Boston team tournament 2009

I was looking forward to the tournament in Boston last weekend for several reasons. One, it will be a mini vacation since I gave birth 6 months ago, and secondly, I will be doing something I love..play badminton. It's crazy that I am sooooo crazy with this sport. I will sacrifice life and limb...well..maybe not life, but I will tolerate pain, just to be able to play. I wrote before that I have pain-free knee envy. I am jealous of my co-players bouncing, jumping and doing lunges without pain. For me, especially in certain weather I feel like an old lady, pain in both knees climbing up and down the stairs, even slow jogs makes me a little teary.

The explanation for all this is not early onset arthritis. I went to a orthopedic/sports medicine specialist after my knee swelled up like a grapefruit, and my problems are still rooted from my ACL surgery 2 yrs ago. It seems that my hamstring and thigh muscles are still weak, and its those muscles that kinda keeps the kneecap moving smoothly in its place. My post acl reconstructive surgery PT was ok in the sense that I was able to get 100% of my range of motion back, I had to request additional PT sessions coz my left leg was so weak, and if you compare my leg side by side, it doesn't look like it's from the same person. Left leg looks like a chicken leg and the right looks like a sumo wrestler's leg since it was compensating all those times. So I went for the next batch of PT and I felt that it was working. Then I got pregnant, I was spotting and bleeding the first few weeks so I had to decide to stop the treatments. I got fat, I gave birth and here I am again trying to play the sport that I love so much. Now I truly believe that love is PAIN. AFter I started playing I started having problems with the right kneecap, then the left kneecap until the time it swelled up and I went to the specialist.

So coming to this tournament is very special for me. I would have a chance to play against players of different and most often than not higher level than me. And I did. Some of the games I felt like I was beating my head against a brick wall, and I never won any of my games. There must a world record out there that I can break right? NO win, flawless loser haha. Should I cry and tear my heart out? should I curse and break my racket while wailing and kneeling on the floor dramatically? I don't think so, although let me tell you, it's hard to put on a happy face and be optimistic when you don't win a match, your heart just feels like lead and most of the time feels like it's gonna crawl up my chest and choke me. But I still played. I played several games that I felt that I did pretty well, considering I was playing with kids half my age and have all their kneecaps and body functions, functioning well, and here I am 35 and still playing pretty competitively. I was the one walking around smelling like Bengay and chugging down Alleve pills before the games. I was joking that I have 2 lovers with me, Mr. Bengay and Mr. Alleve. I must have sounded like a drug pusher asking my teammates if they wanted painkillers, the non-narcotic kind.The had players from Canada, Olympians, from DC and several varsities of known universities like Cornell and MIT.

Looking at these people from all races and roots, all I can think of is, what is the underlying commonality among us..of course, the love of the sport. People who don't know of the sport, they imagine badminton as more of a backyard sport during lazy summer days barbecuing and hitting a few plastic birdies on the lawn. I think my surgeon swallowed a few snickers when he heard I injured myself playing badminton. But the truth is, it's a very fast game, the player should know how to move and from my experience very dangerous also. As a matter of fact, one lady from a mixed doubles game got hit squarely on the bridge of the nose by the birdie. My teammate smashed and it hit her right where the sensitive part of the nose is and would even make big boys wail for their mamas. A little off ways she could lose an eye and of course, I have seen that too, had to bring the guy to the emergency room since his eye was bleeding. If you are thinking that it's not supposed to hurt, let me tell you this, there is a hard cork holding those frail feathers together and if it's going @ 200mph, you either learn to duck or learn to better defend yourself. Coz when that shuttle hits you, it's gonna leave it's mark.

So why am I still happy. I lost all my games in this team tournament, we placed 7th out of 8 teams ,at least we beat out 1 team and my body is complaining loudly that I think my coach can hear me all the way from NY city. So again I ask myself the question, why am I still happy? Was it the excellent crabcakes and wine we had at Legal Seafood restaurant? Was it the company of people who share my love of the game? Was it the eat-all-you can sushi/sashimi and tempura? Maybe, that was a part of it. Good food, good beer, good company and good games. I am happy coz despite my age, despite my injuries, despite all my pain, I am still playing, and I am still planning on getting better, inspiring me to take more training and do better. I lost all my games, and it's a cliche,but in the end, it's kinda true. Winning isn't everything anyway :) Till the next Boston team tourny in '10 watch out kiddies.