Unique Tourney For 50-Year-Olds

Loh · 06-10-2004, 12:09 AM

Our Badminton Section has not forgotten the senior players who continue to play the game despite their golden years and tired muscles.

So to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our Graduate Society, we will be competing in the Badminton Doubles Open 2004 this Saturday afternoon. It is unfortunate that we have only 12 teams participating, but it is to be expected in view of the short notice and the difficulty in seeking out the 50-year-olds who are willing to play.

I will be partnering a 'young' man, aged 39, who originally hails from Indonesia. We played together only once before, but no matter, since this is supposed to be a fun tournament. However our team is the second oldest pair with a combined age of 102 years, the oldest team being 107 years and clearly we are at a disadvantage! My partner likes to serve high with his forehand. I have to adjust by standing slightly behind him on my own side of the court. I will also have to hint to him to change to a low serve if our opponent can smash his high serves easily since my defence is shaky.

Interestingly, the combined ages of the 12 teams totalled 1,102 years and the youngest team is 79 years. The youngest guy is 25 years old, more than half the age of his senior qualifiers.

As our Society has been given additional land to expand, we are hoping that our active involvement will move the Management Committee into building a multipurpose court in the present premises so that we do not have to resort to renting courts elsewhere for our Sunday games. This is also in line with our Society's ambition to introduce "a healthy lifestye" concept to members and their families. This is part of our lobbying efforts to build our own courts before it becomes too late.

Do wish us luck!

wood_22_chuck · 06-10-2004, 01:01 AM

Good luck, Loh ... in between games, do find the time to take some pictures, and post up here. Shabok's given some good photography tips. What's tedious is actually editing to photos to trim the size etc.

-dave

Loh · 06-15-2004, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wood_22_chuck

Good luck, Loh ... in between games, do find the time to take some pictures, and post up here. Shabok's given some good photography tips. What's tedious is actually editing to photos to trim the size etc.

-dave

We had our Quarter Finals last Sunday and my partner (the tallest guy in the pic) and I managed to beat our opponents 11 and 10. We will be meeting our Semi-Finals opponents this Saturday afternoon and our younger pair boasts of an ex-Selangor state player. We can only try our best.

Hope the following group photo turns out OK:

wood_22_chuck · 06-15-2004, 02:38 AM

Hahahaha ... whassup with the dog there? I guess it's an all-Chinese affair?

-dave

Loh · 06-15-2004, 02:59 AM

Here's another shot with David, my partner. He is in fact the Goliath, taller, bigger size and stronger. I feed for him to smash the bird down. The group photo was taken on a tripod but not this one which was hand-held and that's why it isn't clear. Of course the hall conditions are not too condusive for picture taking without the flash.

Loh · 06-15-2004, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wood_22_chuck

Hahahaha ... whassup with the dog there? I guess it's an all-Chinese affair?

-dave

Ya, an all-Chinese affair, Singaporean Chinese, Indonesian Chinese and Malaysian Chinese, not all-China Chinese affair.

Well, I guess David's gf is not aware of the rules since she visited us for only the second time. That's why she brought along her two lovely pet dogs. We were scared that the players might step on the bigger one which strayed into the court once a while.

cheongsa · 06-15-2004, 08:41 AM

The backdrop of the badminton courts look familiar. Looks like the sports hall in NUS.

Loh · 06-15-2004, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheongsa

The backdrop of the badminton courts look familiar. Looks like the sports hall in NUS.

Hi Cheongsa

You're absolutely correct! Yes it is the NUS SRC. Are you a NUS alumnus? If you are you can also join us to play on Sunday afternoons from 4 pm. But I see that you are now in NY. What are you doing there? Working or studying or both?

Regards and best wishes from Singapore.

cheongsa · 06-15-2004, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loh

Hi Cheongsa

You're absolutely correct! Yes it is the NUS SRC. Are you a NUS alumnus? If you are you can also join us to play on Sunday afternoons from 4 pm. But I see that you are now in NY. What are you doing there? Working or studying or both?

Regards and best wishes from Singapore.

I did my BSc and MSc in NUS. Right now I am doing my PhD in Cornell.

I will look you folks up when I get back to Singapore...

timeless · 06-16-2004, 02:46 AM

Many of you do NOT look over 50 at all! I think badminton is the fountain of youth

.

Loh · 06-16-2004, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timeless

Many of you do NOT look over 50 at all! I think badminton is the fountain of youth

.

Yes Timeless, your name rings a bell. Indeed badminton can help you look young, especially when you continue to play with young people, provided they accept you.

I'm actually past 60 and still playing. But many will not believe what they see and ask for identification papers for verification!

In the photo, about half are below 50, with the other half above, since this is one tournament where one partner must be 50 and above.

Badminton is Timeless. And the ladies should continue playing for as long as possible if they want to maintain a youthful look.

Loh · 06-16-2004, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheongsa

I did my BSc and MSc in NUS. Right now I am doing my PhD in Cornell.

I will look you folks up when I get back to Singapore...

Oh good, Cheongsa! When are you returning? Give me a chance to convey the good news to my buddies!

We now have quite a number of new faces. Even one from Canada, Richard Woo by name who now works in the TV media, ESPN? So we will be more than happy to welcome you.

cheongsa · 06-16-2004, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loh

Oh good, Cheongsa! When are you returning? Give me a chance to convey the good news to my buddies!

We now have quite a number of new faces. Even one from Canada, Richard Woo by name who now works in the TV media, ESPN? So we will be more than happy to welcome you.

There is a chance that I will finish my PhD by Jan 2005, and hopefully by then I would have found a postdoctoral position. If that is the case, I will be back in Singapore in Jan 2005 to change my visa status, before leaving again for my postdoc.

I will hopefully finish my postdoc in another two years and be back in Singapore for good.

06-10-2004, 12:09 AM	#1
Loh Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Coast, Singapore Posts: 7,906	Unique Tourney For 50-Year-Olds Our Badminton Section has not forgotten the senior players who continue to play the game despite their golden years and tired muscles. So to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our Graduate Society, we will be competing in the Badminton Doubles Open 2004 this Saturday afternoon. It is unfortunate that we have only 12 teams participating, but it is to be expected in view of the short notice and the difficulty in seeking out the 50-year-olds who are willing to play. I will be partnering a 'young' man, aged 39, who originally hails from Indonesia. We played together only once before, but no matter, since this is supposed to be a fun tournament. However our team is the second oldest pair with a combined age of 102 years, the oldest team being 107 years and clearly we are at a disadvantage! My partner likes to serve high with his forehand. I have to adjust by standing slightly behind him on my own side of the court. I will also have to hint to him to change to a low serve if our opponent can smash his high serves easily since my defence is shaky. Interestingly, the combined ages of the 12 teams totalled 1,102 years and the youngest team is 79 years. The youngest guy is 25 years old, more than half the age of his senior qualifiers. As our Society has been given additional land to expand, we are hoping that our active involvement will move the Management Committee into building a multipurpose court in the present premises so that we do not have to resort to renting courts elsewhere for our Sunday games. This is also in line with our Society's ambition to introduce "a healthy lifestye" concept to members and their families. This is part of our lobbying efforts to build our own courts before it becomes too late. Do wish us luck!

06-15-2004, 02:59 AM	#5
Loh Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Coast, Singapore Posts: 7,906	Me & My Partner Here's another shot with David, my partner. He is in fact the Goliath, taller, bigger size and stronger. I feed for him to smash the bird down. The group photo was taken on a tripod but not this one which was hand-held and that's why it isn't clear. Of course the hall conditions are not too condusive for picture taking without the flash. Attached Images

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06-10-2004, 01:01 AM	#2
wood_22_chuck Regular Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 2,214	Good luck, Loh ... in between games, do find the time to take some pictures, and post up here. Shabok's given some good photography tips. What's tedious is actually editing to photos to trim the size etc. -dave

06-15-2004, 02:38 AM	#4
wood_22_chuck Regular Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 2,214	Hahahaha ... whassup with the dog there? I guess it's an all-Chinese affair? -dave

06-15-2004, 08:41 AM	#7
cheongsa Regular Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 511	The backdrop of the badminton courts look familiar. Looks like the sports hall in NUS.

06-16-2004, 02:46 AM	#10
timeless Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 903	Many of you do NOT look over 50 at all! I think badminton is the fountain of youth .