Tellico Village Badminton Club members Patty Malone and Ron Wendoloski, for the eighth year in a row in mixed doubles, brought home medals from the Tennessee Senior Olympics state finals.
Competition was held earlier this summer in Franklin, where about 100 contestants competed. Malone and Wendoloski, in the 60-64 age division, received a silver medal. Wendoloski also, with his partner from Nashville, Chin-Zue Chen, won a gold medal in men’s doubles. Wendoloski has been playing with Chen since 2009.
“Generally we’ve had gold and silver,” Wendoloski said. “I don’t know that we’ve ever gotten a bronze, but it’s — Patty and I in mixed doubles, we’ve been winning gold or silver medals at the state final division.”
Malone said the two generally practiced at least once a week in preparation for the Senior Olympics, where the competition could be unpredictable.
“You’re playing against opponents that you don’t play with very often,” Malone said. “So you’re very focused on the game and reacting to opponents that you’re not — that you don’t play against often, so you’ve got to really stay in the moment and be thinking.”
Challenging unfamiliar players gives the two Villagers the chance to test their badminton skills and can prove to be “adrenaline-packed” when stopping on the court, Malone said.
For Wendoloski, he relishes the competition.
“It gives me a sense of accomplishment to play against the best players from around the state, and it feels pretty good because badminton is a challenging game,” Wendoloski said.
Malone and Wendoloski are the only two club members who attend the Senior Olympics regularly. Malone said the club used to have more participation in the tournament, but not anymore. Members are still encouraged to play if they wish, Wendoloski said.
“And I think in our club we have — well we certainly have some A-level players,” Wendoloski said. “We also have a lot of casual players that want to come out and play for fun and get the exercise, and so the Senior Olympics aren’t for everyone frankly, but everybody’s kind of aware of when Senior Olympics happen.”
Orientation for newcomers
The Tellico Village Badminton Club is accepting new members into the club, and all someone has to do is take a required one-week orientation class at the Chota Recreation Center, Malone said.
“We have three orientation sessions that are completed over the course of one week,” Malone said. “The lessons address grips, basic rules, all basic badminton shots and when to use them, safety, scoring and court position.”
Once the sessions are completed, residents will have the opportunity to pay club dues of $10 for one person, $15 for two people and $20 for three or more, Malone said.
“I will say that I think it is good for everyone, experienced or not, to go through the orientation program,” Wendoloski said. “And I think in fact depending on the experience of the player coming into the club, I think the orientation program can be, you know, the full program or streamlined to meet the needs of new players coming into the club.”
Malone challenges athletes in the community to try badminton. Its tactics can be layered, but “the reward is immense,” she said.
“With good mobility and hand-eye coordination you can become an A-level player, with a little patience and work,” Malone said. “You will have the opportunity to play with some of the best badminton players in the state, right here in our gym.”
For more information about the class, call Malone at 865- 458-7937. Residents can also register at the Chota Recreation Center front desk.
“After orientation, we encourage the new player to begin play in a club session which is structured for casual play, nonaggressive play,” Malone said. “And new players are welcomed to use our club racquets.”
