With Labor Day just around the corner Summer feels as though it is coming to a close–and what an exciting summer it has been! We were fortunate enough to open back up in June, and from late June to August Summer Camps were in full swing, ladders have returned with great energy, class registration has opened for our back-to-school session, and of course, we have loved seeing everyone’s faces each day as you come to play… or at least your eyes since you’ve all been great about wearing your face masks.
As we will continue to do periodically, these newsletters are intended to update you on anything new within the Bellevue Badminton Club and highlight different aspects of the club from month to month.
Summer Camp and Summer Training Recap
Summer Camp and Summer Training was a hit this year! With badminton being a healthy, safe option for kids to get exercise our students kept gravitating to our summer programming week in and week out. Summer Camp is for our recreational students who learn the basics or build upon their skills learned in our Smash and Competitor classes, and Summer Training is for our Super Elite, Team, and High Performance level students to up their game to the next level with several weeks of intense training.
During the first few weeks both students and coaches adjusted to communicating through face masks, staying distant at all times, and modified drills and exercises that keep students distanced. While the occasional reminder to “put your face mask back on” had to be said, after the first few weeks students had mastered the safety procedures and were focused on improving, and the competition at hand.
The coaching staff was very pleased with the improvement as a whole this summer and detected a distinct shift in the attitude of many of the younger students towards a higher level of competition. One drill in particular that illustrates this is called “the pacer.” For years and years, the dreaded pacer has loomed over many young badminton students as an impossible challenge that makes you run until you become exhausted and can’t take another step. What the pacer entails is a brief introduction where the students all line up and get ready to run. There is a beep, and everyone must run 20 meters and back before the next beep. There is a brief rest and then the next beep begins. As the pacer progresses, the time between beeps shortens and shortens. If you don’t make it back in time, then you are done and your score gets recorded.
While the students would be correct in assuming beating the pacer is indeed an impossible challenge because you always run until you are eliminated, as the weeks went on students looked forward to competing and trying to outlast their peers, and also to beat their own scores from the previous week. Students now look forward to the pacer as an opportunity to show how much better they’ve gotten, and it’s that mentality that will accelerate their training from here on. Our students are looking to push themselves to improve each week, and to not back down from a challenge, even if it seems impossible.
When the final games had been played, the last boba tea had been drank, and the chairs and tables folded up at the end of week 10, the coaches and players couldn’t wait to get back on court and do it again. As a Junior Program we are so proud to have such great students.
Registration is still open for our Session 5 classes. Please register using our online form while there is still space. The club will continue to practice our strict safety protocol which helped keep our kids safe all summer long so they can focus on playing, learning, and making memories instead of being worried about their health. The 5% early bird discount will be available through Friday 9/4/20.
Court Reservations New Automated System
Starting Tuesday 9/8/20 all of our court reservations will be processed through the mobile app, Ballbutton. In a few days, we will send a link to your email on file asking you to create an account. Please be looking for this email and create your account promptly so that you may begin booking courts with the new app.
One of the great features of the app is instant confirmations when reserving a court. If you see a court available and decide to reserve it, you will know instantly that you have reserved that court – no more waiting around for a confirmation email. With the app, you may also book up to seven days in advance, and you may reserve up to 4 timeslots per week per member. Our first court reservation system didn’t allow for members to book multiple reservations at the same time, but this new system will allow for that. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior to the reservation start time. If you need to cancel a reservation within 24 hours then you must call the front desk.
Overall, the Ballbutton app should be a big improvement for both membership and staff, however, as with a transition to any new system, we ask for your patience as we iron out any wrinkles that we come across. Once again, please continue to use the current system through 9/7/20 as all reservations for 9/8/20 and after will be processed on Ballbutton.
New Court Reservation hours
With the return of classes and a demand for lat- night play we will be changing our hours slightly beginning on Tuesday, 9/8/20. The following changes will be made…
Renton
– Tuesday 5p-9:30p added to the schedule
– Sunday 3p-9p added to the schedule
Bellevue
– Tuesday and Thursday will add 9am-12pm for morning play
– Tuesday and Friday hours will change to 7p-11:30p to allow for late-night play
– Wednesday hour will change to 6p-10:30p
Mukilteo
– (No changes)
Singles Ladder
The new singles ladder in Bellevue on Wednesdays has become quite popular and we will be increasing its capacity to 24 players starting September 9th. Since the hours for reservations have shifted on Wednesdays the singles ladder will begin at 7:30pm.
Pro Shop: Pre-Order Discounts and Deals – Rare Shuttle Sale
The BBC Pro-Shop will begin offering deals to our members when they pre-order products. We want to reward our members for shopping with us and supporting local business as well as supporting the badminton club where you play.
All our Pro Shop locations offer a vast array of Yonex and Victor products in-store, and with the ability to pre-order, you can purchase any product from the Yonex and Victor catalogues. You will see a stronger Pro-Shop presence throughout the month of September, and please feel free to stop by the front desk to get the latest information on what deals we are offering and how to best take advantage of them.
Right now, during the month of September, there will be a sale on Yonex Aerosensa 30 and Aerosensa 50 shuttles. AS-30 will be discounted 15% and AS-50 will be discounted 10%. This sale is only available through the BBC Pre-Order Form and is not available in-store at this time.
We are very excited to offer this limited-time sale on Yonex shuttles as they are world-renowned for their consistent flight, durability, and the highest quality of feathers. If you play with a durable, high-quality shuttle you will not need to use as many shuttles which saves you money and improves the quality of play.
But that’s not all…
When you order in bulk, you will receive additional credit towards your membership dues at the Bellevue Badminton Club.
Order 10+ shuttles and receive an additional $10 OFF your next month’s membership
Order 15+ shuttles and receive an additional $20 OFF your next month’s membership
Order 25+ shuttles and receive an additional $50 OFF your next month’s membership ($2 per shuttle!)
Feel free to get a group of friends together so you can take advantage of the bulk order, however, the bulk discount cannot be applied across multiple orders, and the membership credit will only be applied to the account of the member who submitted the order. Each order will be processed individually and placed on Monday morning each week before we open. If you need to modify your order please email us at info@bellevuebadminton.com before 9pm Sunday night. After 9pm your order will be considered final. Limit 50 shuttles per customer. Your credit card on file will only be charged once your personal information and payment have been verified, and the order has been submitted. If the order is placed on backorder from the distributor you will be given the option of a refund. A refund for any other reason will incur a 10% restocking fee. You will be emailed once your order is ready for pickup at the Pro Shop of your choosing during regular business hours.
Stay tuned for more pre-order deals in the future! …There’s always something on sale at the Pro Shop.
Labor Day
Yes, we are open on Labor Day for reservations as usual. We hope you enjoy the weekend, and as always, we look forward to seeing you on the courts.
-Bellevue Badminton Club Management Team