Intramurals

First time playing intramurals this year. Didn't really know what to expect. Going in I was really stoked of playing in a competition outside of YUBC. At the same time I kept thinking "What if I'm not good enough?" That feeling only intensified when I found out when I registered that I was playing in Tier 1 - the more competitive league. Uh oh. My badminton skill, on a scale of 1 - 10 is around a 5 or 6. Not bad, but not what you'd call good either. I play doubles mostly because I don't have the endurance to run back and forth and still hit the birdie accurately.

A week before the competition I asked Engel to be my double partner. If you've ever played against Engel you'll know he's good. At least better than average. And me. If you've ever played with him you'll know he likes to win and hates to lose. Especially when the opponents are weaker players.

So, add the feeling of self doubt with fear of failure and you've got a player who's shaking in his collective booties.

As we were warming up while they were setting up the nets, I looked around the gym at the other players who came out for intramurals. From what I saw most weren't regular players of the sport. Their swings were slow and measured so they could hit the birdie accurately. They didn't use their wrists. It helped calm my nerves, but I still cautioned myself not to get too overconfident. Even an unskilled opponent can surprise you.

Our first match was against two giants who looked like they played every sport under the sun. One was Rob, who I remember from Frosh week way back in first year. The other guy I'd never seen before. I had hoped that our first game would be against one of the other teams. The ones who didn't look too skilled.

During the game I realized something that would put us at a disadvantage: the lines of the court were different than the ones we usually played on. Now you may say, "So what? Stop making so many damn excuses!" The fact is, when the lines change, your court senses change. There were many times when I thought the birdie would go out when it was actually in. So, we lost 15-1. A huge spirit breaker. Engel's only words on the way back to our bags were, "We have to talk." Me, in my usual attampt to use humour to defuse a tense situation, replied, "But I hate talking."

Our break was short. The coordinator came over informed us that our next opponents were already waiting for us.

The next match was easy. It was obvious they had never played badminton in their lives. If they had, it wasn't for a very long time. We beat them 15-3. Engel told me afterward that they had said that we should've lost to them since we lost to Rob and whatshisname the game before. I've heard of sore losers before, but this is the first time I've encountered one.

Our last match, immediately following the sore loser match, was against a pair who seemed to be pretty decent players. Their game record was the same as ours. Though that didn't tell us much.

They were actually pretty decent players. What they lacked in skill they made up for in strategy. They knew how to place the bird and exploit our weaknesses. They got up to game point (14 - 8, them) before we started to gain our points back. Within two rounds we had tied them. Then, through some miracle they manage to get the last two points to win (16-14).

Needless to say, I was disappointed in myself. I plan to train myself in strategy and how to expect certain kinds of shots an opponent will make.