RETIREMENT NOTICE
Yes, the time has come to start the next chapter in our lives.
Janet & Dominic have stepped back and have retired, from organizing and delivering badminton
- weekly training sessions,
- camps, and
- tournaments.
While we will continue to support badminton with ad hoc lessons, clinics and leadership development, we are looking forward to having some quiet time and flexibility to enjoy life, re-engage in hobbies, and travel, while we are still healthy.
THANK YOU for 30+ years of awesome badminton with Soong Badminton Academy.
Ottawa Sports Council Recognizes DOMINIC SOONG with Lifetime Coaching Award
Mar. 09, 2022 Lifetime Award Recipients Announced for 2021
Raz El-Asmar, Dave Mallory, John Reid, and Dominic Soong are the 2021 recipients of the Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Awards and Mayor’s Cup. The Ottawa Sports Awards is proud to highlight the years of commitment and excellence that these recipients have shown to sport in Ottawa, including returning to sport in 2021.
Lifetime Award – Coach: Dominic Soong
A widely recognized technical expert who has dedicated over 40 years as a professional coach, Dominic Soong has been integral in growing the sport of badminton in Ottawa and beyond.
Soong has worked with athletes who participated in the Olympic Games and earned multiple National, Provincial, and Regional titles, including at Canada Winter Games and Ontario Winter Games.
His coaching focus has always been on the development of players locally at all levels, and the building of a strong and solid foundation of players with good technical skills. He has built partnerships with local schools, community centers, sport associations, and the City of Ottawa, developing one of the largest and most successful junior badminton clubs in the country.
An NCCP Level 4 coach and coach developer, he has mentored, trained, and provided coaching job opportunities to over 150 NCCP coaches.
Congratulations Dominic, from all your current and past players and coaches.
Video Interview: Dominic Soong
Event Photos
A nostalgic look back in time for the Soong Badminton Academy
We have been reviewing and organizing our 20K+ photos of our badminton experiences over the past 25+ years.
It is our hope that you will enjoy our nostalgic look back in time, while we await our "return to play" opportunities.
Over the next few months, we will be posting some the many experiences we have shared with our coaches, and with our players over the past 25 years.
Please check back regularly as we continue to add smiles and memories with photos of our coaches and players badminton journeys
Leadership
The Soong Badminton Academy is proud of the successes and results of our SBA players, but is equally gratified to have helped build the sport of badminton across the greater Ottawa area by providing coaching development and mentorship opportunities and leadership development for tournament organizers and tournament hosts.
Over the past 25+ years, the Soong Badminton Academy has developed and supported over 130 fully certified NCCP coaches, plus over 15 NCCP coaches in training, plus many additional volunteer apprentices. Many of our SBA coaches are now sharing their leadership skills by helping to continue to build the sport of badminton at over fifteen (15) of the Ottawa District clubs, over five (5) of the Ontario universities, and at many of the local elementary and high schools.
With the growing focus on gender equality, it is with great pride that the Soong Badminton Academy has maintained 45% of females on our coaching leadership team, and a 50/50 gender ratio for membership on our competitive teams.
We would like to salute ALL of our SBA coaches (current and past) who have helped build the sport of badminton.
Competitive Teams
With the early success of our individual SBA players (training in different SBA locations across the City), one of the gaps identified was convincing girls to participate in competitions outside the school environment. As an SBA experiment, eighteen (18) SBA girls were invited to launch an SBA competitive girls’ team so that they could train together, travel together, and challenge each other, in a supportive team training environment. The program was wildly successful across the province, in terms of both results and team spirit. An SBA competitive boys’ team was later launched with SBA boys from across our various training sites.
Weekly Training Groups
The Soong Badminton Academy has delivered multiple weekly training programs for over 25 years in a team teaching and team training environment at numerous locations across the Ottawa region. Players have participated in a positive and encouraging environment, developing their technical skills while having fun with their friends and being supported by an NCCP qualified, experienced and caring coaching leadership team.
Weekly Training Team Photos
Camps
Soong Badminton camps have been an excellent opportunity to introduce players to the sport of badminton, provide an opportunity for players to share time with their badminton friends during the off season, prepare players for competitive events/new seasons/school teams, and for new leaders to develop their coaching skills while being mentored by experienced coaches. Local camps have been delivered at numerous locations across the Ottawa region, with SBA coaches also providing leadership as guest coaches to hundreds of out-station locations across the country.
Camp Group Photos