A part of my life in Australia is sports. Although not a huge or natural athlete, I like to do something at least twice a week. This can be running or cycling, but also more organised activities. Apart from badminton there is also a dive-page.

Badminton

Badminton was invented long ago; its origins date back at least two thousand years to the game of battledore and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece, India and China. A surprisingly long history for one of the Olympics newest sports! Badminton took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century. By coincidence, Gloucestershire is now the base for the International Badminton Federation.

Some facts:

• a shuttle can leave the racket at a speed of almost 350 km/hr
• a badminton player can cover almost 2 kilometres in just one match

According to The Economist, badminton is an "enthralling mix of angles, tactics, reaction, touch and fitness...that would exhaust a squash champion".

In the Netherlands

After some swimming (lifeguards) in my pre-teens and some hyperactive checkers in my early-teens, I started playing badminton when I was about 15. I played for several years with Silver Shuttle, became youth-champion, club-champion in the B-class and teamcaptain of the second team. In all honesty I have to say that the club was mostly recreational based and the second team only played 6-th grade regional league.

After finishing my army-service (which restricted my playing-season) I decided to move to a more competitive environment and played for 3 years with Flying Shuttle. In the end I was playing 3-rd grade regional, but right at that point I decided that work and my social life intervened with 2 playing and 1/2 training sessions a week.

But blood is thicker than water and after a year of badminton-celibacy, I returned to the game. Determined to play on a recreational level I returned to Silver Shuttle. An old fox doesn't loose its tricks so I became club-champion and was about to decide to switch clubs again when I decide to switch countries.

In Australia

Me, serving

I arrived in Perth in October and assumed that badminton would cease over the summer. So in February I made some inquiries and after some attempt found the WA Badminton Centre. This is an (old, asbestos) hall with 10 courts and on three nights a week, various clubs play here. Unlike in the Netherlands you do not necessarily have to be a member of a club (although that often gives you a discount) but you can play per night. Based on the players that turn up, you get scheduled on a court and play a single set.

In the mid-of-June the competition-bug got me. With some other people from the club we entered a pennants-competition and also I played a tournament. It was hard to establish the level I am supposed to play on: D-grade is presented as for 'beginning' players, but C-grade is quite tough. When playing in C-grade I manage to win 1 or 2 games, but in D-grade I won the single-competition.

This past season (1999) we entered the pennants-competition again, with the same success (i.e. we lost most games), although towards the end I regularly won both the mixes and doubles.. It looks like in the coming season (2000) I will have to look out for another club, as the WA Badminton Centre is moving North (45 minutes one-way trip). Perhaps this will bring a new spark to my competitive game.

Deze pagina is ook in het Nederlands te zien