By Bill King
I had already registered to play pickleball in the Alabama Senior Olympics last week when I was asked if I would also compete in another event. No doubt, word had leaked out about my vast experience in the game of badminton, not to mention my extraordinary skill. Nah, that couldn’t possibly have been the reason because I have neither! Besides that, I think the last time I played badminton, Alabama had not yet become a state! Certainly, there were no Alabama Senior Olympics back then, but I was not a senior adult back then, either. The swelling of my head subsided once I realized they simply needed more warm bodies…older warm bodies…who could still move and at least swing a racquet…even if we couldn’t hit the shuttlecock.
My experience in badminton began as a child, playing with my older sister in our backyard. I couldn’t beat her either, but she was six years older than me. Back then, I put playdoh inside the shuttlecock to make it fly a little better.
Years later, I played at Samford University. No, not on a college team but in P.E. I think Coach Hayward was a nationally-ranked player. We could play him for our final exam, and if we scored 3 points, we got an A for the class. Those of us who were dumb enough to try, by the grace of God and the coach, at least passed the class.
My last badminton outing was when my daughter was about ten years old. I strung a net up between 2 pine trees in our front yard. The real skill was not to run into a tree. Well, of course, she won. What kind of daddy do you think I was? She is now 35, so do the math. That is how long it had been since I had even picked up a badminton racquet.
So, how did I do in the Olympics? Well, the first syllable in the word badminton is bad, so that’s how I did. I have had lots of experience playing other racquet/paddle sports for much of my life. I’ve played racquetball thousands of times over the last 35-plus years. I’ve also played tennis, ping pong, and pickleball, probably more than I should have. When I picked up that badminton racquet last Thursday, I immediately realized it was much lighter and longer than any racquetball racquet. A shuttlecock travels much slower than a racquetball or even a pickleball. I think I completed my swings before that thing ever crossed the net! To add insult to injury, people were watching. I couldn’t tell for sure if they were cheering, but I think what I heard was actually laughter. I looked around for some playdoh, but there was none to be found. I wondered if chewed gum might help!
I was slightly consoled by the fact that most of the group was almost as bad as me. Of course, there seems to always be a ringer or two who show up. Actually, there were three. Two of them were ladies who had driven up from Fort Rucker. They came to Fort Rucker from England and The Netherlands. I didn’t know they played a lot of badminton in either country, but obviously, they do. Fortunately, one of them ended up being my mixed-doubles partner. I tried my best to stay out of her way.
One thing is for sure. Whatever we do, we should do it to the best of our ability, even when our ability isn’t the best! Oh, and act right and have fun!
