Program and Program Session Tell Us About

¶ … Program and Program Session

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

A racket, net, and a shuttlecock are my weapons of choice. The combination of these items led me to the intense moment where I panted and sprinted on an endless track before the first match in a foreign country. Sweat slid down my face like tears. The anticipation to leave it all on the court enticed me. It was game day and the team was running some last minute warm-up laps. I was the starter for the varsity team in the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian School's international tournament in Manila, Philippines.

The path to this moment was when my mother introduced me to my very first racket, a Yonex Nanospeed 9000. The head-heavy racket prepared me to face some of the best badminton players my age. Immediately, badminton and I became inseparable. After seven years of practice, I cultivated and honed a foundation in the sport enough to join the varsity team in my freshman year of high school. Having spent a year training with the team, I earned a coveted spot on my school's top international team that was sent overseas to compete. I trained harder than ever in my life to have confidence that I definitively earned the position on my team. The hours of practice I put into performing my best led precisely to this tournament.

The moment I stepped onto the court, I knew I am in for the ride of my life. Left feet forward, right feet back. I am holding my racket in my right hand and the shuttlecock in the left. At that moment my world completely stops: all I can see is that bird, all I can feel is my dream the perfect serve, and in this elongated moment, the game begins. In a swift motion, I send the bird high into the air, and the game is in full throttle.

Three days later, the momentum from my first serve on the first day led me to help win the championship for the team. Standing here now, I see and grip my racket differently. I am suddenly playing with more self-assurance, making sure that I give nothing but my best so that I know at the end of the day I can tell myself, "There's nothing more I could have done, because I left my heart and soul out on the court."

(Elaborate on how this made you feel. Did it make you feel inferior? Explain why you began training harder.)