‘I LIKE COMPETING – I FEEL LIKE IT’S IN MY BLOOD’ BALAC BADMINTON TEAM ROARING TO GO UP AGAINST COMP

Here we go! Our penultimate coverage on BALAC sports teams, we welcome our badminton team this time out. Mixed with experienced professional athletes and ambitious rookies, this year's badminton team will undeniably be looking to compete for that number one spot! But first, let us have a look at our team members.

Here are our athletes:

Men’s Double

• Royint Dylan Green (Dylan – BALAC14)

• Panjapat Buri (Games – BALAC14)

Women’s Double

• Patthanunn Chanpaiboonrat (Vivy – BALAC14)

• Siriyakorn Samnianglam (Pearl – BALAC14)

• Yayee Kitsomsub (Yayee – BALAC14)

• Panisara Sathirasuit (Bell – BALAC13)

• Rasita Ngamwong (Smile – BALAC14)

• Phimvipha Huang (Phim – BALAC14)

Mixed Double

• Thawanrat Choosong (Opal – BALAC14)

• Panjapat Buri (Games – BALAC14)

• Poonyaporn Bumrungpol (Bell – BALAC13)

We are fortunate enough to hear from one of our athletes, Yayee from BALAC14!

Tell us about your experience, how long have you been playing badminton?

‘I started playing badminton for fun when I was 5 with my driver and maid in my backyard at home. I started training for the school team seriously at around 11.’

How do you keep yourself so active during these unprecedented times?

I mean, not only did you sign up for badminton but also volleyball. Surely that is going to require you a lot of your energy.

‘For me, it’s not that tiring because playing sports and being productive are things that I like to do. I like to keep myself busy therefore, I try to play sports for at least 4-6 hours of exercise a week. It can be very difficult at times when there are social restrictions. However, when I do get the chance to go out and play, I enjoy it to the fullest.’

How is the chemistry between you and your double partner?

‘I would say that we definitely have good chemistry as we’ve known each other since our childhood. Our experiences in sports also grew alongside one another as she is also a school athlete like myself.’

What is the key for you and your partner do you think will help win matches?

‘Firstly, we are equally enthusiastic about what we do. Therefore, it enhances our determination and capabilities as athletes. Secondly, we have effective communication skills which help us work together well without any problems. Lastly, we both support one another with positive energy when playing sports. I know that I can count on her to cheer me up when I’m down.’

Would you consider yourself a competitive individual?

‘Yes, I would. I like competing. I feel like it’s in my blood’

Some of us were there during the try-out session and noticed that you had a smile on your face all throughout the session, that to me, means that badminton is really close to your heart, wouldn’t you say so?

‘Yeah, I would say so just because badminton is my stress-relieving outlet. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed with or whatever is going on, sports, in general, help me kind of take that pressure off or distract me from all of my duties. I feel like without badminton or sports, I would be in a much worse place, both mentally and physically.’

That is very nice to hear. Thank you for your time and good luck!

‘Thank You’

That will be it for our fifth but not final coverage on Intergames. With that said, many thanks to Yayee for her insights into our badminton team. Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming article. Can you guess the final sport BALAC will be competing in?

For any further inquiries, contact us through email at balac14stuco@gmail.com and for more news, follow us on Instagram (@balac.fm)

Noppasin Yafa, Sin, is one of the pretending-to-be-journalists covering BALAC’s athletes’ progression throughout Intergames, He likes to sleep late; his eyes are ever so tiring with hair looking messy as ever. He is not confident but he is a good listener, At least that’s what he thinks of himself.