Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-02-07 | Page 14 | Southpaw Champion Has an Advantage

Southpaw Champion Has an Advantage BOSTON, Feb. 7 (AP) Dark-haired Mary Whittemore has I pronounced leanings toward the left but only in badminton. that the challenger, with nothing to lose, had much easier sailing. Msry has been playing badminton badmin-ton Just five years and believes that she has been lucky In reaching the top spot in that time. But the proa at Boston's University Univer-sity club wUl tell you that she's a "natural" ao far ahead of other women In the game that there's no comparison. For Mary, national women's champion in that, strenuous game, Is the first to admit that being left-handed gives her a distinct advantage and helps her to conquer con-quer the one weakness of the majority ma-jority of badminton players. "You see," she explained, "the backhand la a badminton player's weakest shot and opponents are trying always to play to that weakness. weak-ness. "Then along I come and that kind of a shot is just the kind Hike because I play It forehand instead of backhand. Being left-handed is particularly effective the first tims you play someone.1' . Handicap ia Doubles She saya the advantage Is less pronounced in doubles and, in fact, can be a handicap. "It may confuse your partner and get you in his or her way, unless un-less it's someone accustomed to playing with you. In that case a left hand player can be advantageous. advan-tageous. She'a a good tennis player, too. In her opinion, each game complements comple-ments the other, but she thinks badminton helps her tennis more than vice versa. Mary is getting ready now to defend her title in Seattle next March. She doesn't think sbout it except to bear down a little harder In each day's training session. Competition Tough "There always are plenty of good players and I'm wise enough to realize there's someone who can come along and beat me." she said, and smiled ruefully as she agreed