Whackers Badminton Academy flag soaring high

Whackers Badminton Academy flag soaring high 

- Dan Rupinta

 

Making its mark as one of the premier badminton training academies of the country today, The Whackers Badminton Academy (WBA) of Laguna dominated the Juniors events preliminaries of the 2008 Yonex-Sunrise Phils National Open Badminton Championships held at the YPBC, Shaw Blvd, Mandaluyong City last Nov 22-23, 2008.   Out of a possible 88 semifinal slots up for grabs last Sunday, Nov 23, WBA captured a total of 23 slots (25%) and surpassed the haul of Allied Badminton Team and the Jaime Llanes Training Camp (JLTC)/Battledore at 13 semi-finals positions each.    Other successful training academies were the MSI Malolos Bulacan team (9 SF slots) and the Golden Shuttle Foundation / Asuncion Badminton Center (8 SF slots). 

 

In the Juniors 16U Girls Doubles category, Whackers booked 3 out of the 4 semifinal slots.    Janelle De Vera and Pauline Ramos led the Whacker’s charge by outclassing Mariel Lomingkit and Mary Lucio of JLTC/Battledore, 21-11, 21-11.     They were joined by their compatriots Krisnin Yang & Anna Barredo and Vicka Dorado & Pia Fabros who defeated their respective opponents.      Other notable semifinalists were the 12U Boys Singles and Girls Singles top seeds, Carlo Remo and Cassandra Lim, both members of the Escoses Training Camp (ETC)-YPC and Ms. Karyn Velez of the Golden Shuttle Foundation who is also a current member of the Philippine National team.   

 

All the Juniors quarterfinal matches were closely contested with over 50% of the matches stretching to 3 sets and most matches were played in over 40 minutes, a good indication of the top level quality of the games.    

 

The Juniors Categories feature 24 different events under 6 main age brackets: 8Under, 10Under, 12Under, 14Under, 16Under and 18Under.   These junior categories serve as the backbone of Philippine badminton’s future as they are expected to produce the next generation of players who will play under the banner of the Philippine National team. 

 

Earlier during the day, the Opening Ceremonies of the tournament showcased the different badminton training camps in the country today.   The activity started with the parade of teams with all the participants wearing their team uniforms and proudly hoisting their team banners.    The Oath of Sportsmanship was delivered by the top Mixed Doubles pair in the country, Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion.   It was followed by the formal declaration of the opening of the games by the tournament director, Coach Nelson Asuncion.   The Opening Ceremonies was capped by the Ceremonial Toss carried out by Kennie and Kennevic Asuncion, Coach Nelson Asuncion and Ms. Becca Gonzales, Country Mgr of the Yonex-Sunrise Phils Representative Office and Mr. Ronald Colmenar of PHITEN.

 

The 2008 Yonex-Sunrise Philippines National Open Badminton Championships is presented by YONEX-SUNRISE and co-presented by PHITEN.  This event is also brought to us by:  Badminton Hub, Sportshub, My Shaldan, Makati Shangri-la, BSI Medicated Spray, Fish Designs, Potraitme.net, Tacorific, Potato Corner and our official & exclusive print partner, The Philippine Star.    The tournament runs from November 22-30, 2008