First Serve Article
The First Serve
It all started when I was at the meager age of ten. My father just happens to have a very incriminating photo of me out in our front yard, clad in bright pink shorts and an even brighter blue shirt, swinging away with a badminton racket. If ever I become famous, that will be the photo he will use to blackmail me with, and the story behind it will go something like this:
I wanted to play in the Wisconsin State Games badminton tournament one year so I asked my sister if she would partner with me. She declined, saying she would rather play with her best friend. I ended up playing the tournament with my mother. I was so crushed by my sister’s rejection that I sought out a school friend and we trained a whole year together. In the next State Games we won the Gold medal in Doubles, and that was the beginning of my badminton career.
Soon after, I convinced my father to form a local badminton club and thus the “Triple B Badminton Club” was born. I no longer remember what the three B’s stood for, but I do remember all the fun my friends and I had traveling and competing all over the Midwest. Throughout middle school and high school many people joined and left our badminton club, only a handful remained until the end. In 2000, at the end of my senior year I was invited to move to Lake Placid, NY to train at the Olympic Training Center. Alana Pryor Ackerman and I (both original Triple B members) both moved to New York for our last semester of high school.
After only half a year in Lake Placid there was talk of our program being shut down. Determined to continue playing, I took this as a sign that I’d have to pursue my training elsewhere. I decided the next best move would be to relocate to California, where I could both continue training for badminton at an advanced level as well as begin college. For five years, I trained at the Orange County Badminton Club. I have since earned a B.S. in Psychology and Social Behavior at UC Irvine, as well as represented UCI in Collegiate Nationals and intercollegiate tournaments. Today I continue to set my sights on the Olympics—same determination, just bigger dreams.
Recently Russ Bowles asked me to write some articles for junior players through The Flick about my experiences. I began like I imagine most Midwestern junior players do: playing in my yard for fun, then joining occasional tournaments here and there. Somewhere along the way something changed for me. I realized that this was something I could be good at, something that I wanted to see just how good I could become. I tell people, “I used to be normal. I went to school. I played soccer for many years.” Yet it was badminton that ended up changing my life, showing me the world, and immersing me in other cultures. I have proudly represented the U.S. in the Pan American Games, Uber Cup, World Championships, and numerous other international competitions, but I credit my first tournaments in the Midwest for showing me the love of the game. I am honored and glad to give back to the Midwest, a place where I always find endless support and encouragement. I hope you will enjoy the journey.
