1. Interesting ideas
http://www.badders.com/news/item/689/-IBF-mulls-over-rule-changes-to-speed-up-ga\
me



2. Badminton sectional results

May 6, 2005

Top four finishers in singles and doubles advance.

At Buffalo Grove
Final team scores: 1, Stevenson 15.
2, Buffalo Grove 11. 3, Palatine High School 9.
4, Glenbrook North 3. 5, Lake Forest 1.

Singles
Aya Fujimori, Stevenson d. Kristina Prus, Buffalo
Grove, 11-4, 3-11, 11-4.

Aarti Jayanth, Stevenson d. Valentina Bunina,
Palatine, 11-4, 11-1.

Doubles
Francee Bailey and Natalie Butler, Palatine d.
Olivia Byjos and Kristi Meyers, Buffalo Grove,
9-15, 17-15, 15-9.

Lisa Eisenberg and Lauren Schumacher, Stevenson
d. Lindsay Spurrier and Shelley Leber, Stevenson,
15-11, 15-11.


At Downers Grove North
Final team scores: 1, Downers Grove North 18.
2, Lyons 10.5. 3, York 8.5. 4, Addison Trail 3.5.
5, Clemente 0.

Singles
Kim Jaros, Downers Grove North d. Sam Kalal,
Downers North, 11-2, 11-2. Jamie Mathews, York
d. Molly Gore, Lyons, 11-9, 11-8.

Doubles
Meghan LaVallie and Katie Batkiewicz, Downers
North d. Natalie Bodmer and Danielle Rutkowski,
Downers Grove North, 15-8, 15-8.

Lisa Jaskierski and Sarah Zavodny, Lyons d. Holly
Pasieka and Lauren Kazmierczak, Lyons, 15-6, 15-6.


At Hinsdale South
Final team standings: 1, Hinsdale South 16.
2, Downers South 10.5. 3, Maine S. 6.
4, Oak Park 2. 5, Argo .5.

Singles
Karishma Kollipara, Latin d. Amy Pauly, Hinsdale
South, 11-1,11-7. Leah Witkov, Downers Grove
South d. Cori Dionisio, Hinsdale South, 11-2,11-3.

Doubles
Meghan Vanhoegarden and Renee Vuillaume, Hinsdale
South d. Becky Nuger and Ashley Kain, Hinsdale
South, 15-11, 15-6.
Kathryn Swanger and Kerri Holland, Downers South
d. Kristin Niznik and Nisha Kalathiveetil,
Downers South 15-12, 15-9.

At Evanston
Final team scores: 1, Willowbrook 16.5.
2, Evanston 12. 3, Riverside-Brookfield 4.5.
4, Maine West 4. 5, Morton 1.

Singles
J. Elmore, Willowbrook d. K. Thelander, Evanston,
11-2, 13-11. B. Davis Willowbrook d. A. Ulbert,
Maine West, 11-2, 11-5.

Doubles
S. Martinez and J. Rocco Willowbrook d.
J. Zimmerman and N. Randolph, Evanston, 15-1,
15-12. A. Brown and K.Coney, Evanston d.
N. DeMatteo and M. Novak, Willowbrook,
15-4, 15-12.

At Andrew
Final team scores: 1, Andrew 14.
2, T.F. North 6.5. 3, Bradley 4.
4, Plainfied Central .5.

Singles
Jenny Maziarka, Andrew d. Katie Greune, Andrew,
forfeit. Jessica Rising, T.F. North d. Colleen
Gentile, T.F. North, 8-11 11-4 11-1.

Doubles
Kelly Dolye and Sarah Reidy, Andrew d. Kaitlin
Curran and Kelli Eble, Andrew, 15-12 15-10.
Marilyn Nguyen and Sue Tai, Bradley d. Janna
Sellers and Shay Fapohunda, T.F. North 15-6 15-0.

[Source:
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/cs-050506badmintonsect\
ionals,1,5845798.htmlstory?coll=cs-highschool-utility
]



3. Like Hillary, Nikova making history

May 6, 2005

BY MATT LE CREN

Maine East is known more for being Hillary
Clinton's alma mater than for its athletic
programs.

Iliana Nikova is doing her best to change that.
After moving with her family from Bulgaria to
Park Ridge in July 2003, Nikova has been busy
adding to her school's history.

Nikova became the first Blue Demon to win a
badminton state championship when she beat
Fremd's Celine Thum to take the singles crown
last May and complete a 35-2 season.

Nikova is just the seventh girl in Maine East
history to win a state title in any sport and
the first since Mindy Weiner won the last of her
two state tennis championships in 1989.

With a 30-0 record heading into sectionals,
Nikova is heavily favored to best the competition
at the state meet May 13-14 at Downers Grove
North.

"It's great having her. She's had a great effect
on everybody,'' Maine East coach Maggie Weber
said. "Her level of ability is so much higher
[than anyone else]. Even when she's playing good
No. 1 players, she just makes them look like
they're not very good, and they are. I think that
everyone else sees that and says, 'I should work
hard, and maybe I can get there, too.'''

For the soft-spoken Nikova, 18, the
transformation from being an immigrant with a
limited grasp of English into a campuswide
celebrity was quick yet completely unexpected.

Nikova was a badminton prodigy in Bulgaria,
winning five national titles in both singles and
doubles by the age of 12. By then she was being
groomed for a spot on the Bulgarian national
team. That meant living in one city but traveling
to another for training, and the burden became
too much, so she quit.

There was no opportunity for Nikova to play in
high school because, as in most European
countries, sports are played at private clubs and
not sponsored by the schools. So Nikova jumped at
the chance to compete at Maine East.

"I certainly didn't expect to win [state],
especially when I didn't play for almost five
years,'' Nikova said. "I had a base [of skills],
and then I started remembering what I had to
improve on. I had a lot of fun last year.''

The fun has continued for the senior, who is
impressed with the greater school spirit of
American high schools. Nikova, now versed in her
school's athletic history, feels more pressure
this year, but her goal is clear.

"I didn't realize what I did last year,'' Nikova
said. "After I won, everybody said hi to me, and
they were proud of me. Then I started realizing
what I did.''

Nikova, who carries a 4.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale),
probably will attend Illinois, where she plans to
compete for the club badminton team and major in
international relations before attending law
school.

Eventually, she hopes to work in international
law, but first she wants to make sure her legacy
at Maine East is secure.

"Everybody knows me at school, and they're very
excited,'' Nikova said. "I would be proud to
bring something to the history of Maine East.''

[Source: http://www.suntimes.com/output/prep/cst-spt-bad06.html ]

[Thanks to Larry for the info!]

-- CLBP Moderators