Seit Jahren organisieren sie unter anderem erfolgreich «Shuttle Time»-Events, nun stehen sie sogar im Fokus beim Weltverband. Priska Roth und Thomas Richard, die engagierten Badmintonmacher und Juniorenförderer mit Stammbasis im BC Uni Bern, wurden innert kurzer Zeit von der BWF zu ihren Erfahrungen mit dem Schülerförderungsprogramm befragt.
Humans of Shuttle Time: Priska Roth
Shuttle Time Tutor, Swiss Badminton
First Experience
When I was about 10 years old, at a badminton training session that my neighbour's family took me to. Small children, young people, and older men and women were playing together. That impressed me.
A Family Affair
It quickly became a passion and I even met my husband while playing badminton. We started playing mixed doubles over 25 years ago. Today we have a family with three boys who also love playing badminton. So the sport went from being an intense hobby to a big part of my live - even my profession. I teach badminton at the University of Berne and educate students to become Shuttle Time teachers.
Memorable Moments
At a school tournament we were allowed to play against our teachers. I had to play against my best friend in the final. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I have never forgotten and that I sometimes see in my students today. The history teacher spoke to me afterwards at school that she had met me in a completely different way with my dedication and enthusiasm for the game.
Of course, I remember other tournaments as well. The World Championships in Lausanne in 1995, Copenhagen in 1999 and Paris in 2010, Deaf Olympics in Rome in 2001, the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the 2019 World Championships in Basel, where the World Para badminton Championships were held at the same time, and this year's FISU Games in Chengdu with the countless volunteers stand out.
What Badminton Means
Badminton plays a big part in my life. I’m active as a student’s teacher, junior coach, mother of three badminton addicted boys, and play a bit myself. I’m responsible for our juniors at our local badminton club, which offers more than 10 training sessions per week. This means I do all the administration and organisation and pass a lot of weekends at tournaments with the juniors.
Women and men can play together as equals in the same competition. From kids and beginners to advanced and even pro players, men and women always play and train together, which is for me the most unique part of badminton.
Developing Badminton in the Community
Six years ago we started building a children's badminton section in Bern. Shuttle Time is an important element in this. Together with Swiss Badminton, we have created our own, Switzerland-specific Shuttle Time tournament format (“It's Shuttle Time!"), with which we can inspire new children to the sport. Recently we created a special girls’ event (“Supergirls play Badminton”), with which we can now increasingly attract girls as well. But the infrastructure is crucial. We currently have about 80 children and a long waiting list. If we had more indoor training times available, we could move and inspire many more children. There is not a single badminton hall in the capital of Switzerland, although the sport is perfect for promoting health. There is still a lot of work to be done here.
Impact of Shuttle Time
Thanks to the University of Bern we have well-trained sports students who can offer badminton training for children to support existing coaches. Students can obtain a "Shuttle Time Teacher Certificate" as part of their studies. By leading children's badminton training sessions, they gain valuable experience for their future career.
Lessons From Shuttle Time
Shuttle Time taught me that kids need to have fun as the top priority. If they enjoy what they are doing, they forget the effort they need to put in. Our tournament format also showed me that you can attract kids with competition if you add funny games which includes some kind of luck to the regular badminton game.
Humans of Shuttle Time: Thomas Richard
Shuttle Time Trainer, Swiss Badminton
I grew up in the city of Lucerne and used to play several sports, mostly outside with my friends. In winter we went skiing and ice-skating, while in summer I liked to swim in the lake. I also used to watch a lot of sports on TV. Unfortunately, badminton was never on TV.
Tryst with Badminton
Thanks to holiday sports offers, I attended a course in badminton when I was about 12. I used to be a mediocre player and became a better player years later. I liked the dynamics of the game and the required skill right away. Only later did I notice the athleticism required, and I still love the game today.
Badminton quickly became a passion; I even met my wife while playing badminton. We started playing mixed doubles together 25 years ago. Today we have a family with three boys who also love playing badminton. At the moment I work at the University of Magglingen, giving the students some insights into badminton.
Memorable Moments
During a long trip through Sri Lanka, we met a committed badminton player who invited us to play. We ended up spontaneously leading two training sessions with about 40 children on two courts. What a wonderful bonding experience, in which our then-young children could also participate! This year, the World Tamil Badminton Federation held its annual international tournament here in Berne, where we were all on duty as volunteers and again experienced this very warm, cross-border atmosphere.
Of course there are other memorable tournaments where we participated as players, coaches, officials or spectators, such as the World Championships in Lausanne in 1995, Copenhagen in 1999 and in Paris in 2010, Deaf Olympics in Rome in 2001, Olympic Games in London 2012, World Championships in Basel in 2019 (where the World Para Badminton Championships were held at the same time), and this year's FISU Games in Chengdu.
What Badminton Means
My wife and I set up a junior department at our local badminton club several years ago. I’m active as a coach myself several times a week which is a perfect addition to my job. I’m also active as a Shuttle Time Trainer and we organise several Shuttle Time based events and tournaments at our local club.
Developing Badminton in the Community
Six years ago we started building up a children's badminton section in Berne. Shuttle Time is an important element in this. Together with Swiss Badminton, we have created our own, Switzerland-specific Shuttle Time tournament format (“It's Shuttle Time!"), with which we can inspire new children for the sport. Recently we created a special girls' event ("Supergirls Play Badminton"), with which we can now increasingly attract girls as well. Infrastructure is crucial. We currently have about 80 children and a long waiting list. If we had more indoor training times available, we could move and inspire many more children. There is not a single badminton hall in the capital of Switzerland, although the sport is perfect for promoting health. There is still a lot of work to be done here.
Impact of Shuttle Time
We started organising Shuttle Time events several years ago and since then it has been a huge success. Our tournament “It’s Shuttle Time!” offers competition mixed with a lot of fun and is suited for club players and non-club beginners. We organise several of these tournaments every year and it is always a big success. In my opinion, this is the perfect start to a child’s badminton journey.
Lessons from Shuttle Time
I was part of Shuttle Time from the very beginning. The fact that the BWF launched this school sports programme worldwide more than ten years ago was not only courageous, but to my knowledge also unique. It is a showcase example of how a worldwide sports promotion programme has to be set up and realised in order to be successful.