Californian
06-28-2002, 06:15 PM
I’ve been here for a short time and I’ve made an observation. Feel free to tell me if I’m wrong.
I’ve noticed a lot of enthusiasm about badminton here, but, as far as I can tell, all of us seem to be recreational/intermediate players. There may be some who are fairly advanced, but I’ve seen nothing to indicate any top players from national teams—past or present--come here.
Another thing…it looks like top international singles players are through competing by the time they are 30 yrs. old. Some go on to play doubles for a few years, some become coaches (for economic reasons, because nothing better seems to be available for them), but most seem to have ceased playing, or even leave the sport completely.
So here’s what it looks like to me: the energy and enthusiasm that keeps this sport going is concentrated at the grass-roots level—the club or league level—not at the championship level. Maybe some top players initially got into the sport because they genuinely enjoyed it, maybe some were pushed or pulled into it, and for some, maybe it was just expected of them. In the end, though, it appears that the rigors of training, competition, and traveling take such a toll on the body as well as the psyche that it becomes like an ordinary job—a routine to be done, and the player does only what is necessary or required. Eventually, whatever joy and passion that were there are gone. There's no enthusiasm left to get involved in something like this forum.
Does it seem to be like this? Do any top players--past or present--come here? Wouldn’t this forum be a great place for stars to give first-hand advice and relate experiences?
I’ve noticed a lot of enthusiasm about badminton here, but, as far as I can tell, all of us seem to be recreational/intermediate players. There may be some who are fairly advanced, but I’ve seen nothing to indicate any top players from national teams—past or present--come here.
Another thing…it looks like top international singles players are through competing by the time they are 30 yrs. old. Some go on to play doubles for a few years, some become coaches (for economic reasons, because nothing better seems to be available for them), but most seem to have ceased playing, or even leave the sport completely.
So here’s what it looks like to me: the energy and enthusiasm that keeps this sport going is concentrated at the grass-roots level—the club or league level—not at the championship level. Maybe some top players initially got into the sport because they genuinely enjoyed it, maybe some were pushed or pulled into it, and for some, maybe it was just expected of them. In the end, though, it appears that the rigors of training, competition, and traveling take such a toll on the body as well as the psyche that it becomes like an ordinary job—a routine to be done, and the player does only what is necessary or required. Eventually, whatever joy and passion that were there are gone. There's no enthusiasm left to get involved in something like this forum.
Does it seem to be like this? Do any top players--past or present--come here? Wouldn’t this forum be a great place for stars to give first-hand advice and relate experiences?