Dear friends, readers and parents
Today was the first day of the WA Under 17s Trial. The trials are taking place at Samson Recreational Centre. If you are in the vicinity in the next 2 Saturdays, do turn up to cheer the players on from 4 pm to 6 pm.
There were some nervous players and their parents today. This was especially true for the boys. There were 9 boy players vying for 5 spots.
One boy has already opted out by not turning up.
We got to see the 2 new girl players perform today. The girls have an easier run as they have all been accepted into the team.
The new girls are Shelby and Rachel. Shelby is from Canada and has only recently migrated to WA with her expat family. Good luck to her and her parents and welcome to the WA badminton scene. There is lots to learn and much to experience. I hope they enjoy their experience of being in their first
State team in a national championship. The next few months will see the players experiencing one of the most magical experience in their young life. They will experience joy and heartache and they will learn to savour every moment.
They will learn about teamwork and what it means to represent the State. I am sure they will make their parents and WA proud.
Rachel is from Hong Kong and is a student of YuLi. However mid way through the trials, there were questions raised as to whether Rachel was too old for the competition. It turned out she is going to turn 17 this year and the rules prevent her from taking part in the competition. It was so sad for her to know she will not be able to play. She would have been a great contributor to the team. Hopefully she will nominate for the Under 19 team.
That means the team only has 4 female players and that is not ideal as there is no room for a reserve.
That raises the question as to where we are going to find another girl player. I think the board will have to speak to Andik to see if his daughter Olivia will play. She is one of the rising stars in the WA badminton scene. Apparently she has been training in Indonesia. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Olivia will agree to take part.
We welcomed back Alexandra who has been on a badminton break from national competition. She however looks like she has been having secret training because her skills have improved significantly since the last time I saw her play.
Of course we have our usual girls namely Phing and Silvi. They have always been solid contributors to the WA team. Phing and Silvi were in the history making WA team that won the Under 15's bronze medal last year together with Dennis, Amos and my son Tyzton.
Phing, Amos and Jazton were also in the under 19 team that won bronze last year in Sydney.
Their experience will definitely help in our quest this year to get another national medal.
Back to the boys.
The boys will pose a big problem for the selectors. There has been no clear winners. Many of the matches have ended in draws. Those boys who have lost all their matches will be heartbroken as their chances will have been dashed with the intense competition to get into the team.
Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos as I had to umpire some of the games. I will try definitely to do so next week.
It was great for the team and the parents of the players to meet the management and coach today.
There will be lots of work needed for the next few weeks. We seem to be behind on the 8 ball as many of the state teams have already been selected and have been training as a team while WA is still making their team selection. However, there is great hope for the team as I always believe that the heart is the most important part of the body and the team. The hearts of the players are already visible from the way they battle for each point in the trials. I wish the players all the best.
I hope all the parents appreciate what their children are going through. They need your support and your love.
Special mention must also be made of the volunteers who are helping at the trials. Trevor, Mark and Winston have always been a great help. Andrew Chai has also been roped in as a selector and I am sure he will make a great contribution towards the team selection.
Good luck to all the players. Till the next blog, train hard and play hard.
I would like to remind the readers and especially the parents that they can contribute to this blog by sending in their thoughts and encouragement for the team.
Good night.
Today was the first day of the WA Under 17s Trial. The trials are taking place at Samson Recreational Centre. If you are in the vicinity in the next 2 Saturdays, do turn up to cheer the players on from 4 pm to 6 pm.
There were some nervous players and their parents today. This was especially true for the boys. There were 9 boy players vying for 5 spots.
One boy has already opted out by not turning up.
We got to see the 2 new girl players perform today. The girls have an easier run as they have all been accepted into the team.
The new girls are Shelby and Rachel. Shelby is from Canada and has only recently migrated to WA with her expat family. Good luck to her and her parents and welcome to the WA badminton scene. There is lots to learn and much to experience. I hope they enjoy their experience of being in their first
State team in a national championship. The next few months will see the players experiencing one of the most magical experience in their young life. They will experience joy and heartache and they will learn to savour every moment.
They will learn about teamwork and what it means to represent the State. I am sure they will make their parents and WA proud.
Rachel is from Hong Kong and is a student of YuLi. However mid way through the trials, there were questions raised as to whether Rachel was too old for the competition. It turned out she is going to turn 17 this year and the rules prevent her from taking part in the competition. It was so sad for her to know she will not be able to play. She would have been a great contributor to the team. Hopefully she will nominate for the Under 19 team.
That means the team only has 4 female players and that is not ideal as there is no room for a reserve.
That raises the question as to where we are going to find another girl player. I think the board will have to speak to Andik to see if his daughter Olivia will play. She is one of the rising stars in the WA badminton scene. Apparently she has been training in Indonesia. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Olivia will agree to take part.
We welcomed back Alexandra who has been on a badminton break from national competition. She however looks like she has been having secret training because her skills have improved significantly since the last time I saw her play.
Of course we have our usual girls namely Phing and Silvi. They have always been solid contributors to the WA team. Phing and Silvi were in the history making WA team that won the Under 15's bronze medal last year together with Dennis, Amos and my son Tyzton.
Phing, Amos and Jazton were also in the under 19 team that won bronze last year in Sydney.
Their experience will definitely help in our quest this year to get another national medal.
Back to the boys.
The boys will pose a big problem for the selectors. There has been no clear winners. Many of the matches have ended in draws. Those boys who have lost all their matches will be heartbroken as their chances will have been dashed with the intense competition to get into the team.
Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos as I had to umpire some of the games. I will try definitely to do so next week.
It was great for the team and the parents of the players to meet the management and coach today.
There will be lots of work needed for the next few weeks. We seem to be behind on the 8 ball as many of the state teams have already been selected and have been training as a team while WA is still making their team selection. However, there is great hope for the team as I always believe that the heart is the most important part of the body and the team. The hearts of the players are already visible from the way they battle for each point in the trials. I wish the players all the best.
I hope all the parents appreciate what their children are going through. They need your support and your love.
Special mention must also be made of the volunteers who are helping at the trials. Trevor, Mark and Winston have always been a great help. Andrew Chai has also been roped in as a selector and I am sure he will make a great contribution towards the team selection.
Good luck to all the players. Till the next blog, train hard and play hard.
I would like to remind the readers and especially the parents that they can contribute to this blog by sending in their thoughts and encouragement for the team.
Good night.
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