Smash City Badminton, Milpitas, CA

Discussion in 'Smash City Badminton Club - CLOSED' started by Smash City, Mar 7, 2005.

  1. Han

    Han Regular Member

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    Is the market big enough?

    Kwun:
    The next interesting question is "Is the market big enough to have so many facilities(4 full badminton facilities)?"
    My answer is : No.
     
  2. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i agree. the current badminton community will not be able to fill 4 large clubs, all of which opens 7 days/week, morning, afternoon and evening.

    it will no longer be a "build it and they will come" type of business. however, that does not mean doom for the clubs, as the market can be expanded. one key thing that the new clubs must do is to work together to promote badminton in the bay area. setup intra-club leagues, setup tournaments, setup classes.

    they must also attract potential badminton players out there. badminton doesn't need to be an ultra competitive sport, there are a lot of recreational and fitness value in badminton as well. many people can become a regular badminton player.

    they need to spread the word, get the newspaper involved. maybe get the TV stations involved. maybe a 2mins feature it in "Bay Area Backroads", or the evening news.

    and us badminton players can help out also, tell/invite your friends.

    it is a win/win situation, popularity is a good thing.
     
  3. krantikt

    krantikt Regular Member

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    I totaly agree with the intra club meets.

    That will be a very good idea. Just not sure, that it would materialize, with competition between businesses.

    Kwun and Han should probably be the league coordinators, as you are the "nice guys" amongst all these clubs ;)
     
  4. Han

    Han Regular Member

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    Suggestion

    I will let Kwun do the coordination so Krantik(alias Gopichand) and I(alias Lin Dan) can concentrate on training so both of us can represent Bintang in the inter-league games :). I think we can give some fight against those elite players(alias Chen Hong, Lee Ching Wei, Peter Gade, Jonassen, Taufik, Lim Swie King, ...) from United Badminton?
    Kwun, the other way to make this sport popular is to have more kids per badminton family so parents can influence theirs kids to pick up this sport. So Janet, please take note :D
     
  5. Qidong

    Qidong Regular Member

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    Interesting that after the gym in Fremont opened, there are more people going to Bintang at lunch hours. :confused:
     
  6. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    I think the owners have market expansion in mind in their business model. More facilities do and would increase consumers, how much i dont know and depends in amount of advertising/marketing
     
  7. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    -i had toured chemcial sites before and photos from kwun don't indicate that.
    - when u use the term 'chemical radiation', u convinced me that u don't know what u r talking about or you're making it up
    - if that site has radiation, the EPA would quarantine the whole site up plus several hundred meter (or yards in US) of buffer zone, ie that furniture warehouse plus all other business shops adjacent to ground zero wouldn't able to get license to operate.

    on the plus side, it's nice to see some hard rubbing competition been drumming up. :p -just keep it clean - :D
     
    #47 cooler, May 11, 2005
    Last edited: May 11, 2005
  8. Viper2005

    Viper2005 Regular Member

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    Question???

    Can anyone confirm if Lili Zhou is coaching at Smash City?
    Lili Zhou is the runner-up at the 2004 U.S. Open.
     
  9. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    where did you hear that rumor from?

    i am sure the organizers can confirm or deny.

    any updates on progress and opening date?
     
  10. Viper2005

    Viper2005 Regular Member

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    Sightings???

    Can anyone confirm Lili Zhou sightings at GGBC, UBC, Bintang, or SJSU?

    Sorry, can't disclose my source.

    You heard it here first. :)
     
  11. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    you sure it is Lili Zhou? there is a lady, not Lili Zhou, but former world champion, Zhou Lei, teaching at UBC. maybe you have them mixed up.
     
  12. Viper2005

    Viper2005 Regular Member

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    Very sure.

    I'm pretty sure she moved up north two weeks ago.

    Now you'll have two Coach Zhou in SF area.
     
  13. MacGyver

    MacGyver Regular Member

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    :) I can confirm that it is true that Lili Zhou is at SmashCity. She told me a few weeks ago.

    When will this club be open to public? and what are the fee for membership or walkin?
     
  14. Smash City

    Smash City Regular Member

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    Lili Zhou joins Smash City!

    Smash City is proud to announce that Lili Zhou has joined our coaching staff!

    Lili has many years of coaching experience, beginning in China and most recently at San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club and Irvine Valley College. Lili will help Smash City provide structured training programs using modern training techniques.

    Lili is also one of the USA's top ranked players - 2nd in Women's Singles at the 2004 US Open and 1st in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles at the 2005 Boston Open. As an athlete currently competing at an international level, Lili is able to provide additional insights to students.

    Smash City will offer training opportunities for players of all ages and abilities. Lili will focus her efforts on Smash City's Elite juniors and other advanced students.

    Smash City, with Lili's leadership, is the premiere training center for Elite juniors!

    Stay tuned for future Smash City announcements!
     
  15. freeheeler

    freeheeler Regular Member

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    is this venue

    open yet, the webisre does not give much information
     
  16. Smash City

    Smash City Regular Member

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    Smash City - Latest Status (13 June 2005)

    Smash City is pleased to announce that our gym renovation project will soon be completed!

    Lights have been installed, walls painted, and bathrooms and chilled drinking fountains added. Security systems, clean-up items, and Taraflex sports flooring are scheduled to be completed by this week. Our badminton net standards are due to arrive this week as well!

    We are in the process of ordering seating and tables for our large reception/waiting area.

    Badminton Alley's pro-shop will also be completed soon - the flooring is done and the retail cabinetry is on its way. Additional inventory is on its way to provide you with the largest selection of badminton equipment and supplies anywhere -- with TWO locations for your shopping convenience!

    We optimistically look forward to a late June Grand Opening, but this is dependent on some key city approvals. We expect to beat Kwun's projection of August based on others' experiences to accomplish the quickest opening!!

    We are re-amazed every day at how complex and time-consuming this endeavor is. Thank you all for your patience! We are hard at work on our Programs - stay tuned for more announcements soon.
     
  17. Han

    Han Regular Member

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    Another nice one

    Did have a chance to play at Smash City yesterday night and I have to rate this facility as high as the United Badminton Club, thumbs up for the work force to put together such a nice facility. I am sure the Grand Opening is just around the corner.
    Great Job once again!
     
  18. samkool

    samkool Regular Member

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    played there last night.

    pros:
    • very cold water fountain
    • a lot of courts
    • very good visibility
    cons:
    • no shower
    • floor is harder than i expected; not good for the knees over the long term
    questions:
    • what queing system will they use?
    • how much will membership and admission be?
     
  19. harrycoomer

    harrycoomer Regular Member

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    I hope they consider showers

    Lunch time will be impossible. Evenings will be iffy. I lose about 1 litre every hr. My car will smell really badly :)

     
  20. Ben Lee

    Ben Lee Regular Member

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    Kwun,
    I agree about badminton players starting rumors. Everyone out there, please let's keep the rumors to yourselves unless you have legitimate concerns. GGBC also went through many rumors and speculation in the beginning and it was extremely frustrating. Players should just investigate concerns for themselves and see what the best solutions are.
    The other issue I would like to address is the flooring. There are many different types of flooring out on the market and they all claim to be the best. Mike and I researched many different flooring companies before finally deciding on Robbins Flooring. We even researched Taraflex. On our floors at GGBC, we have a 9mm thick runbber underlayment that is manufactured and formed together with small rubber "granules." The granules are put together with an adhesive creating small air pockets throughout the underlayment. That's what is so great about the floor, it's almost like you are playing with Nike air shoes on. Then a sealer is applied on top of the underlayment to cover any seems. THen finally there are two coats of polyurethane and the top playing surface. So basically, players are playing on more than 12mm of surface. We have placed a detailed explanation of our Robbins Flooring at our facility so players can see what they are playing on.
    One thing that players have to keep in mind about the Yonex floor mats are that whenever a tournament uses them, they are usually placed on top of an already existing gym floor. They will rarely place the mats directly on concrete. It would be too hard. OCBC for example already has a beautiful gym floor and they place the Yonex mats on top. THat's the best way. The Yonex mats are great but not directly on top of concrete. I have traveled the world playing many international tournaments and have never seen Yonex mats directly on concrete. There are also a few companies out there that are IBF certified. Remember, that does not mean they are a better floor. All that means is that the company paid the IBF a certification fee. Any company can do that. Currently, the IBF does not have any measuring standards for flooring systems that I know of. If they do, then I would like to invite them to GGBC to test our floors. Currently, 19 out of the 30 NBA basketball teams are practicing on Robbins Flooring. Obviously, they would not need IBF certification for that. (Why would they?):rolleyes:
    As far as the Taraflex floors, they are a very good company. The basic difference between Taraflex and Robbins Flooring is the underlayment. Taraflex uses foam and Robbins uses rubber. Like I said in the beginning, players just have to try them and see for themselves which flooring they like better.
    As far as all the clubs in the Bay Area, I think it is a great and wonderful thing we are all doing to promote our great sport of badminton. We will all work together to market this sport the way it deserves. Badminton really needs to be exposed to the masses out there and once it is, it will finally get the recognition it deserves. We truly are involved in an exciting time and all badminton players in the Bay Area now have several places to enjoy their passion. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at ben@ggbadminton.com. Take care.
    Ben Lee
     

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