Badminton
Watch the birdie!
Takes you home.
Badminton is a misunderstood game. Many people think that it is a game to play at picnics or in the back yard. It is sometimes seen as a sissy's game. Well, I guess that I am a sissy then.
While going to Lock Haven University, I became acquainted with the game. One of my friends was captain of the school's team and asked if I wanted to give it a shot. I agreed, and it took off from there. I certainly changed my mind about the game of badminton! It's not just for sissy's anymore, nor has it ever been!
Most of my competition ended up being against myself. It is as much a mental game as a reflex, skill, and conditioning game. It is just as demanding as tennis. Trust me, it hurts when you get hit by a birdie when playing badminton the way it was intended to be played.
Also, many of my competitors from the other colleges were from other countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Japan, and England. It is quite popular in these areas of the world. They definitely taught me a thing or two about the game. One of which is don't eat donuts before the matches begin! It was a big sacrifice, but I love badminton! There were always doughnuts for after the matches and tournaments!
Our league was the Empire State League which included teams from all of Pennsylvania and New York. Yes, Penn State was a part of the league. My best year at the two-state tournament was my junior year in college. I played men's and mixed doubles in the master's division and played singles in the novice division. Amazingly, my partner and I surprised everyone in the men's doubles competition. We finished 2nd to the top-rated team, and it went into a tie-breaker before they beat us! That was a great moment when all of the coaches were focused on our match. In mixed doubles, we were the favorites, but we didn't play to our potential; we just didn't click. We were knocked off and had to settle for second place. Last, I lost in the semifinals in singles novice division. I just ran out of gas! I needed to be in better shape, especially for a match as grueling as it turned out to be.
My last year was a disappointing year. I didn't practice much because I had so much work to do for school and also student taught at Pleasant Gap. As a result, I only finished 6th in the singles master's division. I was the only American to finish in the top 7. All the other players were foreign-exchange students. I had fun, and that's what matters.
I was very upset when the Summer Olympics were last on because they showed no badminton at all. That would have been a great opportunity for us Americans to see and learn what badminton is all about, but the network didn't think so. Maybe when the next Olympics are televised you can write some letters to the network encouraging them to show some badminton coverage. I know I will!
Here are some links to some interesting badminton sites: