Having a smashing time at Uni Games 2012

Caption: University Challenge: Otago’s Luke White prepares to face an Auckland University opponent during this week’s Uni Games in Wellington.

421 kmh is the fastest recorded badminton smash. That someone has the ability to make such a shot underscores why Luke White likes the game so much.

“Badminton requires speed, power, agility, fitness, flexibility, agility, lightning reflexes, concentration and strategy. It’s like chess – a physical form of chess. If my opponent is playing fast, I’m going to try and slow him down.

“A lot of the top players work on making every shot look the same, and then at the last split second, they’ll change the angle of their wrist. It makes them really difficult to read.”

Last year, the Otago Polytechnic Quantity Surveying student was the fifth-ranked U-18 player in New Zealand. This year, White is still finding his way in the sport’s open grade, and the 2012 Uni Games in Wellington is the perfect place to get in some valuable competition against some quality opposition.

“There are three teams here from Auckland and three from Wellington - a lot of top players around. It’s really good.”

Better, in fact, because so far, he’s playing well and winning. The 18-year-old first-year tertiary student is a member of the highly ranked Otago University badminton team, along with his doubles partner James Swan, and two other members of the Otago senior rep team, Pav Gill and Matthew Ng.

Swan is in the top 15 of the country’s U-19-year-olds and played as a member of Mainland New Zealand team last year. The four are the core of the Otago men’s team.

“We’re all good friends; we’ve all played for Otago and we’ve a good chance of winning this tournament.”

The foursome are intent on making a good showing in Wellington as there is every chance the Uni Games will be held in Dunedin in 2013. There’s a big advantage to being defending Uni Games champions on home court.

Incidentally, that opening record breaking badminton smash was set by Malaysia’s Tam Boon Heong in 2009. Malaysia has long been a world force in badminton and White went there for training for two weeks in January this year as part of his selection for the New Zealand U-23 team.

“It’s a whole different game and intensity in Malaysia. We were staying just outside Kuala Lumpur, at a place where there were 28 courts that were still all full at one o’clock in the morning.”

While in the country, White was able to attend the Malaysia Badminton Open, and see world number one, Malaysian Lee Chong Wei win his fifth straight Open title.

“It was inspiring to watch the top players in the world and admire their agility on court – how they’re always able to change direction, and their commitment to making the shot.”

And the young Otago player has big dreams of his own concerning his future in the sport.

“I want to play for New Zealand one of these days.”

No real surprises there.

The Uni Games:

The premier sporting tournament for New Zealand universities, the Uni Games was first contested between tennis, athletics and debating in 1902. Now the event attracts more than 1000 participants competing in badminton, basketball, bowls, cricket, football, netball, touch, ultimate and volleyball.

One of the largest annual multi-sport events in New Zealand, this year’s ‘Wellywood Games’ sees nine teams competing for The Shield, first awarded in 1923. Headquarters for the games are at Kilbirnie’s ASB Sports Centre, with other venues around the city.

Uni Games 2012 teams: Auckland University, AUT, University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, Massey Albany, Otago University, Southern Institute of Technology, Victoria University of Wellington, Waikato University.

Otago University has the distinction of winning the historic Shield 35 times.
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