Living in Richmond

So at the beginning of 2014, March 1^st to be exact, I moved to Richmond, Vancouver to pursue my badminton career and dream. I knew the owner of clear 1 badminton center, Darryl Yung, because he opened a clear 1 in Calgary and I had been coaching there for almost 2 years at that point so he was my boss. He also being a former player and Olympian fully supported me in my decision to pack up and move out to Richmond to train under him at his club there. He was such an amazing help through the whole process and him and his wife allowed me to live at their house with the other players as well. The move started when me and my parents loaded up our van and started the drive out, this being the first of March that meant that there was already lots of snow on the ground and driving through the mountains to get there would prove to be quite the journey of its own. It took us 2 days to get there because of having to stop for the night being unable to drive through the snow conditions, we were also delayed due to an avalanche that covered the road and took about 2 hours to clear for traffic to pass.

Finally we arrived into Richmond the 2^nd day after leaving Calgary and made our way to Darryl’s place. It was late and night when we finished unpacking everything and my parents headed back to their hotel for the night as they were going to do their own thing the next day and head back home. First things first Darryl’s house was huge as well there was 4 other players/people living there along with me. I had a room at the top of the stairs, Jiwoo, a guy from Korea, was directly in front of me. Toby Ng was boarding my room from the back and Derrick Ng was across the hall. Terrence was downstairs in the suite. Along with all of us in the house there was also 3 dogs who would do their thing and let me tell you they were awesome. I really miss seeing those dogs in the morning when I went to eat breakfast and their faces when I would come home after a long day of training.

Toffee, she was my favorite 

Brandy, I didn't spend much time with her =/

Hero, He was super cool but felt he was always using me for attention/rubs

The room was pretty bare but I would settle into it just fine with a bed, dresser, and TV/stand. So just like that it was off to training and I played a local tournament that very weekend, getting 3^rd place in men’s singles only losing to a good friend and former training partner who had himself made the move out to Richmond a year earlier. So it was getting to the middle of march and I had Trinidad nationals the end of April that meant that all my focus and time would be spent training towards that as I wanted to medal and do well so that I could get selected to participate in the commonwealth and CAC games, events that only happen once every 4 years. The time came I flew off and got 2^nd in Trinidad (there is a whole blog entry about that) and when I came back there was only so much time till I would jet off again to Argentina and Venezuela (separate blog posts available on that). After that was Canada Open and US Open which I competed in. so overall out of the 6 months that I lived in Richmond for (May 2^nd August 31^st) I was actually away for 6 weeks total for tournaments and as well for visits to Calgary to visit my parents after returning from tournaments.

Got the pad all set up

Yay closet space

Enough about the training and tournaments though this should be about the experience that was Vancouver and how I enjoyed it there. So first and foremost I met a lot of people that became great friends, training partners, and mentors. It was sad to leave them all behind and have to say goodbye. Not only for the badminton friends that I had but also the other people that I met there too, from friends who were originally out there that I met up with to the new ones that I made and explored the city with. That is the only thing that I didn't do enough of while in Richmond/Vancouver I didn't explore enough and that was simply because of my schedule. I had so many tournaments coming up that all my time was spent training for them and when I wasn't training I was coaching. I did make it out to the science center (yes I am a huge nerd) as well as found my way to Lynn Canyon to see the waterfalls and suspension bridge. Those were some great outings, being in nature is always a fantastic time which I enjoy, as well anytime I can learn and be around science I am having a blast.

Nerding out at the science center

I'm on a rock...not a boat but close enough

Suspension bridge, not as long as it looks

Some waterfalls

One of my friends goes to school out in Victoria and needed some players to come over for an exhibition so he asked me and some other people; I was the only one from Richmond/Vancouver able to make it though. So I would end up having a day trip out to Victoria Island which was great to see. I took the ferry over and it wasn't too long of a trip, going I spent a lot of time upstairs on the top of the ship but coming back was night so I stayed inside. The view/trip was beautiful as well the island was a nice quaint little place. The university over there didn't seem like your typical university campus as it was quite spread out and low key in places but nice none the less. We did the exhibition and honored the players at the university who received a medal at the university badminton national championships and then I was on my way. It was a great little escape for the day out to the island. 

Now Ill be on a boat =p

Aside from those excursions I spend some time down in Stanley Park and on the seawall, in downtown proper, and of course a lot of time in Richmond. I would train at Clear 1 but sometimes would go to the Richmond Olympic Oval to work out when I needed more than the weights available at Clear 1. In August however I was given the opportunity to be the head coach of the Richmond Oval summer camps for badminton which was something similar to what I had done before in Calgary at the Talisman center camps. So naturally I was looking forward to it and it was a blast to work with the kids as well as the assistant staff and the rest of the summer camp supervisors to make it a fun and memorable experience for all those who participated. Other than that there wasn't much else that I did, had some memorable all you can eat sushi outings after training with the other players from practice as well as some other food eats too which made for a nice bonding experience with the players. The majority of the players that I trained with played international tournaments so this helped me get to know them even better for when I see them on tour.

Alas all good things must come to an end and it was my time to leave Richmond a mere 6 months after I had come there. Two other Alberta players would be coming out to train and go to university as they had just finished high school so it was time for me to head back home and return to my routine. I was sad to go but I knew that it was what was best, I learned a lot training out there and am happy for the opportunity that I had to train with the players and coaches. Upon returning to Calgary I would continue to train at the Glencoe club while working for Badminton Alberta and Clear 1. My parents drove out the end of August and on August 31^st we began the drive back having to overnight just once and made it home September 1^st. the drive back was a lot easier because it was technically still summer so the road conditions we substantially better than driving in the dead of winter. I was happy to be home, have my own room back and be able to see all my friends again. Part of me will always be long and live in Richmond though, I have had and continue to have many homes around the world. 

2013 Canada Open Grand Prix

Following the US Open we flew over to Vancouver, Canada for the 2013 Canada Open, this would be my 3rd Canada Open as I skipped one year for a reason I cannot remember. But this time with the company of my fellow Trinidad player it would be the biggest contingency of Trinidad players.in.the tournament yet...at 2. Since we would be in Vancouver for a while we decided to rent a condo and share with some friends from Edmonton that were coming.down for the tournament as well. We would arrive 2 days before the rest of them so have us some time to settle in.

Upon arrival to Vancouver we made our way over to the condo.which was quite the walk with luggage and badminton bags in the hot sun. Being in Richmond we got.our fair share of looks from people. The condo was pretty big, 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. It would be housing 5 of us in total most of the time (7 for 1 night and 6 for the last night). The only downside was that it was quite the walking.distance into Richmond proper and to the Olympic oval where the tournament was being held. At least it was warm and didn't rain while we were there.

Own bed/room, not to shabby

So the 1st task upon arrival was to get some food and stuff from the supermarket so we could cook meals at the condo. Upon completion of that we had a little bit of time to kill before heading out that night to have a hit with some of my friends from Richmond. That made for some decent warm up practice and.getting use to how the shuttles fly in Vancouver as it's different than where I train in Calgary. So we did that and played with my friends group at one of the local clubs. The Olympic oval wouldn't be set up for the tournament for another 2 days so we were unable to practice there. The night wasn't bad, met some new people and got some good practice in. Then came the long walk back to the condo. It wasn't terrible and if you walked decently fast would only take 15-20 minutes. The next day came and we once again had the condo all to ourselves. The day consisted of.more of the same a little exploring but then practice that night again. The following day the other 3 people would arrive and the condo would be packed.

Richmond Olympic Oval

The next day came and the others arrived, that night we went down to the oval and we're able to get some practice on the courts as they were just setting them up at that time. There was still another day until the tournament was to start. So the following day we got to practice two times, once in the morning and then again that night. The night session team Japan was there practicing and had almost all the courts but they were kind enough to let us use one. The tournament day had rolled around and in the morning it started with qualification events. I was fortunate enough to not have to qualify for this tournament and was in the main draw for singles, doubles and mixed matches. My partner from Trinidad wasn't as lucky and had to qualify for his singles. He played one of the guys from my friends group and was unable to win so was knocked out of the singles events.

Practice Session

The evening came and 1st round main draw matches rolled around. I was playing Toby Ng of Canada in the singles and it wasn't pretty or as close as my match the week before at US Open. I was able to put some pressure on him and run him around but all in all just unable to keep the pressure and win the points. Toby is a fantastic player who while primarily a mixed specialist can adapt to the other games very well. It was a good experience as always, but just kept showing me that I am not up to those players level. Doubles saw me play Toby again and his partner Jacky Ruan who came to Canada from China. That match can only be summed up by the statement "complete gong show". I am by no means a doubles player. Provincially in Alberta I can hold my own and make semifinals in doubles but come internationally that is a completely different story. Mixed.was more of the same and saw me play yet another Canadian pair making all 3 matches I played against Canadian players.

So the tournament had come to an end, another disappointing performance, coming so close at US Open and then shitting the bed to put it eloquently at Canada Open. I was still sticking around for another 4 days to spend with friends and enjoy a little vacation. All this while attending 2 summer courses which I had papers and a presentation to do. So upon the end of my matches I had to start and finish a paper for a 500 level class I was taking as well as write another paper for a 300 level class. Little to say I procrastinated and did them both the day before they were due, emailing them in just before the deadline. Once those were done I could enjoy the rest of my trip relatively stress free.

I have been to Vancouver many times before so have explored a lot of stuff. One of my.favorite places is Stanley park and.the sea walk where it's just peaceful and nice. I ended up heading into downtown Vancouver to meet up and catch up with one of my best friends who I've known since elementary school. Iris and me walked about and had some dessert (yes I do eat junk food). Did a little bit of shopping and then went our separate ways. That night just as with every other night I ended up going to play badminton with my friends who I don't get to see otherwise. So the tournament itself was coming to an end and there was a huge group of players going out clubbing. My roommate invited me to go but last minute I canceled on them because I didn't feel like going out to party I wanted to spend time with my friends and play some badminton. I had already partied a lot for the summer and just wasn't in the mood. To say the least she was super pissed and I had 1 more day there she didn't speak to me at all for canceling on her. To this day (over 6 months later as I'm writing this) she hasn't spoken to me because of that.

"Free Willy" the 1st thing that comes to mind

Such a peaceful and beautiful place to walk/run

Yum dessert with Iris

Olympic Monument 

My time in Vancouver had come to an end and the summer tour had finished. All in all it was a great experience with some close matches and lessons learned on court. I would return to training soon and do what I could to improve the weak areas of my game. Then would start planning out the end of the year tournaments that I wanted to attend. Flying home felt nice, I was gone for 2 and a half weeks at that point. The day after I arrived home though I would step back into summer classes. So my summer was am eventful one, playing 3 tournaments (be them relatively local) as well as taking a full spring.and summer course load because I wanted to graduate by the end of 2013. All that I had left for courses was 10 options since I did all my core requirements. At this point I was right on track and.would finish off the year taking a block week course and then my final 3 classes during the fall semester to finish off my degree requirements by December. *spoiler* I did it and graduated with my degrees.