Plainview-Old Bethpage Youth Badminton Program

As a student-athlete who has trained for nearly a decade, my achievements come from the countless hours I’ve devoted to this sport. In recognizing this fact, I realized that badminton, like all other sports, needs to kindle interest from a young age to increase the performance level at an older age. This sparked a desire for me to initiate a program that promotes badminton in our community.

At first, I had a great fear that our district would have limited interest in badminton. Fortunately, the enthusiastic parents erased some of the doubt. But what truly proved me wrong was that the children who participated in this program genuinely enjoyed the sport and were willing to participate in training lessons outside of the youth program.

I clearly remember that I saw a couple of the children present at the POB Youth Badminton Program participate in my badminton club’s group training. As I went over to say hi to them, they immediately recognized me but were too shy to say hi back. Greeting me with only a shy smile and wave. At that moment, I felt immense pride in my work because this was exactly what I’ve set out to do: spark interest in the children of my community.