Sweetest victory

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by venkatesh, Mar 16, 2009.

  1. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    Have you ever watched the mighty ducks, the cutting edge, space jam, remember the titans, rocky, bring it on, and other sports film?

    Do you notice that the moment they win, everything goes slow mo? And you can't help but cherish and be drawn to the sweet glorifying moment of the protagonists. The sheer joy, the ecstasy, the pride, the hard work, the glory ... all mixed up in just one moment of genuine happiness. :)

    That's exactly what happened to me last Saturday. I could just go on explaining how that instant was like taken out from a movie. And even though it was just a small tournament, I could probably pass the story on to my children, my grand children, and theirs (emo alert!!!). :eek:

    I'll spare you with the details. All I can say is that, against all odds, amidst all the injuries, equipped with a little encouragement, eagerness, and desire, it was indeed my sweetest victory. It was my greatest match ever.

    Care to share yours?
     
  2. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    Congratulations!

    Sounds inspiring!:)
    But can't you give us some of the details?:confused:
    Was it against a long-known foe whom you have never before beaten?
    Was it in front of a "special" girl you were trying to impress?
    Were dirty tricks played to try to distract you?

    Let us know something...there might be a Hollywood screenwriter on BC right now eager to hand you millions for the movie rights.:cool:
     
  3. alphazed1

    alphazed1 Regular Member

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    it does give a picture bout how much the game means to u... like Fidget says... share some details...

    PS -- u sound like Rocky Balboa... ;)
     
  4. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    It's a typical story of the underdogs winning.

    And during that moment, there was a series of unfortunate events. For example, my partner, who's taking up a masters degree, had to lie to her groupmates so that she can excuse herself from their thesis or something. I, on the other hand, had to work overnight just to finish my work scheduled on the day of my tournament, which gave me no time for sleep because our call time was 6 am and I left the office at around 2 or 3 am.

    And because we lack sleep, we were prone to injuries. First, my partner sprained her knees. She couldn't lunge so we had to concede. Good thing the organizer gave us 1 hour of rest. After the delayed match, I sprained my ankle. I thought I wouldn't be able to play, but I forced myself amidst all the pain. My string snapped later. We also had to compete against a coach ... and so on. All the misfortunes were upon us. We were already on the brink of giving up. My partner's shoulders were slumped. She accepted defeat already. Then I realized, someone had to step up. So I encouraged her. I encouraged "us". I told her just to give our best effort. And although we knew we were against opponents who were better than us, I tried to keep positive all through out.

    In the end, the underdogs won. Of course, there are more side stories. But those are immaterial. The point is, we prevailed against all odds. :)

    Now I'd like to hear your stories :)
     
  5. 16FeathRPassioN

    16FeathRPassioN Regular Member

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    hey venkatesh , bro i guess u could write some short stories stuff in sports column, cuz i can the talent in you :),
    any ways it was nice to hear a story from an underdog to another underdog ,,,,,:D
     
  6. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    Thanks. I wish I could write more in details, but I'm in the office, so I can only risk a quick glance and a few paragraphs (especially that my boss has been very vigilant these past few days).

    It would be wonderful to hear your stories, of course. :)
     
    #6 venkatesh, Mar 17, 2009
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2009
  7. 16FeathRPassioN

    16FeathRPassioN Regular Member

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    well i'm waiting for my Fairy godmother to appear , till then i don't have a nothing to tell ...:)
     
  8. superjay

    superjay Regular Member

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    my best win was done just yesterday im somewhat new to the game i played it years ago and just got back into it and i was playing someone i have never beat before ive played them about five times and everytime i lost bad but i been working had doing the smart thing of learning the shots they kept beating me with so when it came to game time he was shocked when i was smashing it rite back at him the best thing about the game was all the way throw it was point for point rally after rally in the end i won 2:1
    the only down side was after the game he was been an arse saying how could he have won hes got bad technique and i will admit my technique is not all that good but does it really matter when i can still get power out my shots still get it where i want and i dont hert myself
     
  9. evylgrynn

    evylgrynn Regular Member

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    I wouldnt say this is my sweetest victory but its definitely up there...

    My first singles tournament after a 5 year absence, its a small tournament but some club players are there. In the semifinals I met the top seed (I am unseeded) who I've known for a long time and has always been a lot better than me. even worse, his doubles partner, who I've also known for a long time, is sitting courtside yelling nonstop trash talk, jokingly telling me "I'm putting money on this match".
    I've been training for awhile, so I'm in decent shape, but no idea how my singles game is.
    first game, he blows me off the court...21-10. I cannot keep up with his speed and power, he's smashing everything through me. His partner is yelling and cheering and I'm cooked.
    second game, I'm actually not too far behind. the turning point is when I totally fool him on a punch clear...he's standing at the net by the time the shuttle lands in the back of the court. I start thinking "hey I can get him". So I started using deceptive shots and pushing him all around the court. After a lot of this, he's starting to stall, lie down on the court, etc. I managed to win the game 21-16. His partner is now getting a little quieter.
    Third game, he's got his second wind so we're neck and neck up till I take a 16-14 lead. He wins the next point, but he thinks he only had 13 so he tries to serve from the even court. I said "no, I think you already had 14" and gave him the point so its 16-15. He says thanks, and promptly reels off 4 points in a row so its 19-16 for him. After that I did not lose hope(even though I though "man, I shouldnt have given him that point :) ) and took the next 5 points to win the match!
    After the match I had several people tell me that was the best singles match they ever saw.
    The best part was when I went to his partner and said "okay, where's my money?" the look on his face was priceless!
     
  10. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    Wow! There's nothing like winning with honesty. Props to you. You deserved it. As for the heckler, I wish I could have seen his face. :p
     
  11. niteeshs

    niteeshs Regular Member

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    Hi Venkatesh,

    Very nicely written. By the way, where in Manila do you normally play?
     
  12. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    Thanks. :) I'll PM you my answer. I usually play with mrpao and 88raymond.
     
  13. Sandmandj

    Sandmandj Regular Member

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    Mine was such a sweet victory I just had to share it.

    It was a few weeks ago (here in the UK we're just coming to the end of the league season) and me and my mixed doubles partner were pitted against the best mixed pair in my club (and arguably the whole league). We were completely battered in the first game, 21-9, but halfway through (at about 12-5) we stopped worrying and just took the opportunity to take as much energy out of our opponents as possible. We weren't trying to play winners, we just wanted to make them run and run and run.

    The second game was really evenly fought, never more than 2 points in it, we took it 24-22. A good hard battle all the way through, and really gritty.

    In the final game we started to try and make each other laugh a little to keep us loose and relaxed, but our opponents were feeling the physical effects of the first game and were visibly deflated from the second. We took an early lead to start with, and then they fought and fought to bring it to 19-19. My partner played a beautiful deceptive drop to take us to 20-19. Next point, she tried the same thing again but they managed to scramble it back with a lift that was just a bit too shallow. I came in behind it and noticed that the man was a bit too close to the net so I went for him with everything I had.

    The shuttle hit him in the top lip, and it was really travelling. It was such a perfect way to close an almighty battle. Although I rarely take pride in hitting people with the shuttle, there was a certain amount of sick pride there afterwards. :)
     
  14. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    That's understandable. It's called SCHADENFREUDE. I'm guilty of it sometimes. :D }:)

    Congratulations! So the lesson here is just don't think of the score too much (i.e., winning) ... just make your opponents run and give all your best. Also, make each other laugh/comfortable so you wouldn't feel the pressure of the game much. Noted. I'll try that next time. Thanks for sharing. :)
     
  15. supralover23

    supralover23 Regular Member

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    I suppose I could share mine, although it's so long ago I really don't remember the specifics of what I was thinking. Maybe I'll see if my parents have the tape lying around somewhere..

    It was one of my first US Junior National tournaments. Back then, the scoring system was 7 points, best-of-5, normal (not rally) scoring, with option to set at 6 to 8.

    First two sets, I got completely destroyed, something like 1-7, 1-7. Third set, I was down 2-6, then came back to win 8-7. Fourth set, close again but I managed to pull it out 8-6.

    The final set was possibly the most intense game I've ever played. We were neck-and-neck the entire way, until the score was finally 7-7. The match point serve went back and forth for what seemed like hours, with neither player backing down, until finally he returned a short serve too high, got nailed in the chest as a result, and I won the match.

    Definitely intense, definitely satisfying, and even more memorable because it was the first time I had ever thoroughly soaked a shirt.
     
    #15 supralover23, Mar 28, 2009
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2009
  16. lee17

    lee17 Regular Member

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    sweetest victory i guess in international circuit? no other than ZHANG NING!!!
     
  17. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    Oh yes! What a way to end her career. She's the only player in badminton to defend the Olympic gold title. Now that she's retired, it's still inspiring to see her as one of China's coaches in singles women's. :)
     
  18. lorus_blue

    lorus_blue Regular Member

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    @niteeshs and venkatesh, where do you guys play in manila?
     
  19. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    I have another addition to my "sweetest victory".

    Yesterday was my first badminton tournament for 2010. I was just invited to represent a home court I have never played in. It was really a privilege because I was asked to partner our club's top player. (He really liked our rotation.) The problem was, we would compete in a level with varsity players, meaning I'd be the weakest amongst the players there.

    I have played in a tournament with this top player before. We didn't win, basically because he kept on hitting clears and I was left exposed to strong smashes. I thought it was the end of our partnership. I thought wrong.

    The funny thing is, during our tourney yesterday, he was the one who was making errors. And I felt like I was the playmaker. I calmed him down. I was the one who usually set up a kill for him. And my defense rocked (thanks to SOTX Woven 8).

    Our matches were great against the 4 players we came across with. At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, knowing that they're all varsities. But during the game, man! Loved it! I'm so happy to realize that I could handle that kind of level.

    My partner complemented me. He even said that we could go a step higher in our level. I'm so happy. :)
     
  20. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    Onwards and Upwards, mighty venkatesh!!:):)
     

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