Badminton

Badminton was likely invented in the mid-1800’s in British India, where it was played by British military officers stationed there.  The officers brought badminton back to Britain with them.  The shuttle’s conical shape and feathers cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; shuttles have a much higher top speed, but decelerate more rapidly than a ball.  Competitive players must have aerobic stamina, agility, and explosive strength.  Once a player has mastered the basics, learning advanced hitting techniques to deceive your opponent about the shuttle’s flight is a major part of the game.

R and J look like the shuttle's flight deceived them.

Badminton debuted in the 1992 Summer Olympics and has been contested ever since.  It’s not as popular as beach volleyball and was on the chopping block for the 2016 Olympics, but it is still on the list of events.  Medals are awarded in men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.  Like in table tennis, China dominates badminton.  The US has participated in badminton at every Olympics, but has never medaled.

After playing beach volleyball, we moved over to badminton.  Some of us did singles, some doubles, and some mixed doubles.  The sun and especially the wind were certainly factors, and the shuttlecock's flight was very unpredictable.  We still had a ton of fun.

L and L playing doubles

The team of K and M

W watching the shuttlecock

R is no longer deceived

W and R won gold, while L and L won silver.

Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball was invented in Santa Monica, California in the 1920s.  Originally there were six players per side, like indoor volleyball, until Pablo Johnson decided to just play with two people because the rest of his team was late.  The two-person format was an instant hit.  The first tournament for a prize was held in 1948, and the winners were awarded a case of Pepsi.  Beach volleyball has been an official Olympic sport since 1996, with events for men and women.  The US and Brazil have medaled in every single Olympics since it was introduced.  Whether its because of the athletes in bathing suits, the beach-like atmosphere of the venue, or the fast pace of the game, this two-person team sport has always been one of the most popular events.

We met on a warm spring evening at a park to play beach volleyball.  It took us a little while to be able to hit the ball where we wanted, but by the end of the night we were actually volley-ing it back and forth.

The team of L and L

K dives for a ball.

W seems to have no problem hitting the ball.

R and J won the gold medal.  In a tribute to the first beach volleyball tournament, they also won a Pepsi.

Judo

Judo is a martial art that was developed in Japan and has been in Olympic competition since 1964 for men and 1988 for women.  A central principle of judo is adjusting and evading an opponent's attack, thus reducing her power, and making it possible for weaker opponents to beat significantly stronger ones.  The objective of competitive judo is to throw your opponent to the ground (with impetus and control), or to subdue your opponent with a hold.

We spent an evening training at the Fort Worth Judo Club.  The club is a non-profit organization and all of the instructors are volunteers, and they do an amazing job.  The facilities were very nice, and the instructors are excellent teachers.  Nikki Kubes, one of the members of the 2004 US Olympic Judo team trained here, and is now an instructor.

Our instructor Ray demonstrating a throw with J

In our class we first learned to fall, so that we wouldn't get hurt during practice.  We learned a backwards breakfall, a side breakfall, and a forward roll.

M and J have synchronized somersaults

We learned three throws:  osoto otoshi (large outer drop), o goshi (large hip throw), and koshi guruma (hip wheel).  We also learned two holds:  kesa gatame (side control hold) and kata gatame (arm triangle choke).  At least I think that's what everything was called, please correct me if I'm wrong.

L and R stepping through a technique

At first we thought the heavy cotton uwagi (jacket) was just for tradition, but we soon learned that you grab the uwagi during grappling and throwing.  They also protect your elbows from getting mat burn when you fall.

L performing osoto otoshi on R

L throwing M to the mat (with impetus).  I think this is o goshi.

Don't worry, M can throw down just as well

We all had a lot of fun with the throws.

Although we only spent 90 minutes in our lesson, we learned an incredible amount, and some of us were a bit sore the next day.  Thank you, Fort Worth Judo Club!

Skeet

After a couple of hours at manual trap, we moved onto a game of skeet.  In a game of trap, the clays are launched from a single house away from the shooter.  The shooter takes five positions behind the house.  In a game of skeet, the clays are launched from two houses in somewhat sideways paths that intersect in front of the shooter.  There are 8 positions set out in a semicircle that shooters take.

J has the stance down, if only she could aim.

L not only has the stance, she can aim and hit her target.  She earned silver.

R got the gold, and L took bronze.

 
Trap and skeet were successful, with the help of Sandra and Alpine Shooting Range.

Trap

We met at Alpine Shooting Range in Fort Worth to try out Trap and Skeet.  Trap was first introduced into the Olympics in 1900, and skeet was added in 1968.  Both events were co-ed from 1968 until 1992, and a woman won gold in skeet in 1992.  Today there are separate events for men and women.

Some of us had never fired a shotgun before, so Sandra from Alpine coached us.  She was a lot of fun to work with, and really helped us to understand the proper stance, feel comfortable with the gun, and how to lead the clays.  There was a trap tournament that day, so we only shot manual trap, not an actual game.  We were still able to get a feel for it, and some of us did quite a good job at shooting those little clays out of the air.

R taking a shot, while Buster sits a safe distance away.

M is pleased with her hit.

Some of us did not do so well with the manual trap.  J kept aiming with the wrong eye.