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24 thursday may 2 2002 economist sun stouffville tribune sports leisure badminton players of all ages prove their by mike hayakawa staff writer for some badminton is a purely recreational sport others see it as highly competitive regardless its a game most people can play their whole lives athleticism is not a prerequisite for those playing on a recreational level as an example for years theres been a seniors league in toronto and theyre out having fun the players cant move all that well but in badminton you can be tricky even if you cant move said deryck williams toronto and qistrict badminton association president even little kids can play it if theyre six seven or eight years old they love it they just love whacking the bird as hard as they can another enticing aspect of the sport is its simplicity the most seasoned player will tell you the games nuances can be acquired easily as compared to other rac- as an example for years theres been a seniors league in toronto and theyre out having fun the players cant move all that well but in badminton you can be tricky even if you cant move deryck williams toronto and district badminton association president quet sports it doesnt require huge amounts of handeye coordina tion it can be learned quickly said lamie mckee high perform ance director for badminton ontario if you go in tennis it takes quite a while to return the ball over the net and within the court theres a big impediment before you start the game in badminton you can start right away by pop ping the bird over the net then different skill levels begin to kick in theres always a challenge if thats where you want to go mr williams added the sport is not expensive requiring only a racquet and birds in plastic or feather models all you need is a 30 racquet and running shoes and away you go said robert chan president of the recreational badminton club in richmond hill although badminton doesnt get the glamour or media hype other racquet sports such as tennis or squash receive mr williams feels its popularity is flourishing especially in areas where theres a large asian population within york region markham is a hotbed for badminton a resident of markham a for mer canadian singles badminton champion in 1977 and 1978 and silver medallist at the commonwealth games in edmonton in 1978 mr mckee speculated the reason asians are active in the sport is because of its popularity in their native country if a group of canadians moved to germany for example they might get involved in hockey on a social basis staff photosjoerd witteveen christopher leung 7 learns how to serve with jennifer lee owner of lees badminton training centre in markham the same thing happens here with badminton where a lot of chinese youngsters play it because its a cultural and social thing if theyre in a foreign country its something that was popular where they lived in china it had high prestige and reminds them of home he said lori wellsmacdonald markham recreation service pro gram manager said the town has seen an increase in demand for its badminton dropin program held see lack page 25 amy west been there done that the enforcer mixes it up in martial arts i can do this i thought to myself as i took position i am powerful i am invincible i am a warri thwack suddenly my powerful invincible warrior butt bounced off the mats ouch i looked up at my attacker the slim brunette was smiling apologetically you ok jennifer asked sure no problem i lied this was going to hurt later jennifer is a stunt person to research an upcoming role she joined the warrior martial arts centre in newmarket i was part of the days les son it began with warrior owner and chief instructor terry riggs showing me the basics of throwing a punch jab soft jab pow after 15 minutes of sparring with mr riggs i met my real opponent the softspoken university student is working on a degree in psychology speaks three languages and can beat the tar out of pretty much anyone carlos newton threetime canadian judo champion and ulti mate fighting sensation looked me in the eye and said hit me as hard as you can right jab soft jab pow see mixed page 25 wm w0immmmmm a n t i qjj e s refinished beyond compare 6 months no interest no payments i fees i vii m 158maim street umignvile 905 4749677 this linmg roonysi chairs a rope edge triple pedestal dining able with 3 extension leaves opening to 1 64 and a matching large breakfroni china v cabinet on legged sideboard with ball and clavfr feet vxv v sale price