My story...

It’s better late than never….

Linus is my real name. I am a 40+, bespectacled, over-weight Singaporean Chinese male (sound familiar? ).

The past
My first encounter with badminton came when I was a 9 years old. I was then in a typical small government-run primary school in the 70s, where the only sport facility was a cemented open basketball court and the games we played during PE classes were either basketball or volleyball. We had a relief teacher from Indonesia, who couldn’t play either. So he brought along a few wooden rackets and some shuttles in his first PE class with us, and that open a new horizon at least for me.

I continued to play badminton since, but never properly learned or be coached the proper basic skill, as it was not a popular sport in the school and no qualified teacher or facility around to do that. This continued even when I entered Secondary school, which has a multi-purpose hall but with a very low ceiling – not meant for badminton!

I picked up a lot from observing how people played in the community centres (CC) during the 70s and 80s. I played well among my peers, but mainly relying on my agility and reflexes. Unfortunately, these are things that disappear with age and I regretted now never properly learned the basic like foot work (I thought if I can move up and down the court at ease when I was young and agile, why bother to learn the repetitive footwork which was really boring – how wrong was I! )

My love for this sport continued when I started work and served in the Ministry of Defence. I represented my department in annual inter-departmental games and won a number of firsts (for unknown reason, I was pretty good in mixed-double!? ).

The relationship with badminton took a long break after I got married in 1992 and became a father. My focus and priority suddenly shifted. I spent almost all my non-working time at home with my family and hardly exercise. That is when my weight started to increase exponentially (just to put into perception, when I just married I wore size M t-shirt, but now I have to choose between XL or XXL! )

I moved to Hong Kong with my family in 1997 because of work, I have my second child around the same time so badminton was still far off my mind. I even left all my badminton gears back in Singapore, thinking I would never pick them up again. But after a number of years in Hong Kong and as my children growing up and my wife found her own network of friends there, suddenly I found some spare time for myself. I looked around for something to do – coincidentally my company decided to organize a badminton tournament and I found myself once again having to go into a sport shop and purchased a racket, after more than 24 years since I bought my last racket (a Carbonex 7 in 1980).

That feeling of hitting the shuttle crisply and the satisfaction after a good game suddenly all rushing back again. Although my weight (over 90kg) and my lack of basic skill mean I could not move around and cover the court like I used to do, I thoroughly enjoy every minute on the court. I told myself I would not give this up again!

The present
I returned to Singapore early this year and through this wonderful forum found a number of fellow members who play regularly near where I live. I am now a regular in Lightsmash’s Wednesday group in CCK Sports Hall, and also played on Monday with my church friends.

Both groups have a good mix of ages and skills that I can spar with. My movement on the court continues to be my weakness but I am glad that at least my weight is under control now and starting to go below 90kg mark.

After all these years, I still find tremendous enjoyment when playing badminton regardless if I win or lose. My love for this game will never die.

Other interesting facts:
My first racket – Yonex B-4500 back in 1977.
My favourite racket when I was a teen – the Yonex Cabonex 7, I saved for a long long time to buy it and I cannot forget the feeling when I paid the cash and have my hand on this racket. I still have this racket now.
My current rackets – I have now 19 rackets in my possession. The most often used are (1) Yonex AT800DEF, (2) SOTX 8A, (3) SOTX 12A.

 

Thanks Cappy75, this calls for a lot of discipline and determination to keep oneself fit. As you said, this 60-years old plays "almost everyday" and that would be the key.

Thanks, ctjcad. I hope I am back for good after spending 9 years overseas! It is also the time in my working life that I want some stability. Look forward in meeting you or any other members from elsewhere in Singapore.

Oh actually, majority of the rackets were bought when I picked up the game again. During the long "exile" from badminton, I have not followed the development of equipment, imagine when I stepped in a shop in Hong Kong and found so many different brands and models, it's like a child entering a ice-cream parlour which offered many many flavours - you just want one of everything available!