Fortunately, I was traveling with my girlfriend, Carmen, who previously played competitive badminton in high school and now coaches recreational badminton to kids at a local community center in Richmond. With her help, we were able to demonstrate badminton and better able to interact with the kids at the school. Honestly, I also think it's great to have a female coach, and I'm sure the kids appreciated it too, so big thanks goes to her for helping me out.
I didn't know that it was primarily a First Nations school, so I wasn't too sure what to expect and I was a bit nervous about doing something that may be considered taboo, but in the end, I really think sport is a wonderful way to break down barriers and have everyone working together. It was great to see a high level of participation with everyone, and although not everyone wanted to do the activities we did (because footwork is always unpopular), we were able to make adjustments until we found something for everyone to enjoy. The day went by incredibly quickly and we were fortunate to get to try complementary "Indian Tacos" for lunch!
A big thank you for those who made this event possible, with Alex and Rick running things on the school side, all the students, teachers, and staff at the school, Badminton BC for helping getting things organized and providing extra equipment, and to Carmen, who came out to help coach. We owe it to her for helping me demonstrate how dynamic badminton can be to the kids! Until next time! - T.NG