ENCOURAGING short, sharp on-court movements, badminton is not only a speedy racket sport but a solid cardio workout for people of all ages.<\/p>\n
Ken Kay Badminton Stadium is the city\u2019s hub for the activity, run by the Ballarat Badminton Association.<\/p>\n
This week, the venue will reopen fully and secretary Sandy David said the 2021 diary is already looking big.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Wednesday, 27 January we are resuming our normal hours, and our junior comp and junior training,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Mondays we have rotating doubles, Tuesday mornings we have our mid-week ladies competition, and Tuesday nights we have our A-grade pennant. Wednesday night is our veterans\u2019 comp.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe offer curling on Wednesday at 2pm and pickleball on a Thursday morning at 11am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also the chair of the Australian Technical Officials Committee, Ms David developed her passion for badminton when her children began playing 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many advantages. It\u2019s an all-weather sport indoors out of the cold or heat, there\u2019s plenty of room, and you can get fit because badminton is one of the best cardio workouts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the friendships created end up being what people play for. My kids have played a lot of state tournaments and they\u2019ve got friends from all over Victoria and Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
A two-day Victorian junior selection event will be held at the stadium at the end of March, which usually attracts about 120 young people from the Melbourne area.<\/p>\n
In late-April the annual Veterans Tournament will draw over 400 players from all over the state and South Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn November, we have our Ballarat Open, which is a senior Victorian selection event, and we\u2019re also going to run a senior country teams event for the first time ever,\u201d Ms David said.<\/p>\n
Indoor bowls is also catered for at Ken Kay, with the Australian Indoor Bowls Championships approaching in August.<\/p>\n
The Ken Kay Ballarat Badminton Stadium is open 2pm to 9pm, Monday to Thursday, but if user groups are keen to have a hit at other times, the Association can make it available.<\/p>\n
Probus clubs, the Heartbeat Walking Group and McCallum Disability Services are examples of recent user groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ENCOURAGING short, sharp on-court movements, badminton is not only a speedy racket sport but a solid cardio workout for people of all ages. Ken Kay Badminton Stadium is the city\u2019s hub for the activity, run by the Ballarat Badminton Association. This week, the venue will reopen fully and secretary Sandy David said the 2021 diary […]<\/p>\n