Everybody’s game

There is this notion going around that the game of badminton was invented by frustrated tennis players–people who couldn’t lob and volley, whose serves were so weak they rarely made it over the net.

"They couldn’t hit the darn ball properly even after years of practice, so they finally gave up and made this sissy sport where virtually anyone can play with just a few practice swings. It’s that pathetic," opines one such theorist, a varsity swimming coach, with obvious condes-cension.

But his tribe is decreasing. More and more, Filipinos are discovering–and enjoying–the game previously associated with housemaids who whipped out their plastic rackets and shuttlecocks whenever the amo was away.

So when the jvc–the electronics company–renewed its plans last year to promote the sport in the Philippines by staging the company’s popular Open Badminton Championships, it opened the eyes and minds of people who once thought of it as just another silly pasttime unworthy of being called a sport.

"Its popularity has been on the rise for more than two years now and it still hasn’t reached the peak. The game is as trendy as ever. After the public saw it live and knew what it really is about, many of them wanted to play it," says Butch Oreta, head coach of the Philippine badminton team during practice at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila. "Young and old alike, boys and girls, all saw that it was a fun game, unlike before when they associated it with what they see in Luneta or in the backyard."

It also helps that movie stars like Richard Gomez, Tonton Gutierrez, Rachel Lobangco, Glydel Mercado and others have gotten involved with the game, stretching its popularity. Today, there are more than 40 badminton centers and about 400 courts in Metro Manila alone. And Oreta says this is only just the beginning.

"When our macho celebrities started to play it, people realized it wasn’t a sissy game at all. And when you take a closer look, you’ll see that it takes talent and a lot of self-discipline to be competitive," he explains.

Kennevic Asuncion and his sister Kennie, two of the country’s top badminton players, believe that it is the Filipinos’ love for exercise and entertaining activities that feeds the sport’s popularity.

And Kennevic, who is ranked in the local top three along with Arolas Amahit Jr. and Ian Piencenaves, reveals that one has to be in "tiptop shape" just to move around the court.

"It is popular because people simply enjoy playing. And also because Asians–particularly Koreans–are the ones who dominate this game. Kaya natutuwa tayo laruin ito. Pag naglalaro ka, ang bilis mo pawisan and Filipinos I think are very health conscious, di ba? So they enjoy it and they feel it sheds off a few unwanted pounds as well," Kennevic says.

Badminton is touted as the world’s second most popular sport, next to football or soccer. Over a billion people were said to have watched its Olympic debut on TV in the early 70s, and the game is still growing by leaps and bounds. But was it really invented by frustrated tennis players? Hardly.

The exact origins of badminton remain unclear, since several ancient games bear some resemblance to the sport. It was brought to England in 1870 by the Duke of Beaufort, who introduced the game at his country estate in Badminton, Gloucestershire. And not having thought of a name for the game, it was widely referred to as "that Badminton game". The reference was never changed and it soon became the accepted title.

"What’s great about this is that anybody can play it, and there are very little requirements. If you can move swiftly and have good hand-to-eye coordination, all you need is a racket and a shuttlecock and you’re ready to go. It’s pretty simple," Oreta says. "Of course it takes more than that if you want to compete at a higher level. Hard work is the key and you must be really dedicated to the game."

Commitment is what catapulted the Asuncion siblings to the top rungs of the sport. Earlier this year, brother and sister were ranked first in the men’s and women’s singles. Kennevic was followed by Amahit and Kennie by Paula Obañana, said to be one of the "prettiest" and "shyest" players on the team. Obañana curiously peeked in on the interview but begged off when asked to join in and pose for some publicity pictures.

Coach Oreta says that the players of the Philippine badminton team are very focused on their goals and everyone has "a good attitude" towards winning. He adds that they are "heavily gearing up" for upcoming local and international events, which is why it was so important for the players not to miss practice.

"Nobody in our team is doing this just for the fame and glory. God knows we would have thought of a different sport if all we wanted was that. Yes, of course we want to win and to raise the level of our games, but basically we do this because we love it. And everything will follow after that," Oreta smiles as he oversees the practice drill of the team. "It’s also nice to know that you have people totally dedicated to the sport, like these two Asuncions who were able to promote our country in badminton internationally. Nadala nila yung Pilipinas. I think they’re ranked 37 in the world right now."

"We’ve won a lot of local tourna-ments. And we also had many decent finishes abroad. I really think that there already is respect for our Filipino players. The interna-tional players are starting to recognize us," Kennie says proudly.

The brother and sister tandem have worked hard for their spot at the top of an ever-growing heap of enthusiastic players. "My sister and I have been playing for ten years, and this is going to be our career jobs, pretty much. And we are more focused and concentrated on the sport more than ever kasi we graduated from school na," Kennevic says. "Some people might think it comes so easy to us and napakadali lang kasi we’re already in this kind of position. I guess hindi nila nakikita yung pinaghirapan namin dati. It was really trying."

Kennie nods in agreement and adds that while the Philippines has yet to produce "first-class" badminton performers, we are certainly on the way up. To date the legendary Nena Lim was the sole Filipina who made the trip to the Olympics. But with this renewed interest in the sport, people are expecting us to be as competitive as the Koreans.

"To be honest, we still have a long way to go in terms of competion. But we’re starting to give everyone a run for their money–even in international competitions. And to think that it’s only been a trendy sport in the last two years, we’re not doing bad at all," says Arolas Amahit, Jr., a hard-smasher who has found considerable success with partner Ian Piencenaves–who won this year’s JVC Cup– in the singles and doubles format.

While badminton isn’t yet as popular here compared to Indonesia, Singapore or the UK, the number of players has increased by at least a hundred percent in the last five years. And it is unarguably the fastest growing sport in the country today. The Yonex company, which supplies the local badminton team with rackets, offers attractive membership deals to the public at their club in Mandaluyong slated to open this December. The dome-shaped arena, specifically designed and built for the sport, will include top-quality amenities and world-class courts.

"Malakas talaga ang demand ngayon sa sport na ito. As I’m talking right now, there are already dozens of badminton centers being conceived. Kaya expect na hindi lang magiging very very popular ito, magkakaroon din tayo ng marami pang quality badminton players for international competition," Oreta says. "We have some very good players on the team so the rest of the world better watch out. Magaganda ang mga training programs natin ngayon and we certainly have the goods to excel in this sport–just like boxing. We’ll just need a little more time."

While the swimming coach still sniffs at the game, it probably won’t be long before even he too joins the legions of Filipinos playing the game in membership clubs, fancy courts, and yes, even in makeshift courts in plazas, parks and sidewalks.