Smash Hits - New Service

Dear Members,

Lovely to catch up with many of you at the BA AGM/Forum last weekend. Mindful that we've all had a big year, take some stock and be grateful for what you've achieved. Aristotle once said "Quality is not an act, it is a habit" so the question is what MORE and BETTER things can we do in 2018?

From March 2018, the BWF is trialling a new service law which will mandate that “the whole of the shuttle shall be below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server’s racket” and the first event of the new BWF tournament series at which this experimental law will be introduced is the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2018. Interesting change which will require some (taller) players to re-train their serving techniques!

Much has been happening around the para-badminton space with the World Championships concluding last weekend. Australia had 3 players progress to knock-out stages of their events and showed off our biggest potential in the short stature class. We anticipate the way para-badminton is viewed and participated will change as we move toward performance funding. The entries for the 2018 Australian Para-Badminton Championships and Training Camp (24-26 Feb in Perth, WA) are now also welcome. We look forward to all States/Territories now taking ownership of inclusive programs to ensure there are development opportunities for para-badminton players. Start with small steps...do you have 1 club that could welcome people with disabilities? How can we help promote these clubs?

The ASC has issued its latest round of AusPlay survey results. For those interested in digging more into the data, go to this website. Interestingly, there has been an overall increase in Australians participating in some form of sport or physical activity. The survey also reveals that women are more physically active than men...although women and girls aren't participating in organised sport at the same levels as men and boys. This should be a major consideration when designing new participation programs. Meanwhile, Sporting Schools Term 4 bookings and amendments will be closed for reporting on 1 December. A heat map is attached below to show the concentration of the coach network as well as the grants that were successful in Term 4.