I coach badminton twice a week to an age demographic of young children to teens. And after a few years, I begin to understand why some teachers favor some students over others. It’s not a matter of “teacher’s pet.” What makes some kids over others is the personality and fortitude with which they choose to approach the task at hand. As many know, “how you do anything is how you do everything.”
Little Dhanya, appearing five-or-so years of age, was crying. Not attention seeking, as I have witnessed from young dancers at another camp I attended this summer: she didn’t even audibly sniffle. Her parents and relatives stood close by in support. I approached her guardians and asked if she would be okay. “Yes, she was expecting to just hit the bird, not all this training…” they explained.
I made sure to watch her closely and provide guidance.
A goddamn 15+ years younger than me and mature beyond her years.
She was able to cry and play badminton at the same time: every time I checked if she was okay, there was tear-fall but also incredible persistence.
In short, she captured the skill of being able to sit with that contradiction and hypocrisy between feeling and doing.
Sure, I have the assistance of medicine now, but that very skill is something I do my best to insinuate into as a daily functioning adult.
My favorite student yet. The heart of a champion.