BADMINTON MASTERS: TAKING IT TO THE COURT,
Vonda Hofferd had never seen badminton played at high level until she went to Quebec City last April and had her eyes opened at the 2019 Yonex Canadian masters championships.
Her fact-finding mission to Quebec as co-chair of the 2020 tournament, April 27-May 2 at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre, left Hofferd dazzled by what she saw on the court and thrilled that Prince George audiences are about to get to see that for themselves.
“I was fascinated by the speed of the game, the athleticism is remarkable, the speed at which they react to the shuttle is phenomenal,” said Hofferd. “I was brand-new to the sport and what I’ve seen has always been the lob, back and forth. But these ones, I literally could not see the shuttle, it was going so fast, and yet they were reacting to it and returning it for a good solid rally, like five or six returns. It’s something you need to see to believe.”
The six-day tournament is expected to bring a $760,000 economic boost to the city and will attract 250 players aged 30 and older. Some of them will be well into their 80s.
“I watched the men’s doubles and they were in their 60s playing two men in their 30s and there was no discrepancy in skill, they matched each other,” said Hofferd. “Even though they’re getting older, their reflexes and skills were still the same.”
Masters championships co-chair Lisa Davison said the calibre of some of the players will be higher than what the city experienced in March 2015 watching teenagers on the cusp of national teams play each other at the Canada Winter Games.
“What you’ll see at the masters is lot of those previous national team players who are now in their 30s and they’ll have that same level of competition, if not more, because they’ve evolved in a different capacity,” said Davison, who joined Hofferd in presenting a tournament update to city council last week.
“The game will be fast and the rallies will be long and you’ll have lots of action. When you get to your semifinals and finals, it’s pretty darn amazing. Everybody will have maybe a few wrinkles and in some events they might be moving a bit slower, but they’re pretty darn wise and crafty on the court. You can never underestimate anybody. Experience goes a long way on the court.”
Davison speaks from firsthand experience as a national-level masters player. She entered the tournament in Quebec, winning a bronze medal in the women’s doubles 50-plus event, and plans to play in the tournament again in April.
The city has already provided a $10,733 grant to the local organizing committee and with further funding from Hosting BC and Tourism BC which boosted the promotional budget to $31,633. That was used to produce pamphlets and send a delegation to Quebec City. The grant money will also pay for webcasts during the tournament.
The host committee still needs to raise $63,000 and is now focused on trying to line up new sponsorships and engaging the local community to participate, as athletes and volunteers.
Proceeds from the tournament will be turned over to KidSport Prince George, a charity which pays for registration and equipment to help economically-disadvantaged kids take part in organized sports.
Ticket went on sale on Friday and will be available at the Northern Sport Centre, Loxx Academy Hair Design and the Tourism Prince George headquarters on First Avenue. Tournament passes which include all matches will cost $25. Individual day passes are also available for $10 (adults) and $5 (students/seniors). Kids under 10 will be admitted free.
The committee is trying to round up for volunteers to sign up for duties which range from pre-event administration, hotel/venue hosts, line judges, results recording and scorekeeping.
For more information, go to the tournament website www.mastersbadminton2020.ca.