“Return to the Peak”
A micro memoir by Anish Dara (9).
Game over. My opponent reached the magic number of 21 with a thunderous serve, and just like that, our hard fought battle had come to a conclusion. Just then, our coach hustled over to provide feedback for the game. Congratulating my opponent, he dragged me aside to lash into me about my performance. “Do you have any idea how many times you’ve repeatedly missed the same shot, over and over again?” I could feel my face heat up with embarrassment, and tried to explain, but to no avail.
When I was 6, I attended a badminton camp to develop some skills. Largely due to my previous experience, I was able to compete with some of the best players in the whole class, leading my coach to pair me with the best player at the camp.
However, at that moment, all I could sense were the eyes of what appeared to be the entirety of the camp staring at me as the coach continued to chew me out. Rather than pause to consider the effect of his reactions, however, my coach continued to exhibit his visible despondency. I understood that my coach had been attempting to teach me for quite some time, but to see a look of discontent on his face made me consider discontinuing badminton. I lost all interest in continuing my passion. I felt desolate and hopeless, saddened by the fact that the only person apart from my relatives who had faith in my ability no longer considered me as a person worthy of his respect. I proceeded to falter in my next few matches, dragging my confidence lower and lower to the point where I was seriously contemplating quitting. My coach noticed, but rather than try to raise my spirits, he continued to get even more impatient.
“What are you doing?”
“I–”
“No excuses! Why are you playing so horribly? Do you need more laps to get it into your head?”
“I did not– I mean, I have not been able to return serves today.”
“Then go work on it, or I’m going to make you run for the next hour!”
And with that, my coach stormed away to berate another player. Looking back, my coach most likely was trying to light a spark under me. However, in the moment, I stood there, with no confidence and no clue of what to do. Just then, another player came up behind me and said, “Don’t let the coach get into your head. Just calm down for a little bit, and then try to concentrate on hitting the birdie with the center of your racket.” Taking her advice, I went to get a sip of water, making sure to clear my mind and take deep breaths along the way. In my refreshed and calm state, I went to play my next match. As I got ready to begin, I concentrated all of my energy into the game, and made sure to follow her advice. I went on to win the game, and continued to trounce my next few opponents in a similar manner.
At last, once my final match concluded, I made my way towards the door when I caught a glimpse of my coach smiling in my direction, pleased with my progress. As my parents arrived at the parking lot to pick me up, I walked out with my head held high and a huge smile on my face.