These 2008 Summer Olympics have been so inspirational! I wish I were 8 years old again so I could choose a sport that I could compete in that would allow me to enjoy rubbing elbows with the greatest athletes in the world. It seems as though as the gold medal winners started training when they were still in the womb.
I saw a TV interview with the oldest woman competitor who was 53 and her sport was shooting a handgun. In four years I'll be 61 and don't EVER want to even touch a gun so that sport is out.
My niece-in-law, Anniebelle and I were saying that there MUST be a sport that we could train for and compete in during 2012 Olympics in London.
I decided I was a little "mature" for 99.9% of the events...Anniebelle has a much better chance a finding a sport that she could compete in since she is a fit 30-some-thing-year-old with previous gymnastic competition under her belt (she rarely wears a belt, so shall I say, "waistband"?).
Well, I THOUGHT that I had found the perfect sport ~ for me, anyway. Badmitton!
I saw 2 minutes of the womens singles and it looked like an old ladies sport to me.
I can remember when I was in my early 20's I bought a regulation badmitton set it up in my parents spacious and flat backyard. I meticulously measured where the lines should go and bought some kind of lime stuff to mark off the alleys (see? I KNOW the jargon! THAT should count for something!).
I'm trying to convince Anniebelle to be my womens doubles partner but I don't think she is taking this seriously.
I, on the other hand, am a woman on a mission. I have been researching the origin of the game (in case an interviewer asks me) and the correct terms and rules. (a lot like tennis only with a few exceptions (even though a player is supposed to win by 2, maximum score is 30-29 so no one gets worn out, I guess)
The other rather embarrassing fact that I found out is that I've been spelling "badmitton" incorrectly. The game is BadmiNton. Silly me. Sure glad I corrected THAT before the medal ceremony.
A disappointment is that it is a lot more expensive than I had anticipated. My thught was that I would get a badmiNton set from Wal-Mart for $20. and practice in Annie's yard with the kids...I was even thinking that a garage sale would be the perfect place to pick up the equipment.
Ha! The "competition" set includes ultra wonderful netting and stakes and two racquets and 4 birdies...er, I mean "shuttlecocks" (that term seems like if I say it, I need to go to confession). This professional set cost $230.00.
But alas, there is more...I need the correct lightweight, yet durable shoes and racquet bag t carry my 4 racquets (What? FOUR racquets?? I only have ONE hand to grip the sucker!)
The competitive racquets (I was erroneously spelling it "rackets" prior to my research) cost up to $600. Gulp.
Oh, and then I thought that I could just show up at some court in Cleveland for an Olympic audition...er, I mean "try-out". Oh, no...I have to enter and win some USBA sponsored tournaments and pay $200 entry fees just to hit a little birdie around before some "official" gives me my plane ticket and uniform for London!
Trying to find a badminton league around here just to ease into my training is more difficult than finding a Shakespeare play starring Carrot-top.
But I am not to be deterred. I am in need of sponsorship to help fund this endeavor and during my qualification process I will wear a badminton jersey that advertises whatever...probably denture cream at my age.
Any ideas?
3 comments:
I'm telling you, I'm in.
I just want cute outfits.
I'll sponsor you if you'll wear a t-shirt that says,
"I dance and tell jokes...
who do you think taught
Ellen everything she knows?"
This perception that badminton is a "weak" and "easy" sport has to stop. I've been playing badminton for two years and there's a lot of competition even in the high school level. My friends are nationally ranked in their age groups because of their hard work and the way you talk about badminton in this blog is totally condescending. Lady, let me tell you this. The players in the Olympics have been training for years since their early childhood. The prime age and peak for one's badminton career is low-mid twentys and they retire from badminton close to their thirties. Badminton demands a ton of lower body strength, stamina, fast reaction times, and experience. The olympic players can jump 2-4 feet vertically and they receive smashes (you probably think it's called a spike) that are 206 mph. When they hit the shuttlecock, it's strong enough to go inside watermelons and it's deadly enough to break a board of wood. Because you are my elder, I should be showing more respect but I really am annoyed by the myriad of people that think badminton is a sport that requires no hardwork or talent.
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