CROSS ROAD

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter which road you take.”
Lewis Carroll

The thought has crossed my mind before - fleetingly at first but gradually it became more pressing - like a child constantly tugging at my hem. I’m sure many parents must have gone through similar thoughts before... and it is often more weighty than what we think.

MBA has played a stellar role in grass roots development over many years now. It boast the biggest trainee pool unsurpassed by others. The passion of the Indonesian coaches manifest in their training frenzy on court have been irrefutable. Having said that, players planning to move on to a higher level will be but threading on new ground here.

The fact that MBA is not an associate member of BAM and not affiliated to any state badminton associations for that matter has consigned it to just a developmental academy – like many other private clubs and academies. Not that it is not a good place to train badminton but it does not have that pedigree yet to support budding shuttlers who aspires to play for state and beyond.

To improve the future prospect of the boys in badminton, we would have to ride on the right ship with compass and sail. That was the reason why I have been mulling over the decision to involve them with an establishment that has the DNA to prepare them for the annual National Junior Circuit. The analogy here is, "....to run as fast as the gazelle, they must be in the herd of gazelles..". It may sound a little over blown at the moment but at the very least, we know what road to take.

We are in an awkward situation right now due to the sensitivity of the transition. My only sincere hope is for the coaches to understand that it is all about the boys and we should not restrict the boys’ growth by denying them the opportunity to explore other options. We should not strike fear and guilt into them as they learn to embrace change. After all, don’t we all want the best for them?