Canada, We Have A Savior!

Discussion in 'Professional Players' started by Raymond Wong, Jan 8, 2010.

  1. Raymond Wong

    Raymond Wong Regular Member

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    Hey guys, just a little intro to Canada's Olympic Badminton Team for 2012.

    As you all know, Anna Rice, most likely will be there, she places top 16 in womens singles at Beijing 2008, and then thers NYL YAKURA.

    Nyl says he's (atm) qualifying for the 2010 youth olympics, and heading for the 2012s. Keep your eyes peeled as share your thoughts!

    Peace :cool:
    Ray
     
  2. Raymond Wong

    Raymond Wong Regular Member

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    sure; ingnore my thread. like i care ^.^
     
  3. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    #3 Fidget, Jan 10, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2010
  4. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    Badminton player Nyl Yakura, 15, aims for Olympics
    May 04, 2008

    David Grossman


    ST. CATHARINES–Only 15 years old, Nyl Yakura likes being a champion.

    If his streak of success continues, Yakura figures he’ll be competing for Canada in badminton at the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore.

    And his plans go even further: playing at the 2012 Olympics in London.

    While yesterday’s provincial high school gold medal A Flight win in the Boys’ Singles came as a surprise to many, Yakura certainly didn’t think his win was an upset.

    A Grade 9 student at Dunbarton High in Pickering, beating 18-year old Timothy Chiu of Bayview Secondary in Richmond Hill was his plan from the start – even though Chiu had won last year’s title.

    While Chiu won the opening game 21-17, an energeticYakura responded with wins of 21-17 and 21-14.
    It was also the first time he had ever beaten Chiu.

    “He is older than me but sometimes age isn’t a factor,” said Yakura, whose parents made the trip to watch the championship at Brock University.

    “I kept my focus after the opening loss, got more confident after I heard people saying (Chiu) would win and the crowd was on my side going in to the final game.”

    Yakura, who also plays shortstop for the Dunbarton baseball team, didn’t take badminton seriously until last year.

    And he remembers one of his first racquets – made up from two broken ones glued together by his father.

    “Playing here really isn’t that big a priority for me, it’s more like a practice for the under 19 Nationals in Montreal, which are next week – that’s the big stuff.”

    Yakura finished the school season and playoffs unbeaten in 15 matches, winning 30 of 31 games, with his only loss yesterday to Chiu in these Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations playoffs.

    Prior to the playoffs, national umpire and Ontario Badminton Association director of competitions Susan Mussakowski, said Yakura would emerge on top because of his hot streak on the international circuit.

    “(Yakura) is a much stronger player – and has shown what he can do against players his age from other countries winning gold medals in the singles, doubles and mixed categories,” she said.

    Yakura, who will be leaving next month to train for the summer in Indonesia where the sport gets top billing, won three gold medals last summer at the Junior Pan Am Games in Brazil.

    **In the under 14 category, he won three National medals in Kitchener last year and this past March again took home the triple crown at the OBA playoffs in Barrie.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    **I now remember this event. I string for this family who the father told had me his daughter won the national U14 XD that week. He also told me about this Nyl guy that won the triple crown. I didn't paid much attention as this dude had a funny name and he was from the east which i haven't seen before. He could disappear from badminton as quickly as he got in:D
     
    #4 cooler, Jan 10, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2010
  5. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    I'll be waiting..

    ..for him to show up and participate, like other loyal Canadian national players have done, in future U.S. Open tourneys.:cool:
     
  6. Raymond Wong

    Raymond Wong Regular Member

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  7. narnia

    narnia Regular Member

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    Hi Raymond,

    Thanks for your news of Canada. BTW, I'm interested in Lee, Haeng Ham who played with Nyl in the ongoing Korea SS. Is he a PR now? I suspect he will not be qualified to represent for Canada in 2010 Olympics as he will not get the Citizenship by that time. If you have anything to share with him, please let us know. Thanks!
     
  8. Random-person1

    Random-person1 New Member

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    Michelle Li/Derrick Ng might give Canada some hope too! :D
     
    #8 Random-person1, Jan 13, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2010
  9. Wong8Egg

    Wong8Egg Regular Member

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    Although slowly, but Canada's badminton is certainly picking up. There are more private clubs than ever and our national competition is getting tougher each year. Soon we'll have grand prix tournament here too, hurray!

    Go Canada Go.:D
     
  10. Random-person1

    Random-person1 New Member

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    hopefully it will be hosted in Toronto! :D
     
  11. narnia

    narnia Regular Member

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    I think that for Canada to get momentum they should continuously hire good coaches from badminton-strong countries. I know KDM is running a training camp in Calgary. It's good for Canada but they make it officially in the scope of National Association. :)
     
  12. towbsss

    towbsss Regular Member

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    Let's be honest... Canada is probably close to the size of Europe, with let's say, less than the entire population of Korea, spread out throughout the country. While paying to travel around the country to compete, a person in Europe, for example, could be playing the same amount of tournaments, but at an international level. With a lower population and vast country size, there will be less competition especially at the higher levels and it becomes very expensive to compete professionally. That is one reason why a fair amount of Canadian National Team athletes opt to live and train in Denmark during their professional badminton careers (e.g. Anna Rice, Bob Milroy, Stephan Wojcikiewicz). Some may move temporarily to China or Indonesia to train, but the training quality they get overseas is usually unsustainable once the athlete returns to Canada.

    Sure, Nyl is definitely a young upcoming athlete with a lot of potential, but 2012? There are probably a handful of athletes for him to beat in... what, a little more than 2 years? The qualification ends at the end of April 2012, of course. Only the top athlete will make it for MS so it will be quite a long way to go. I must apologize, but I've heard the 2012 Olympic dream from way too many Canadians. We obviously can't all go. But how about 2016 for Nyl? Then the possibilities become endless... I'm not here to crush a dream, I just hope he can be realistic and aim a little further. If he also makes 2012, then that makes his 2016 look all the more promising. I wish him the best :cool:

    The Canadian Open Grand Prix will be hosted in Vancouver at the Vancouver Olympic Oval (technically in the city of Richmond), the 2nd week of July (week before US Open).

    Kim Dong Moon being in Canada is more of a blessing that anything. We never hired him and he was only in Canada to learn English at the very beginning. We are also fortunate that he doesn't mind coaching and has even started up his own badminton academy in Calgary. Unfortunately, due to the geographical problem of Canada as I discussed earlier, there are currently only two members at his academy. With such small numbers, the academy cost is very pricey ($1500/month) and that becomes a major turnoff for most Canadians looking for training. The other turnoff would be that the singles players assume he is purely a doubles/mixed coach, but what world-class badminton player can't play singles? :p As for hiring good coaches, we still need a National training center first... and then some more money... and then, we'll see...:rolleyes: We do have a new badminton academy that started this year in Vancouver, the ClearOne Badminton Academy, but again... geography becomes a problem and also that most of the Asian badminton players find themselves pushed into a 4-year degree program at the University of British Columbia once high school is over :rolleyes:

    As for Lee Haeng Ham, unfortunately, his ticket back to Korea is one-way. He will be returning to his University team in Korea and begin school in March. It is uncertain if he will be able to visit Canada again, so the 2010 Korea and Malaysia Super Series will be his last and only tournaments representing Canada. We really appreciate the time he has spent with us and wish him all the best! :)

    Sorry for the long post, but I hope to clarify some misconceptions.
     
  13. aZn_Popcorn

    aZn_Popcorn Regular Member

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    Nyl Yakura will prob have to contend with Martin Giuffre and David Snider for the 2012 Olympic Spot.
    Martin Giuffre is only 19 I believe and just recently gave David Snider a very tough game in the semifinals at the Toronto Open.
    David Snider...I am not sure how old he is now but I think he is fairly young...maybe in the low 20's and he is Canada's top player as of right now.

    As for Anna Rice, I think Michelle Li will beat her out for the Olympic spot.
     
  14. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    He is..

    ..currently not much older than 21 yrs old; no more than 22 y.o. end of this yr. He won the Canadian Senior National Championships when he was 19 y.o. (early 2008).
     
    #14 ctjcad, Jan 16, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2010
  15. towbsss

    towbsss Regular Member

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    Dave is... 22 this year, I believe. Nyl would have to contend with Martin Guiffre, David Snider, Stephan Wojcikiewicz, Alex Pang, Joe Rogers, and there are a lot of other players I have not mentioned who may be a tier below, but that doesn't mean that it will be easy.

    As for Michelle, I don't know if Anna will be playing until 2012. It is possible she is going to finish this season and end with the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as she was quite recently married to Bob Milroy and is currently doing some training and working with athletes in the Lower Mainland in BC.

    If Nyl was in Michelle's position, then he'd have a much greater chance at making the Olympics. However, the key lies in the fact that he shouldn't worry about winning domestically. The one with the highest world ranking will go to the Olympics, even though it may not be the case Nationally. The expensive and common Canadian way is to start playing many International tournaments to get a good World Ranking, then continue doing so until the Olympic qualifying period is over. I know it seems kind of harsh, but it is a reality that many Canadians will have to face: Take out a loan, gather money, and go play like, 25-30 Internationals in the Olympic year. Then, for singles, you just have to be the top Canadian and be at least top 50. whereas, for doubles/mixed, be the top Pan American team (probably also in the top 50). So if you get good draws all year, you can make the Olympics, but you wouldn't really be a "saviour" of anything...

    As for the closest thing to a "saviour" in Pan America itself, I'd give my vote to Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan from the US, should they continue to play until then.

    Again, I don't mean to be negative, but I'm just shedding some light on the harsh reality Canadians have to face with limited preparation for the Olympics. It's unfortunate that many people target the nearest Olympics and they usually have less than 4 years to prepare. Everybody else in the world has probably competed longer than that already...
     
  16. adidascanada

    adidascanada Regular Member

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    As great as Gunawan is...he's a "bought" player but his influence on the US program is quite remarkable though! When he stops playing the US team will suffer immensely.
     
  17. narnia

    narnia Regular Member

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    towboss, thanks a lot for your detailed explanation on the status of Canadian Team. I've come to know more about the difficulties Canada has had.

    :)
     
  18. narnia

    narnia Regular Member

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    Maybe Canada can be very supportive for the indoor sports as for the hockey or curling.
    Badminton would be great indoor sports if they think it more seriously and deserve to get much more supports from the government. Maybe some remarkable actions will be needed for the badminton Canada in the future.

    :)
     
  19. Random-person1

    Random-person1 New Member

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    Badminton is growing for sure in Canada.
    Many companies have a small badminton "club" that rent public school gyms on weekdays, and there are many people who go to try out badminton and become addicted to it :p
     
  20. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    maybe in vancouver and GTA, not calgary it seem. No ex-pro setting up clubs here:( Vancouver has lots of clubs and yet bob milroy still goes there to open up shop there. i don't know any ex canadian national/pros have set up a shop/club in calgary, home of yonex canada HQ and previously national training center
     
    #20 cooler, Jan 18, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2010

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