๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ
I grew up in Washington State in the US and moved to Guam with my family when I was 6 years old.
My dad played badminton when he was in college and he wanted me to try it out. We went to the badminton hall which was one of two in Guam and I started lessons. I was 11 when I started.
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง
What impressed me was the speed of the game. I watched a professional practice session and saw how fast the players were.
I train four times a week for two hours. My school doesnโt have badminton so I play with the club. I mainly play socially but Iโve gone to international events with Guam, most recently the VICTOR Oceania Championships U17 Pacific team challenge. I also attended the 2023 U15 Team training camp in Auckland.
I grew up in Washington State in the US and moved to Guam with my family when I was 6 years old.
My dad played badminton when he was in college and he wanted me to try it out. We went to the badminton hall which was one of two in Guam and I started lessons. I was 11 when I started.
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง
What impressed me was the speed of the game. I watched a professional practice session and saw how fast the players were.
I train four times a week for two hours. My school doesnโt have badminton so I play with the club. I mainly play socially but Iโve gone to international events with Guam, most recently the VICTOR Oceania Championships U17 Pacific team challenge. I also attended the 2023 U15 Team training camp in Auckland.
My most memorable moment in badminton was when I was called up to play for Guamโs junior team. There was competition for my spot so when I found out I was confused that I made it because the players competing for my spot were more experienced.
I enjoy meeting teams from other countries, so having lunch and barbeques outside the court are my most memorable moments.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ
Badminton means a lot to me. I practice almost every day and I make a lot of sacrifices for it, like time I could be spending with friends or on other activities. I enjoy the environment around badminton. Itโs really exciting and it gives me something to look forward to.
๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Iโve helped with Guamโs Special Olympics programme. It was nice when I saw those Iโd trained play in a tournament and do well. I found some of my experience with coaching frustrating but most of it was really fun. I look forward to do more going forward.
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐
Shuttle Time has made a difference in Guam. Badminton used to be played in a gym that was for basketball and adults had priority so you would often be kicked off the court. Now through Shuttle Time we have a gym prioritised for badminton. In the beginning I didnโt see many people going to the gym but now I see a lot of kids giving it a go. I was in one of the first groups to pick up badminton but now thereโs a lot of people playing it which is really noticeable.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐
Patience is key. You have to have fun with it and turn it into something youโll enjoy. Donโt focus on the negative side.
#bwfbadmintonย #badmintonย #bwfshuttletimeย #shuttletimeย #humanofshuttletimeย
โย withย Badminton Oceaniaย andย BWF โ Badminton World Federation.
