1. Park Ridge Resumes August 25.
It was a let down for those who showed up at Park Ridge BC on Aug 11 -
the school decided to refinish the floor the night before and we were
locked out. The school informs us that the next scheduled date for play is
Wednesday, August 25. This date is confirmed. The club organizers wish to
apologize for the inconvenience.

Also, August 25 will be the start of the new Season at Park Ridge - Please bring
checks for $50 made to Larry Kusch (or cash) for a membership until June 2005
(Summer 2005 Optional) or $5 / day for guests.

Park Ridge Badminton Club,
Maine East HS,
2601 Dempster (between Potter and Dee)
Park Ridge IL 60068
Contact:Bruce Yates (847)759-1795 Harvey Look (847)202-0426
Alice Wunderlich (847)392-3537 Larry Kusch (847)825-2817

Wednesdays 8:00PM - 10:30PM
Members - $50/year, Guests - $5/day

[Thanks to Larry K for the update]

2. Response to Bob Matthews
Our story about this article about Badminton at the Olympics
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/columns/0807NP55MOA_sports.shtml
got fans to send in nice letters, we got copies of some of the responses below.
Also, you may want to send the e-mails to another editorial address at the
paper:
dceditpage@...
===============
From: "Todd Haverkos" <tdh@...>
In the Aug 7 edition at
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/columns/0807NP55MOA_sports.shtml
Bob Matthews wrote:


"Some of those sports might strike you as silly, but I wonder why
croquet is out while badminton is an official Olympic sport."

Bob, like most Americans, obviously has never seen a competitive
badminton match much less participated in one. Bob's probably unaware
that it's the fastest racquet sport on the planet with shuttlecock
speeds routinely reaching nearly 200mph, that a player sprints over 3
miles over the course of an Olympic level badminton match. He's
likely also unaware that it's 2nd only to soccer in worldwide
participation. He can read more here:
http://www.usabadminton.org/page.asp
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/badminton/news/story?id=1845228

Badminton's only similarity to croquet is that Sportcraft sells rather
tortured kits for both sports at your local Wal Mart for abuse by
picnic goers.

There are Olympic sports that one can scratch their head about where
the participants don't look like chiseled, lean world-class athletes
(curling springs to mind), or that aren't terribly exciting to watch,
but please inform Bob that badminton isn't among them.

Best Regards,
--
Todd Haverkos tdh@...
http://www.vbref.org/

===============
From: "John H. Burnett" <BurnettMRT@...>
Reply to sport democrat reporter Bob Matthews

Dear Editor:
Perhaps the time has finally come to send Bob Mathews out to pasture.
His understanding fo the nature of sport, particularly those selected
for the olympics is apalling. Obviously he has never attempted to play
two of the most difficult sports in the Olympic venue, Badminton and
Fencing. Each requires far more conditioning and strength then more
recognized sports such as basketball, and far more hand-eye
coordination and balance. Badminton is also considered the fastest
racket sport in the world, with shuttle speeds far in excess of tennis.

Bob, get out of your armchair and actually take the field. You might
learn something, and then be in a position to share your new knowledge
with the rest of us.

John H. Burnett, Ph.D.

=================
From: "andre kwee" <andrekwee@...>
To the Sports Editor,

I would like to comment Bob Matthews' article on "Why are Olympic sports either
"in" or "out"?" dated August 7, 2004. He was questioning why some sports are
(not) included in the Olympics. I also want to thank Bob for mentioning
badminton in the newspaper.

When we discuss about Olympics, we must remember that it is based on worldwide
criteria (acceptance) of that sport - not just according to us in the USA or any
specific regions of the world. Obviously the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) will be the ultimate source who can answer his questions.

Badminton has been played for decades in many countries, and this sport is
played by peoples of all ages. Some sources say that badminton is regularly
played in more than 100 countries. Besides soccer, badminton is probably the
second most popular sport in Asia and Scandinavia. Historically, the countries
who dominate this sport has been China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Denmark, and Korea
to name a few.

In the US, badminton is usually played as a casual, outdoor summer game.
However, the "real" (competitive) badminton is played indoor as it is intended.
This indoor badminton is beautiful, much more physically challenging, and
rigorous than most people think. In the mid west, badminton has been part of
many high school sports and it is played by the public as well. In fact, I am
copying this email to other players in Chicagoland to show just how much we care
and enjoy badminton. I am sure there are clubs in New York (Tri State) area
which you can visit.

US national badminton team has been active participant in international
competitions including this Olympics in Athens. I hope you will cover the US
team in the Olympics. I know that NBC will include badminton in their Olympic
programs.

To know more about badminton worldwide, you can visit www.worldbadminton.net.
You can see for yourselves how popular this sport really is.

Regards,

Andre Kwee

Badminton fan and player
==========================