Saipan Tribune

Friday, May 24, 2013

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Traders badminton team tourney kicks off Sunday

Northern Marianas Badminton Association will close out the 2012 season with the staging of its unique competition-the Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament.

The Traders Insurance event is the association's lone team contest for the year and the sixth edition of the annual event will start this Sunday at the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai.

“Once again, it's time to play NMBA's only team competition for the season where we expect maximum participation from all five clubs. We would like to thank Traders Insurance for their continued support. Without corporate sponsors like them, holding regular tournaments for our athletes would not be possible,” said NMBA president Jerry Tan, who attended Traders Insurance's donation turnover ceremony yesterday in Oleai.

Traders Insurance vice president Malou Mendoza and her daughter Krizia and the company's chief operating officer and general manager Ernesto Licop handed the $1,500 donation to Tan, who was accompanied by NMBA officials Shirley Kim and Merlie Tolentino.

“Traders Insurance is very much excited to be part of NMBA and supports its regular tournaments. We will continue to support his tournament, as we believe it helps promote leadership, team spirit, sportsmanship, and active lifestyle. We wish all the participants good luck,” Licop said.

This year's Traders tournament will feature five clubs-Shirley's Badminton Club, TAGA, Golden Racquets, Berks Blazers, and the defending champion Saipan Badminton Club. SBC dominated Berks Blazers in last year's competition where the “inter-club” concept was implemented. In the first four editions of the tournament, organizers sort of adapted an inter-color competition.

Fifteen events (men's and women's A, B, and C singles and mixed doubles, AB and DC men's and women's doubles, and AB and BC mixed doubles) are lined up for this year's Traders tournament, but opposing squads will only select 10 per game. Then the team with the most matches won (3 for a two-match sweep and 2 for a three-match tiff) wins the pairing.

The Top 4 squads in the team standings after the round-robin elimination will advance to the semis with the No. 1 and 4-ranked squads colliding in the first playoff game and the No. 2 and 3 teams clashing in the other pairing. Games will be played on weekends until Dec. 1, while the opening ceremony begins at 5pm this Sunday.