So Trinidad
nationals had passed and I was feeling pretty good about myself getting 2nd
place. I had also gotten past the injury in my right hip that was hampering me
and my training. Everything was getting back on track and I was planning to
attend the 2014 Peru International Challenge in Lima. Got signed up and
everything but then the main and qualifying report came out and because of my
world ranking wasn't high enough I was in the qualification round. I was only 3rd
in the qualification and needed 2 people to withdraw for me to make it in but
that was still a big risk so I got Trinidad to withdraw me from the tournament
as to not risk going down there and having to try and qualify.
Because of
that I needed to replace or try and replace all the points that I was going to
lose from New Zealand Grand Prix and Tahiti International Challenge from the
previous year as they were going to fall off. That was around 2850 world
ranking points because I made quarterfinals in Tahiti and that also meant that
my world ranking would drop a lot. So I had to find some tournaments to attend
and hopefully do relatively well in. Looking at the BWF calendar I saw that
there was 3 tournaments back to back in south America; Brazil, Argentina, and
Venezuela. I didn't want to take 3 weeks to go away as that would have cost a
lot and I was living in Vancouver at this time so 3 weeks away would have been
quite a bit. With that in mind I choose to attend both Argentina and Venezuela
internationals. They were International Series level tournaments but had a
decently strong entry with many players from Brazil and Peru playing along with
some of the top players in the Pan Am region in attendance and some European
representation.
So the June
10th came and it was time for me to fly down to Buenos Aries,
Argentina and then off to Tindal where the tournament would be taking place.
The funny thing is the same day that I was leaving the country was my
graduation convocation at the University of Calgary; something that I would be
missing but walking the stage was not of a primary concern to me. The flight
down to South America was quite the journey and I ended up having to spend the
night in Lima, Peru at a hostel then flying out to Buenos Aries in the morning.
Upon arrival in Argentina I was to be picked up and then we were to be driven
around 3 hours to a small town named Tandil where the tournament was taking
place. Upon clearing customs I walked out into the airport and what do I see
but a lot of other badminton players, players from Chile, Peru, and Mexico.
Among them were some of my friends and I was wondering why they were still
there only to find out they were waiting for the bus to come for hours. The bus
finally came only it wasn’t so much of a bus as it was a small van that only
had room for 6 people plus their luggage. Anybody who had to play qualification
the next day was priority to go on the transport. This means that I had to
wait; me and Lino from Mexico, 2 coaches, as well as one of the representatives
from Pan Am Badminton were forced to wait in the airport. I arrived at 5:05pm
and didn’t get onto the bus until after midnight, this time they sent us an
actual bus a huge one for just the 5 of us. We got on and I passed out the
drive took around 3 and a half house give or take. Finally around 4am on June
12th I arrived at the hotel and got into my room and passed out not
to wake up till noon the following day. Quite the experience travelling down to
Argentina for the tournament but this would only prove to be for foreshadowing
of things to come for this tournament and for this trip altogether.
Breathtaking sights flying across South America
Where I would spend 7 hours waiting
Me and Lino, found an outlet to use. Thankfully there was free WiFi
Got this whole bus to ourselves just the 5 of us
Waking up
the next day I realized that winter in South America wasn’t as tame or warm as
I thought it would be and as well I didn’t pack appropriate clothing for that.
Thankfully I brought some track jackets and a few long sleeve shirts so I would
be layering up while there for sure. There wasn’t any opportunity to hit in the
tournament venue before matches and the fact that it had been raining a ton for
the past few days would not be advantageous for the tournament. So the morning
of my match came, we all got into the bus and drove off to the venue while it
was pouring rain. We were able to hit on the courts to warm up and that’s when
it became apparent that this would not be pleasant. The courts were incredibly
slippery and very unsafe to play on. All the rain had left so much moisture in
the air that it would settle on the court and simply wiping the court did
absolutely nothing. They brought in industrial heaters/dryers to try and dry
the courts while sending us back to the hotel only to return later in the day
and see if the mats were dry and safe enough to play on. Upon returning in the
evening it was apparent that the tournament was in serious trouble as the mats
were still slippery and there was little hope. The tournament organizers said
that they would try and dry the mats more or find an alternative venue for the
tournament for matches the next day in order to avoid cancelling the tournament.
What a beautiful morning...like a scene right out of silent hill
Main tournament venue, nice place but courts were to slippery
So much rain...
Everyone forced to wait for the bus back to the hotel after delay of play
Industrial heaters and paper to try and dry the courts, did nothing
The next day
rolled around and at 6am we were ordered to get ready to depart for the new
venue (I was one of the 1st matches to be played so had to go super
early) we went to a new place which was simply not up to standards for where an
international tournament should be held. It was an old place but the hardwood
floors were not as slippery as the main venue. The downside it was 7am in the
morning and you could see your breath inside the venue, it was freezing cold.
So trying to warm up was a tough time. I played my match at 8am on taped out
courts shivering between points trying to be warm and struggling to see and
figure out the venue, its drafts, avoid lights, as there was no hitting just
the 2 minutes that you got for your warm up before the match. Then the sun came
out and there were wonderful windows which let the sun shine through and onto
the courts below. The whole thing just seemed like a disaster beyond belief and
I couldn't believe I traveled all this way and spent that money to play this
tournament. I lost first round to one of the seeded players and friend from
Mexico Lino.
6am in the morning at the new makeshift venue...
Tournament back underway in the new location...
So that was
the entire tournament for me, playing my match 8am in the morning when the
temperature was -1 degrees Celsius in the arena. I had a few more days in
Argentina before I would fly out to Venezuela for the tournament there. That
meant that I would do some sightseeing around the small town of Tandil. It was
pretty much a countryside town not terribly large but had lots of parks and
sights to see. One such sight was a peak with a lookout above the city that
provided an amazing view of the whole town from atop the mountain so that was
on my list to see. I waited until there was a relatively sunny day (mind you it
was still very cold) and headed up the hill to check out the view from Castillo
Morisco. It was amazing you could see the entire city and it was such a
fantastic sight. Likewise right across from my hotel was independence
square/plaza with a water fountain and giant statue with government buildings
and a church on the opposite side. The last attraction that I went to see was a
giant dam that was located a decent walk away on the outskirts of the town. The
weather cooperated for the most part the last few days of the trip but it was
still very cold in general and at night I would have the heater on in the room. On the
flip side the world cup of football was on while I was in south America so every
night there was a match all the players from the tournament would gather
downstairs and we would all watch the match that was being played. Or if I was
out eating dinner all the local restaurants would have the TVs tuned into the
world cup especially when Argentina was playing a match.
Watching World Cup football at the hotel
view from Castillo Morisco
view from Castillo Morisco
Castillo Morisco
Me up at Castillo Morisco
Independence Plaza at night, right across the street from my hotel
Overall the
tournament was a learning experience and I was happy to be leaving the country
soon and onto Venezuela where I would hope that the tournament would be
organized better (in reality it wouldn't be any better at all, it would be
worse). But first I had to leave the hotel and drive 3 hours back to Buenos
Aries in order to catch my flight. Mostly everyone left the day before but I
left a day later meaning that it was just 3 of us flying out so we had a
private car with a driver that reminded me of Jason Statham’s character from
the transporter movies. All went well with that and before you know it I was in
the air flying back to Peru to catch my connecting flight to Caracas,
Venezuela. The only hitch in the plan was that I would have about 12 hours
between my flight landing in Lima and then leaving so I would have to spend the
night in the airport. I ended up sleeping in the lounge as it was open 24
hours, it says that there is a 3 hour maximum stay in there but well I ended up
eating dinner, sleeping waking up and eating breakfast then went to catch my
flight. Onward to Caracas, Venezuela for the international there and something
that hasn't happened much traveling with other Trinidad players. There were 3
others who were attending the tournament as well with me which would be
fantastic.
Summer saw me play quite a few international
tournaments bringing the total for the year up to 5. For august and September though
I didn't play any just kept training hard and working on what I needed to. Then
October rolled around and that saw me entered into the Brazil international challenge
in Sao Paulo. I was pretty excited to head down south for the tournament as it was
a while since I went to south America. The trip was once again in the middle of
my school semester. This was however my last semester and I was in the process of
completing my final 4 classes all of which were senior level (1 300 level, 2 400
level, and 1 500 level) options. So once again I would be missing about a week of
school in the pursuit of badminton. So I booked my flights and told my professors
I'd be gone, they were all very understanding and wishing me the best of luck. Told
my group members that I would be gone those weeks and they said we would figure
things out which I felt bad about because the group would end up doing a little
more work in my absence.
The time came to head down to Brazil and that
morning it had yet to set in that I would be flying all the way down to South America.
The year had already been so eventful in terms of countries visited that to travel
again was and is just a normal part of life right now. I boarded the flight to Toronto
and finally when I got onto the plane in Toronto did I get my first tingle of excitement
that soon id be in another country after a 11 hour flight. Everything finally sunk
in when I arrived in Sao Paulo and was being driven from the airport to the hotel.
That same surreal feeling of just 15 hours ago I was in Calgary and now I'm on the
opposite side of the earth in the southern hemisphere. I and my friend Howard Shu
of the USA were sharing a hotel for the tournament. Another friend Sujay Karve of
USA was also there and staying at a hostel. There were many friends that I had playing
this tournament as well I made a lot of new ones too.
Our pad for the week
All the beds in Brazil are super small
So upon getting there me and Sujay went to the
tournament hall to get in some practice, Howard would be arriving the following
day. The hall wasn't bad, classic stadium look. This time though it was located
in a club called Club Athlético Paulistano which is the most expensive and exclusive
private club in Sao Paulo. The Glencoe club where I train in Calgary is nothing
compared to this place in Brazil. We got in a good hit and some singles games as
well as played some doubles with other players. That was the moment me and Sujay
said that if we attend tournaments together we will play doubles as a partnership
for more matches but also to see what we can do. The tournament didn't start for
another day so the following day went back to the hall to practice yet again this
time had some matches with players from chili and the Belgium seeded player. They
were all really nice and got in a good amount of practice that I felt good.
Tournament Hall
Matches underway
So the tournament day rolled around and started
with qualification, thankfully my world ranking was high enough that I didn't have
to qualify. Sujay on the other hand wasn't so lucky and had to qualify and unfortunately
lost his first match. My turn came and I had to play one of the junior players.
For some reason I was a little nervous during the match. I lost the first game 18-21
after being down a huge amount from making a lot of unforced errors early in the
game. But come the 2nd game I felt more comfortable and figured out how to play.
The score was still really close at me winning 23-21. Then came the third game and
that's where I just ran away with it. I had a big lead and he made a brief comeback
but I felt a lot better playing at that time and closed it out 21-18. I also had
the help of Matthew Forgety who coached me during the 2nd and part of the 3rd game
as well, he helped to calm me and to focus. So I had won my 1st round at the tournament
and with that came a nice set of world ranking points too. My next round wouldn't
be an easy one and consisted of the 1st seed Sattawat Pongnairat of the USA.
That
night we went exploring a little bit walking out to the main Avenue and browsing
around a mall there to see what they had. The location was nice and got to see some
cool things. There was a gigantic radio tower which was covered with lights and
could be seen miles away, luckily it was super close to where we were walking and
got to check it out along with some interesting graffiti that was painted on an
underpass.
This place was packed to eat at
Some of the tons of graffiti around the city
Some of the tons of graffiti around the city
Antenna tower lit up
It felt great to win a match at a tournament
again since the last one I had won was back in Tahiti. The next morning rolled around
and I played my match against Sattawat, which was a tough one. He was hands down
more powerful than me and more explosive, I fought hard and was able to keep up
and put him under pressure but couldn't finish the rallies so that was my ultimate
downfall. It was great to play him and overall I was happy with the experience,
he beat me 21-7, 21-7. So I had been knocked out if the tournament and had just
that day and the following day before flying back to Canada and school which I had
once again taken time off for.
After my match I went exploring and ventured
over to a large park in the city, it was a wonderful location with museums and lots
of flora/fauna around. Some monuments were present and the walk over was a nice
one although at times the weather was not looking the most pleasant it luckily didn't
rain on me while I was out. After exploring went to my favorite sandwich shop and
grabbed lunch. The street that our hotel was on consisted of the ritzy shopping
area which had all the expensive boutiques around so there was always people walking
the street shopping, not to mention a great amount of eye candy haha.
Awesome huge monument
Awesome Fountain
View of the city from the park
So that night
I and Sujay decided to go out for a night on the town because I left the following
day, and that's where the real adventure starts. We started by going down their
main Avenue and were looking for a bar or club to go out to and celebrate. We found
nothing there and we were about to give up then came across a Starbucks and decided
to go in and ask somebody if they knew a place. The barista there told us about
some places and one of the names of the club was "Gloria" that's the 1st
hint, turns out that was a gay club and we got the hell out of there as quick as
we could. Down the street from that was an actual club with great music and a fun
environment so we spent the night there partying with the locals. Made some friends
with the few girls that spoke a large amount of English and had a fun night overall.
We finished partying around 5am and made our way back to the hotel.
The actual club that we went to which was awesome
This was my final day in Sao Paulo and my flight
back to Canada and Calgary would depart at 7pm that night. So I got up around 10
and finished packing what little things needed to be, checked out and put my bags
in storage as my ride to the airport wasn't till 3pm. So I walked around and had
some lunch, did some shopping and then finally Sujay woke up (he was staying at
a different hotel) so we met up and grabbed a late lunch. Over lunch we talked about
another tournament for the year and started looking into planning for Macau Open
grand prix gold tournament in November. I got dropped off at the airport and then
had some time to kill in the lounge. My trip to Sao Paulo had come to an end and
I was satisfied with the experience winning a match then played 1st seed.
Heading home would be a long flight but an upgrade to executive class would make things more bearable. After the long ordeal I arrived back in Calgary and had to finish off some school work before returning to class Monday morning. Overall it was worth the trip down south and I can't wait to return to Brazil again in the future.
Panorama of the lake and the city in the background, beautiful place
The month of June saw me head out to Ottawa,
Canada for the 2013 Canadian international or also known as the Ottawa international.
It was held at Carlton university in the athletics center and overall wasn't a bad
location. I arrived into Ottawa very early in the morning 6am to be exact and collected
my bags then proceeded to make my way by bus to the university campus where I was
staying in the dorms. It was nice to be staying on the university camps and was
cheap too which is always a benefit for a broke athlete haha. The campus was nice and people were
pretty friendly, all the players were staying on campus more or less minus those
who lived in Ottawa. The campus Was pretty deserted but the tunnels had some cool paintings from the houses over years. That being said they were pretty sketchy at times and we dubbed them the "rape tunnels" because at 2am in the morning lets be honest it felt like that.
My dorm for the few days
"rape tunnels"
more tunnels
Awesome 8-bit characters, can you guess who's who
Hum...
This was going to be a super short trip with
me spending just 4 days in Ottawa including the day I landed and the day I left.
The 1st day upon arrival I had the whole day to kill and explore. Unfortunately
I was unable to get any practice in at the tournament venue due to there being only
3 courts. I did go to see if anybody would be willing to have a hit but it wasn't
my luck. For the rest of the first day I didn't do to much since I played early
the next morning. The next day come around and I had my singles match at 10am so
went to the cafeteria and had a nice breakfast. Walking into the gym it was pretty
empty and a 3 court set up, instantly I could notice that they air conditioning
hadn't been turned off meaning that there would be a draft in the venue. My match
was against a Canadian junior and it was tough I ended up loosing. After having
a great tournament in Tahiti making quarterfinals to lose 1st round at the same
grade tournament was disappointing to say the least. I was leading through the greater
majority if the 1st game but come the 2nd I wasn't able to adapt to the draft quick
enough and that cost me some points. So afterwards there was some publicity that
sparked things.
Tournament Hall
The player that I played was sponsored by a
company called Li-Ning and I'm sponsored by Yonex. The Li-Ning website posted about
all its players victories but that inevitably sparked some trouble with their choice
of words.
After playing my match I had just the rest of
that day, one full day and then half a day before I flew our of Ottawa and back
home. The bad part was the day that I left Calgary there had been heavy rain.and
the rivers that run through the city overflowed causing mass damage to any property
and surrounding businesses/areas. I was fortunate enough that my house was not located
anywhere near the flooded area, unfortunately some of my friends wernt so lucky.
The next day came and I decided that I would go and see as many sights as I could.
So I got up early and had a big breakfast preparing myself for a long day of walking.
I started out by catching a bus downtown and making my way to the most prominent
and famous building in Ottawa, the parliament building. It was Canada day long weekend
coming up so they were already setting up the stage and barriers for the festivities
which would happen. The historic buildings were fantastic though and I live architecture
both old and modern. That's one thing which made the walk along the Ottawa river
a beautiful stroll. So much so that I decided to come back later in the day for
a run. Do after walking along the river and checking out some museums I went back
into "downtown" to eat a late lunch. I found a really cool part of town
and a nice little swharmma store to eat at. The food was great and the people very
friendly not to mention that the atmosphere of the area was fantastic.
Parliament Building
Parliament Building
Alas I headed back to the university dorm and
rested for a little bit allowing lunch to digest. Later in the evening I headed
back downtown for a run by the river. That's where something funny happened. I was
running on the path at a decent pace when I saw a dude run past and he did a double
take. I assumed it was just cause of how quick I was running. Boy would I later
find out that wasn't the only reason. When I run outside in the summer I tend to
run shirtless cause of how hot it is and to usually try and even out whatever uneven
tan I've gotten from my travels. All I hear in the background is "hey you,
hey you fast guy slow down for a second" long story short he was gay and attracted
to me >.< I wish I could say this is the 1st time something like this has
happened but that's not the case. I've been hit on by my fair share of gay males.
Anyways I explained to him I was straight and said I was flattered that he wanted
to grab a drink later. He still persisted and said to come out anyways to enjoy
my time here and he would bring some girls with him. He joined me to do some stairs
and one if the ladies he was talking about also joined. We talked more and I was
considering going out later after she convinced me some more. They were around my
age and went to Carlton which wanna funny coincidence. So they picked me up from
the dorms that night and we went out on the town, met more of their friends and
overall had a great time.
Just like that my time in Ottawa had come to
and end and I needed to catch my flight back to Calgary and the state of panic which
was still happening in the city. It wasn't the best tournament considering I was
just coming off making quarterfinals in Tahiti, I was very disappointed with my
results there but not much I could do. Ottawa was and is a beautiful city right
on the river and the architecture of the parliamentary building as well as.other
buildings. It was summer when I was there and I fell in love with the outdoor scenery,
I'm sure that in winter it is just as beautiful...when it's not freezing outside
of course. Let's be honest Canadian winters can be hit or miss. Arriving back in
Calgary I'd return to training and prepare
for the upcoming tournaments; US open and Canada Open.
