Saskatchewan Junior Elite

  I just got back from Sask Jr Elite. It was a lot of fun and quite the eye opener for me. It was also HUGE experience for me.
 This was only my second time traveling far away for a tournament so air travel to the host city is still a novelty to me :)
 I started with my singles, which in all respects was the joke of my tournament. I did what I could, and did have a bit of trouble with getting used to the venue, but in the end, I was the lesser player. I just did not have a good performance.
 Everything lit up with my doubles and mixed though. I played with my doubles partner, Aaron Lee, also of ClearOne badminton center. I also had the wonderful opportunity to play with U16 National Champion Rachel Honderich of Ontario. I honestly think that mixed is easiest for me to play right now since I am extremely comfortable playing the back court, while I sometimes hesitate in the front regions. So when I have a completely reliable partner like Rachel, I feel like I am constantly performing better than normal. She was so good at the net, even totaling about 7 net rolls in our games! We had a good first match against some local players, winning 21-10, and 21-7. We then were set to play the top seeds and eventual champions of the tournament in our quarter final match. The first three points of our match against them are by far the greatest rallies I have ever played in my whole life. I have been replaying those three points in my head ever since the tournament ended. We went up 3-0, then kind of just went with the flow. They were so strong, and the girl in their pair had this ridiculous spidey-sense-like ability that just told her where to put her racquet for the cut off. I swear she obliterated me there about 10 - 15 times in total. I should have asked her to teach me after the match! I did my absolute best, but they came out on top winning 21-16, and 21-11.
 Same type of story for the Men's doubles. Aaron and I had an solid game against a local pair, winning 21-12, and 21-10. And again for me, my next match would be against the top seeded, eventual winners of the tournament, in the quarter final. We had a pretty decent match against them though, didn't really give them too much to prey on, or too many easy points. However we lost 21-19, and 21-16.
   Those of you that know me personally probably know that I have been struggling with deciding which events I will specialize in. I have thought a lot about this the past few months, and I have finally decided to pursue doubles and mixed. This is not because they are perceived to be easier than singles. This is not because I am lazy. This is because win or lose, singles has become a depressing mind game I play more with myself than anyone else. When I play singles, I can't stop thinking about how pathetic the style I play is. Some players have this natural running singles strategy where they are not afraid to rally for long periods of time. I however have always rushed my attack and tried to play more "Doubles Singles." Where I just constantly attack extremely. It has been this way since day one, and I feel I have maxed out the possibilities that this style has given me so far. I know that if I decided to play and train singles more than doubles, I may be able to fix this.
 But in short, I guess it's just I love mixed and doubles, and I only "like" singles.