“Badminton”

I am just finishing day 14 of my 2024 Olympic binge watching. I truly can not get enough. Currently I am watching … believe it or not… Break Dancing. Yes, a demonstration sport, and I am totally amazed at what I am seeing. Heck, if Curling can get one to the Gold Medal stand, why not dancers spinning on their heads? I will give it up to the French, they have put on a spectacular Olympics. There is something so refreshing about watching these athletes put themselves out there in ways that defy gravity or human limitations. Not 30 minutes ago I watched the US Men’s basketball team beat the French for the Gold Medal. After it was over, my heart sang as I watched these guys hold each other in warm embraces, whether they were a teammate or a competitor.

Every Olympics I revisit a personal athletic experience. I think I was a junior at Phillips, which had a wonderful intramural program. Yes, there was a Badminton tournament. Bring on the shuttlecocks.

There were many ways I was spoiled growing up. My dad installed a fantastic basketball court in our double driveway. It had lights and was used all year long. Today, I want to talk about our backyard, where my dad also installed flood lights that circled the entire space. Many nights in the summer we played Badminton. The court was perfectly marked with fabric strips that were pinned to the ground. The special thing about Pueblo summer evenings was, that there was rarely any kind of wind— which made playing Badminton a delight. I honed my skills there every summer. So this tournament was my thing.

I worked my way through the bracket where I beat every opponent I faced. A blue ribbon was surely in my future. I got to the finals, where I discovered another lesson in humility. My opponent was a foreign student whose name I have never forgotten—Bon Wat Son. He was from Thailand—where their national game was Badminton. I remember thinking “Surely I can at least win one game of the set”. After about ten minutes my misery was over. There might have been a shuttlecock planted in my forehead. I did not score one point, not one. So much for winning a championship.

The last time I finished first was in Field Day at Ben Franklin Elementary, in the sixth grade. I won the softball throw with a heave of 167 ft.

I watched the Badminton competition again this year. I still carry a slight bit of embarrassment when I think of “utter humiliation” on the court. There were at least 12 people watching. I suspect it provided some amusement to watch me diving at rocket speed slams, and shaking my head when no matter what I served up, he had an answer. In the end I shook Bon’s hand and he smiled with a warm grin.

I watched Silver medalists this week (of which I guess I was one) who showed exuberance, and said to myself “At least I did not drop the baton”.

Onward and Upward,

Mark