perhaps in some places they train harder than others, that doesn't mean that you will improve along with them....and perhaps their style of coaching might not be one that suits you

you could have the most expensive, and most qualified coach in the world.. doesn't mean you will be champion of ANYTHING....

if the above logic was correct, then how come NO country in the world has ALL it's players on top??? i don't see 100 asian players in the top 100 of anything, nor do i see 100 european players in the top 100, nor any other country/continent.... by the logic presented above, surely ONE country should dominate the world right??

makes you wonder why :rolleyes:

regardless of potential or where you train, there must be desire....

my advice is to look around, find a place that you like, and train your little heart out.... :D

Here's my opinion on this....

If club a has more national players.... People might think that is a better club. Interms of better coaching and facilities. If you're spending hundreds of dollars for 3 months, you would want to find the best club so it doesn't waste your money right? In my opinion, that is why I think people look at a club's national players...
........:rolleyes:

Here's my opinion on this....

If club a has more national players.... People might think that is a better club. Interms of better coaching and facilities. If you're spending hundreds of dollars for 3 months, you would want to find the best club so it doesn't waste your money right? In my opinion, that is why I think people look at a club's national players...
........:rolleyes:


It doesn't matter how many national players there are in the club. It shouldn't matter about what people think of the club. What if a club is filled with national level players yet the club's notorious for cheating, mistreatment of the players, bribing other players from clubs to join them and many more immoral acts. Yet, the general public doesn't know about this and believe that the club is outstanding and is the best plainly because they have the most national players. Would u still go there just cause of the amount of national players?

And Nanashi's right. Just because a club has national players doesn't garuntee anything about you in general. If you don't work hard, there's nothing much that the club can do for you. And you said you went to Bayview S.S. I suggest you go around looking for a certain Gr. 12 male badminton national player and asking him about where he plays, how much he trains...etc.

I'm not saying I would base a club buy the amount of national players... I'm just saying some people think that way...

It doesn't matter how many national players there are in the club. It shouldn't matter about what people think of the club. What if a club is filled with national level players yet the club's notorious for cheating, mistreatment of the players, bribing other players from clubs to join them and many more immoral acts. Yet, the general public doesn't know about this and believe that the club is outstanding and is the best plainly because they have the most national players. Would u still go there just cause of the amount of national players?

And Nanashi's right. Just because a club has national players doesn't garuntee anything about you in general. If you don't work hard, there's nothing much that the club can do for you. And you said you went to Bayview S.S. I suggest you go around looking for a certain Gr. 12 male badminton national player and asking him about where he plays, how much he trains...etc.

Jus_anothr_grl: Get mature! This is a commercial war! I hope you're not talking for Mandarin Club because they do bribe other players from other club by offering free membership, training to China and big $ prize for winners of their own tourney! And Nanashi's right, I have to agree with what he says....a player should train hard inorder to get results.....but without good coaching program, you're just a cow working on the field for your whole life! Waste of time!

Without good coaching, for sure you won't get anywhere. I agree with that.

But I think other clubs are cheap too lol.... They have ways to get members.
Trust me there's bribes in other clubs too, I've been to one today :D.