Hey Guys, sorry for the lack of posts since the new year. I have
been super busy with college, training and coaching. I didn't have the time I
needed to put aside for the blog, but I am back now and hopefully can start
publishing more regularly again. For this post I am going to talk about where
I've been and what I have been doing for the past 3 months; in terms of my
badminton, coaching and my studies.
Over the Christmas period I was extremely busy with all my college
exams which went reasonably well (at the time I wasn't so sure) but I got
through them anyway and could focus on my badminton in the lead up to the Irish
Nationals. At the beginning of January, I played in the Leinster Open, winning
both the singles and the mixed doubles events. I was extremely happy with my
performances in both events due to the fact that the competition took place the
day after my exams finished and I hadn't felt like I had gotten the preparation
I would have liked.
Moving on from the Leinster Open, I then played in the Badminton
Premier League for my club the Mount Pleasant Mavericks on the 18th January. On
this occasion we played against the South Dublin Spartans whom we beat 5-4 in
what was a thrilling match for any spectator’s present. The premier league this
year has been enjoyable to play in this year as there are now 6 teams competing
to be crowned champions, adding to the competitiveness that was already there.
After the Premier League, I prepared myself for the upcoming
English Inter Counties trip, representing Leinster in the Premier division this
season. Having missed the first weekend due to injury I was determined to be
well prepared for this trip especially looking forward to the Irish Nationals
the following week. This weekend could not have gone better for the team. Going
into the weekend we were 10th (bottom of the table) and in the relegation zone
but after 3 emphatic wins we jumped up the table into 6th place. Over the
weekend we played teams from Surrey, Yorkshire and Avon. We beat Surrey 7-4 and
Yorkshire 6-5 before falling to a 6-5 defeat against Avon. Although we lost one
of the games, we still accumulated a massive 18 points which helped us jump up
the table. I played first singles and first mixed in all 3 of these matches and
came out successful in all 6. Helping my team to a third of their points on
this weekend, I couldn't have hoped for a better return to the team, getting
some all-important match play ahead of the Senior Nationals.
Before I knew it, February was upon us and it was National
Championships week. I had been anxious all week, trying to prepare in the best
way possible for this tournament as I knew I had one shot at putting in a
massive performance. When the draws were published, I was reasonably happy with
the task in hand. From then, all I needed to do was focus. The hard work had
been done, I put in the hours work, balancing my training with my college work
and on the day of the tournament all I needed to do was perform. The nerves
started to build up, as they do before any match for me, but on this occasion,
it was something different. A sort of anxiousness to get out on court and get
started. Only playing two disciplines this year (singles and mixed) I was able
to focus a lot more. My campaign started on Saturday the 2nd of February in the
Women's Singles against Alex Troy, an opponent I had played multiple times this
season already. I was adequately prepared and took this game in 2 sets in what
was not my best play, in my opinion but credit to Alex who played some good
badminton and forced me to work hard. With this win, it meant that I was
through to the Semi-final to play Sara Boyle, an opponent I had not faced since
junior level I believe. This was the game for me that I needed a lot of
preparation. The fact that I hadn't played her in a competitive match for such
a long period made it difficult, but I didn't let that affect my game at all. I
went out on court with a game plan that Sunday the 3rd of February, a little
nervous but once play started I got into a rhythm. I knew how I was going to
win that game I just needed to take it point by point as Sara is a tricky
opponent. I closed the first set out in convincing fashion 21-12, before taking
the second set 21-17 in what was a much nervier set. I had to dig deep and
fight hard against myself to get over the line. I did just that and set up a
repeat of last year’s final against defending champion Rachael Darragh. Picking
out a game plan was of vital importance here as usually this is something I
struggle sticking to. I didn't look too much into a match up with Darragh
because I didn't want to look too far ahead of myself and having never beaten
Rachael before I knew that this was going to be the toughest test. Going into
the match I knew I had prepared well but my overall aim was to put in a good
performance. My first goal was to take a set, something I have always struggled
to do against this opponent. But I think that having these mini goals I was
able to control myself and my play with more freedom. I started quite poorly,
going 5 or 6 points down before picking myself up to lead at the mid-game
interval. I knew that if I could stay calm and focused, I could keep getting
points on the board. Before I knew it, I had stormed to a 21-12 victory in the
first set. So many thoughts running through my head now I knew I just needed to
remain calm and focus on the task in hand. I started the second set in similar
fashion, going down by 5 or 6 points again before turning it around to lead
11-9 at the interval. At this stage, I needed to block everything out that was
going on around me, as the Men’s singles final was being played on the adjacent
court. However, I went back on court and continued to play my badminton and somehow,
I managed to come out on top winning the second set 21-15. After the final
rally, I dropped my racket in joy as I couldn't believe what had just happened.
I couldn't comprehend that I was the new Irish National Champion. It was just a
dream come true. I didn't even get time to let it sink in before I was brought
to doping control...
Following on from the National Championships, I turned my focus to
the U13 Celtic Challenge in Wales. This time going as coach to 12 under 13s, I
was excited for the new experience. The team played against teams from Alpha
(Ulster), Lothian (Scotland) and Wales in what was an enjoyable and successful
weekend for the young Leinster team. The team played out two wins 11-4 against
Alpha and 13-2 against Wales to set up a final match against Lothian on the
Sunday morning. The team followed on from their excellent form to beat Lothian
11-4 and take the Celtic Challenge Cup back to Leinster. I will now look forward
to coaching the U13s next season in our quest to retain the trophy.
Now I could turn my focus back to my badminton, where I prepared
myself for yet another Premier League Match night in February. This time the
Mount Pleasant Mavericks played against Dynamite 21 and stormed to a 9-0
victory, jumping to top of the Premier league table. Now with one match left to
play against the Pembroke Panthers, we are in pole position for qualifying for
the final. A win against the Panthers should secure the Mavericks a spot in the
final, which would be the first time for the club.
Moving on into March, I turned my focus to the next ICC weekend
with the Leinster senior team as we prepared for the final weekend aiming to
retain our spot in the Premier division for the 2019/20 season. The team played
brilliantly over the course of the weekend, picking up a 6-5 win over Glasgow
and a 7-4 win over Sussex before falling at the feet of a strong Buckinghamshire
team 8-3. Not a bad weekend work from the team, finishing in 6th
place, keeping our spot in premier for the next season. I won 50% of my games
over the weekend, not a bad return having been sick and on antibiotics. Throughout
the course of the month I had national squads as well as U13 squads to coach
and during all that I found out that I had been selected to represent Ireland
in the Sudirman Cup which will take place in China in May. I couldn’t have been
happier with this selection following on from what seemed to be a good season
for me.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like, comment and share!
More posts to come!
Kate
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