Badminton-less Life

If you remember sometime in 2002 or 2003, badminton reemerged in the Philippine scene. Plenty got hooked immediately, even shifting sports from tennis or basketball. Badminton courts, like mushrooms, sprouted everywhere.

But for us Cebuanos, it was only in 2004 that we were infected with the craze. Groups were formed, new friends found, and even to the extent of calling them family. It’s hard to forget the lovely days when everyone else was a newbie and it was really really fun. The shouts and screams were much louder than the sound of the shuttlecock hit by the racket. We ran like crazy, bumped into each other, and laugh inside the court. After every game, the group troops to the nearest fastfood to replenish the calories and fats lost on the games. What a way to exercise!

Then, after months of training and skills improvement, some had become much better players, in fact overtaking me in terms of skills and agility. The tournaments aroused the competitive spirit of the players that even those who just started out with the game as an excuse to exercise, joined every tourney that comes their way.

But then, almost four years after, the fad seemed to have died down, and players are now mellowed with injuries, unfair and controversial competitions and well, back to their real lives. I have taken easy on badminton too. I’m back playing with beginners once a week. No more of the hard games that leaves my arms aching for days.

The last competition I joined early this month was really a heartbreaker. We were winless in three games. The only consolation was that, all were closely fought, and for our level, everything was just fair. It’s a different story though with my wife’s participation in another level. They were victims of bad leveling.

For 2008, I don’t really have a bright outlook on my badminton career. It’s now a downhill for me. After many days of being absent in the badminton court, and indulging most of my time in front of the computer and in travels, I think I can now live life apart from badminton.