Our October Serve-ing Pacific winner is Endrina Nau of Ligue de Badminton de Wallis et Futuna. Endrina was nominated for the value of inclusiveness.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Endrina TUKUMULI NAU, I’m 32 years old, married with two kids 12 and 8 years old. I am a Wallisian and Futunian and have lived there all my life. Since I turned 17, I chose to not pursue my studies and to help my parents in our family business.
I started playing badminton in 2014. I really loved this sport at the first training sessions.
Tell us about your roles and journey with badminton
My passion is badminton. I am on the Executive Board of our one and only local Wallisian club. My career in badminton started at the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games last year where we won our historical bronze medal in the group team match. Since July of this year, we have been temporarily training our young players with my husband Sioli NAU.
What do you enjoy the most about badminton as a sport?
What I like the most about badminton as a sport is how easy it is to approach the sport.
What do you enjoy the most about volunteering in badminton?
What I enjoyed the most in volunteering in badminton is the satisfaction of being able to train kids and see their progress!
You were nominated for your commitment to Inclusiveness – what do these values mean to you and how do you embody the value with Badminton?
I believe that badminton is a great sport for islanders because there is no age or physical limitation.
I think that I embody this value by the fact that as a local, I show to our local community that badminton is a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone.
What role do you think badminton plays in your country/community?
Although badminton is not yet a mainstream sport in Wallis and Futuna, it is now getting popular because of our bronze medal at the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games.
We have grown the pool of players, we now have a younger pool that we are training and able to represent us abroad and in the future at the next Pacific Games in Tahiti.
What impact do you hope to make through your involvement in badminton?
I am hoping that my involvement in badminton allows me to help in any way from all the people I had the chance to meet locally or internationally.
I also hope that at my level to have changed the perception of badminton at the local level.
What is your message to aspiring players and leaders?
My message to the young players and leaders is to be patient. There are a lot of big opportunities awaiting them in the future. They must persevere to make dreams happen.
What is your favourite memory or highlight of volunteering in badminton?
My favourite memory is when my daughter and her young teammates went to their first competition abroad in New Caledonia this year and won!
It was a big accomplishment for them and for us (the volunteers/ trainers/ Executive Board).
With their win, they reinforce to our local youth that Badminton is a sport made for them!!
