American team in IBF world championship finals!

Any CPFers badminton players/fans?

Tonight Tony Gunawan and Howard Bach beat an Indonesian team in Badminton Men's Doubles competition at the Internation Badminton Federation World Championships. It's being held at The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California (home of the Mighty Ducks). This is the first time the competition has been hosted in the United States. The U.S. has never made it to the Quarter-Finals before, and now they're in the finals!

Undoubtedly, though, it wouldn't be possible without Tony Gunawan, who was part of the 2002 Olympic gold medal winning team from Indonesia. Tomorrow he'll be facing (along with Howard Bach) his 2002 Olympic partner, in a USA VS. INA men's doubles match. I'll be there!

Anybody else following this competition?

Well, looks like I'm the only one....

Anyway, tonight the American Team won the World Badminton Championship in Men's Doubles. A first for the U.S.

There were actually a lot of people watching, probably close to 6000. During the men's doubles match, it was non-stop pandemonium. Lot's of fun, and actually worth the $144 bucks for the two tickets!

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

I've actually never really watched it. I'll have to check ESPN's schedule out! I enjoy any good competition in a sport well played!

For some reason I really enjoy female beach volleyball though! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

I have a feeling it may never reach ESPN here in the States. I think that it is broadcast in Asia, though.

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

Hi Trashman,
You are not the only CPFer. I used to play badminton during my high school and college years. With my busy life, I haven't touched my rackets in years. I was thinking about go see the semi-finals on Saturday, but didn't have time. It must be cool to see the game in person.

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

It was fun. I've watched other badminton tournaments before, like the U.S. Open (OCBC), but never anything like this. Nearly 6000 people (I'm guessing). The crowd chanting, "oleeee...olee..oleeee...ola", just like at a soccer game. It was the noisiest sporting even I can remember being at! Pretty surprising for badminton! (or at least, surprising to me)

I too played in high school and during my college years. I stopped for a long time and then a few years ago started to play again. Although, in the past 18 months I've only played 4 times due to injured ankles. I was stupid. When I first hurt one of my ankles, I didn't want to stop playing, and I just got high-top shoes which enabled me to play at around 80%. The day after playing, my ankle would hurt and feel weak, and then the day after than I would play again. I did this for months. I should have just stopped playing and let it heal. One day, I played so hard that the next day I was limping (big time). I just woke up with a dead ankle. What did I do? I bought a lace-up brace and kept playing! Anyway, I eventually injured the other ankle big time, and that was that. I played a few weeks ago and my ankle didn't really hurt too much the next day. It held up pretty well during the came to, and the only time I hurt it was just bending down to tie my shoe. I really don't know what's wrong with it, but sometimes I'll step wrong and it injures a bit. I tried acupuncture, but no luck.

Anyway, I'll probably start playing on Sunday evenings (at SGBC) again since the last time I played I was, for the most part, ok.

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

You should take it easy on your ankles. Do more stretch might help. How much SGBC charge now? Haven't been there for a long time. What is the rule there? Still winners stay? I'm not in shape for that any more. Once I went to Almansor Park and got beaten up by high school kids, 15-0 or 15-1. I spent more time waiting for next game. That was not fun. It would be nice to just free play to practice.

Re: American team in IBF world championship finals

I used to play at Almansor park a couple of years ago every Saturday and occasionaly on Sunday. We always played doubles and I'd see a lot of the same people there. I'd say I was about as good as anybody else there and the competition was always excellent and the games were usually pretty close. There were a couple of people that came after a while that where better, though. A guy named Brian, another guy and his (really good looking) wife (she can play like the guys), and the best one, I think, a guy name Heng. The time when I mentioned I played really hard and the next day I had a dead ankle....that was with Heng! He's got so much energy and his game is really good and fast. That was at ELAC.

SGBC charges 7 dollars, which is expensive compared to Glendale college, or the free places like Almansor park, Cerritos College, or McCambridge park in Burbank. It's also free in friday nights at Arcadia High School, and they used to play on tuesdays(for free) at Citrus College.

It's probably still winners stay at SGBC. I'm not sure, the last time I played it was with a group from Burbank and Glendale that reserve (rent) two courts on Sunday night. We just played two games and switched. Not much waiting for us that way, either. Actually, I was only able to hold up for about 5 games and I went home. I could feel the power leaving my arm and I knew if I kept playing I'd be regretting it. I was still a bit sore after that. I'm like 50 pounds over weight, so it's a lot of work for me!