Level B, A big Bukol and the Quietest Tournament

I joined what one could describe the quietest tournament yesterday at the Governor's Cup of Dasmarinas Village Makati. Sa sobrang tahimik pwede kang mag tapon ng karayom sa court at lahat ng tao magrereklamong maingay ka. hahaha. Our pasaway group, used to shouting and kulitans on court felt like aliens trapped in an unknown planet. We had to contain our fits of laughters and our usual banters on court was met with weird looks. Mark joked that it wasn't a badminton tournament but a bible study session. hahaha.

The weirdness did not end there. Karen and Macre who were supposed to play women's doubles was placed on mixed doubles D. The funny thing about that was that there was also a men's doubles pair on that level.I think they had a different definition of mixed doubles. hehehe. Talagang mixed. Mixed nuts! according to Macre.

To top it all off, I went home with a big bruise on my forehead and a swollen knee. Peter and I were placed in level B after being told we were gonna be in level D. The day before we were informed that we were being raised to level C. That sounded fine with us coz the level D would be no match. Unfortunately, level C somehow disappeared and we were placed in B where I nearly died on court. In the first game I got hit in the forehead bad (my ninja skills were not effective that time). For the first time in my badminton life I really got scared coz my itp could be triggered by such blunt force. I've always been careful about getting hit on court because technically I'm not even allowed to play contact sports. I did not let Peter see my fear that I just shrugged off the pain until the end of the game. Pero syet! masakit! It was painful beyond words and I could feel my head swelling up. I wanted to cry after the initial impact but I so wanted to be brave for partner's sake. I did not want him to worry about me on court. We had other things to worry about na. We lost that game in a heartbreaking 3 set thriller. Sayang.

We won the second game against a mother son tandem but I also twisted my knee in the second set. Still I hid the pain. I actually got so good at denying body pains that I did not feel anything at all until after. That was a good game. One of my memorable moments on court. In one play the guy smashed at me and by some miracle I was able to return it with a drop right in front of the girl who thought it wouldn't go in. The shuttle cock dropped exactly over the net. Winner! hahaha

The third game, we were overcome by formidable opponents. The girl was so good she even made her guy partner stay in front. I'm just not ready for level B play yet. Imagine from level 8 in powerade I actually jumped to level 2! Anak ng tokwa! di naman ako si super girl.. I felt bad for Peter too coz I wanted to win the games badly for him. He was so full of effort on court. One of our opponents even called him speedy gonzales on court. hahaha. Somehow we were just both off yesterday. Peter was coming off being sick and also it was tension I guess. We kept missing some really easy shots. Pero yung mga acrobatic shots we were able to make. I guess part of the weirdness of the place. Magtournament ka ba naman sa lugar na walang nagsasalita, ewan ko na lang. Len and Karen said that maybe its also because we don't want to disappoint each other so bad that we end up being so tense on court. When you're very good friends with someone, you want that person to be happy always so you try your hardest not to disappoint them. I think that holds true for me but I don't know for my partner. I wanted so much to do well, that I guess I end up overanalyzing all my moves on court.

The tourney did not end in total disaster naman. I learned so many lessons. But most of all I played some really good games. I finally know how it feels like playing in higher levels. Nakakaloka pala! I saw how I can improve my game more and I saw how much I've come ever since I started this badminton career of mine. I've gone a long way from my pathetic days of not being able to get the shuttle across the net. And that makes me proud.

Amidst my disappointment, a good friend of mine told me that if he could steal anything away from me, it would be my perseverance. I am touched beyond words. From one addictus to another that meant a lot. In the end it's never about the games you won but how well you played the game.

Still I would have wanted to win. It would have been nice for both my sake and partner's. But not all wishes come true right? So we learn to shrug off defeat, smile, and start anew.

Time to get back to practice again.