Badminton Edition

Things that excite me, it can be games that I played during childhood, books that I read in my teenage, bikes that I wanna buy or ride in the future. Those might not be the only things that excite me, I enjoy playing sports, specifically badminton. Waking up is not my cup of tea but badminton makes me do it, well dad sometimes wakes me up if I'm too lazy. There's a love-hate relationship between me and badminton.

Why do I hate badminton? There is an incident regarding it. My dad who also loves sports more than me, was a great cricket player when he was young but plays badminton now. So being his only son it's natural he will try to spark the spirit of sports in me. When I was young(maybe in grade 8 or 9), he would make me wake up at 4 a.m. to practice with me. I didn't hate badminton but I hated waking up that early in the morning, all I loved was sleeping. That's one side of the story.

The other is why I love badminton, why it excites me. The atmosphere of the covered hall, vibe of the court, the boom sound when the racket hit the shuttlecock, players struggling  for that 1 point. I love the adrenaline rush between sets when it's "21-20" and you need 1 point to secure the victory, then your opponent hits a high clear which comes to the back line. It feels like a me moment, made just for you to settle the score. 

Apart from thrill of game, I made friends in that court that I might have not made if it was outside the court. The fun playing with each other and goofing around, accidentally smashing the shuttlecock at my partner's head with full power. I loved being on the court as much as I hated waking up early.

So here I am, racket in hand most mornings still complaining about the early wake-up, but living for those game-point moments. Despite all those early morning wake-ups and love-hate drama, badminton has become the thing that gets me out of bed - literally.