Badminton, My Throwback Thursday

So... in keeping with the racquet sports for the month of March... I attended a practice/tryout session for the Corporate Challenge Badminton!!! Why is this a Throwback Thursday moment? Well... as some of you may know... I played varsity badminton in high school!

At the time, I was feeling a little bit overstuffed from the team potluck and I also had a bit of a headache. None of my friends were going to be there. I seriously spent the last hour of my day contemplating skipping the practice.... all these things were stacking up & telling me to just drive home instead of going the exact opposite direction of home to play a sport I hadn't touched in over a decade w. a bunch of strangers. I think I was afraid of how bad I might perform. I was on the varsity team back then, even though I wasn't like an Olympic contender or anything, I was good enough. I was afraid that I'd get on the court and find myself starting from scratch... or worse... maybe I'd be able to envision what I should do and just wouldn't be able to execute any of it and become super frustrated & embarrassed with my own inabilities.

As I got to the freeway junction where I had to choose whether I'd go home or go to practice... I sucked it up and drove to the Las Vegas Badminton Club. I doubted my decision the entire way as I sat through traffic, drove around the enormous complex many times because I kept missing the obscure door, as I stood in the front being awkwardly not greeted by the Chinese mother/daughter receptionist duo, and finally signed the waiver. Then, I stepped into back area where all the courts were. And instantly, I felt excited! I was exhilarated! Exuberant! *Eeeeeeee*

I introduced myself to the team captain and immediately apologized for how bad I'm going to be because I hadn't played in over 12 years. She was so encouraging and spent time running some volleying and serving drills with me while the others played doubles. The first half hour or so was ROUGH. I'd swing and just keep missing. I had to slow down and remind myself that I had adjusted my swing to accommodate the really short paddle of pickleball. I kept at it and stayed positive.

An hour or so into the game... it was like riding a bicycle! Of course, my various partners really helped. Use your wrist! Hit high and force them back! Give them room and let them make the mistake! I loved every minute of it! The muscle memory came flooding back and the game, the strategies, the moves ... they just all started popping up. Don't get me wrong... I'm nowhere near good by any means, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the progress.

On top of it all,  I made a bunch of new friends! I definitely made the right decision. :)