Tuesday, August 08, 2006

A Badminton Story - My first badminton experience

Tag category: A Badminton Story
For those who are hooked on badminton, can you still remember the first time you played this sport?

I can still remember that day. The year was 2001. Badminton was not in vogue then and there were only a few courts in existence: Rizal Badminton Hall, Villamor, Crame, Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Club Filipino, to name a few. I was working at the Supreme Court (SC). Eric, my friend and officemate, had been convincing me to play with their group at the CA (Court of Appeals, beside SC) badminton court for some time already. I did not want to play the sport since I thought it was just a game for kids and I was more interested to play tennis. (Previous post on this topic)

Anyway, most of my friends in the SC were playing badminton already, and some were even hooked. So in order for me to spend more time with them, I had to play also. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. My first racket was a Prince racket, but definitely for beginners. It cost less than 1,000 pesos (approx. US$20).

I walked up the hot and stuffy stairs to the 4th floor of the CA Bldg. where the court was located. My outfit was an old t-shirt and sweatpants. I did not even bring water as I was not expecting to break out into a lot of sweat. The game looked easy enough. I had no expectations whatsoever. I had no idea that when I took the first swing with my racket, I was on my journey to a new dimension in my life. Haha…sounds melodramatic.

Anyway, I enjoyed my first game. However, observers surely noticed from our stance (we stood and ran like children running loose in the park) and swing (we looked like we were playing palo sebo…hahaha…a local game where a blindfolded person would swing a bat, trying to hit a pot filled with candies and other goodies) that we were just beginners. It did not matter to us. My friends and I would break out into fits of laughter, especially when we would miss certain shots.

I was proven wrong. I was so exhausted after 2 games that I had to stop. I needed water. Fortunately my friend brought lots of water and gave me some. I went home very exhausted…and very satisfied. I finally found a new sport that I really loved. That sealed my fate…I got hooked on badminton. Who knew that this sport would introduce to my future husband? ;-)

How about you? Got any badminton stories of your own?

15 comments:

Deepak Gopi said...

hi from India

ladybug said...

Hi deepak! Thanks for dropping by. :-)

SeƱor Enrique said...

Hi Ladybug! Great to have found a kindred spirit on the blogosphere -- a badminton player :)

First got into badminton when I moved here from NYC a couple of years ago. My cousin and his wife plays over at Libis (Yellow Feather or something?) Bought a Prince racket at Toby's which set me back a couple of thousand of pesos, but at that time, still preferred tennis over badminton so I eventually dropped badminton. Got back to it last May (and with more passion) when I really had to sweat off a few pounds. Been loving it ever since; in fact, even upgraded my racket.

Maybe in another month I'll have more confidence to start competing. Currently, love every minute of improving my game. I usually play often near my neighborhood at Sta. Mesa Heights, QC.

I'll be stopping by often from now on.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

The last time I played the game was.... man, I can't remember. It was THAT long ago. :-)

ladybug said...

Hi senor enrique! I've discovered that the only way to improve one's game is to play and practice constantly. Good luck to both of us. :-) And thanks for dropping by and the nice words.

ladybug said...

Snglguy> I have a nice idea for a gimik. Why don't we teach your dog to play badminton? hahaha...nice trick huh? It will surely attract a lot of passers-by.

Anonymous said...

I can't even teach her how to sit still, badminton pa kaya? LOL! :-D

ladybug said...

Snglguy> Haha...I made you laugh! Init ng ulo mo sa blog mo ngayon eh. I'll put you in my blogroll ha.

Anonymous said...

Whenever Honey and I play badminton on the same team, we always fight. Because I never run to catch the shuttlecock. :)

ladybug said...

Hi toe! Next time, shout "yours!" para pag di niya nakuha, kasalanan niya. :-)

Manang said...

Hi ladybug!
Thanks for dropping by my blog.
I love badminton! During my first yr in college, I ran out of "good" choices for PE, and got into badminton. At first I did not consider it a true sports worthy of one semester in PE, but was I wrong! I tremendously enjoyed it! It made me run, fly, swing hard, swing gently, develop agility and hand-eye-feet coordination!
Oh, and I was offered by my prof to join the varsity team, which I did not due to hectic schedule. But I wish I could find a place to play it here, hopefully with my children.

Best Deals Galore said...

hey there, ladybug..
thanks 4 reading my post. as u've known, i started playing badminton since i was 6 y.o. and i've my dad to thank for. right now i'm concentrating on this sport coz i'll be representing my college next month in my Univ's annual sports festival. last semester we finished 3rd. good start, eh?? haha... i'm actually a junior volleyball player but since vball in Malaysia is plummeting, i only play it for fun and to be around my friends. aite, enuff said. cheers to badminton!!

ladybug said...

Manang> Thanks for dropping by too! I hope you get to play badminton with your kids soon. It is slowly becoming a popular sport there. :-)

sc roxx> Good luck in the competition! Cheers to badminton! Thanks for dropping by. :-)

-sham- said...

hey, thanks for dropping by my blog, wow, is there so little courts in wherever you are? haha
in singapore there are minimum 2 courts in every school, not counting the the community centers and sports hall. haah (: yup badminton rocks, i only started two years ago, but not to seem too proud, im making good progress. cheers, sham

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