Aug
27
2. Who is your badminton (or if you don’t have one, non-badminton) idol?
Mindy Lee is both! She’s killer on the court (I think she beat me 11-5 during freshmen year tryouts, back when games were played to 11 and probably long before the rest of the team was even born), and she’s an awesome roommate/mom/cook.
4. Most memorable badminton experience?
At Penn, the best badminton experiences all happened off the court – overtaking half the tables at Koreana, watching 2am movies in Huntsman, running around Philly, hearing stories about Bento boxes for the homeless… oh nostalgia! Outside of Penn, the badminton camp I went to this summer in China was really memorable as well. Over a month-long period of training five hours a day, six days a week, I made wonderful friends, received coaching from amazing coaches, played against (and often lost to) members of China’s #1 provincial team, and sweat like a pig (I didn’t even know pigs could sweat that much) in a/c-free gyms. Awesome indeed.
5. Most ingenious money-making scheme?
Buying and selling textbooks online. In college I often bought a number of books from really cheap sources, used them for a semester, and resold them in like-new condition for higher prices. I think I made over $1000 in profits. Actually, it wasn’t that ingenious… it just had really high returns for the minimal amount of work I put in.
7. Would you rather have a super smash or tremendous endurance?
A super smash (haha isn’t that a video game?) sounds enticing, but without endurance it would have only a limited effect. I don’t think it helps to have one strong smash and then be too tired to smash again. I’d prefer tremendous endurance.
9. What advice would you give to our new and returning players for the new season?
Unbeknownst to many, the “play” in Penn’s motto “Work hard, play hard” actually refers to badminton. So go to practice – it’s a nice way to let loose, even on a Friday evening when there may seem to be more attractive alternatives. And if you’re serious about getting better, discipline yourself to do drills instead of settling for games all the time. To the new players – sorry I won’t be there to cheer you on, but welcome to a fantastic community of amazing people and lifelong friends!
10. How do you think badminton in the UK will compare to here in the US?
I hear badminton is stronger across the pond. It certainly has a longer history over there. I’ll get back to you on this in a couple months. :)
13. If you can be any animal (ponies, dolphins, and unicorns excluded), what would you be?
A panda. They get an enormous, custom-made cake for their birthday (at least at the zoo – http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/gallery/Features/Birthday-Cake-for-Tai-Shan/2082/), and they’re loved by lots of people. (But why you gotta hate on the dolphins?)
14. If everyone here donated money to build new badminton courts at Penn, where on campus would you like the new courts to be built and why?
The field next to Rodin would be nice. It would shorten my 15-minute walk to Hutch (25 minutes post-practice) to a 2-minute one, which is especially attractive in the winter. The same goes for most upperclassmen. Also, since so many students live in the high rises, we’ll get greater visibility and more people will come check out the team. And by the way, “everyone here” should have special emphasis on Wharton/Engineering (*cough* Wall Street) people. College kids are poor because we’re out to save the world.
15. What’s your favorite badminton snack/food?
Bananas, apples, and granola bars = best tournament food, hands down. As for post-tournament celebration, nothing beats a scrumptious team dinner.
16. What happened to questions 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, and 12?
They were lame…
Author’s note: Question 16 was written and answered by Clara. Oh Clara…