We’re halfway through the RSL BEC Summer School and we wanted to know what the U15 players and staff at the training camp think about their experience so far.
With a training camp that aims at improving the junior players’ badminton skills while also enjoying the experience and creating connections, the programme covers a wide variety of activities. There is an emphasis on the many possibilities that this event brings, and Head Coach Wojciech Szkudlarczyk points to an important element.
-People get to know each other better, they will get to create new connections. That has a lot of benefits.
Staff Coach Peter Zauner also emphasises the importance of there being so many players — 40 in total, representing 16 different countries — and the opportunities this brings in terms of appreciating the diversity in style of playing between the different nations that not only the coaches will be appreciating, but also the young participants.
-The most important thing is to see the different styles from the different nations. If they are open, they can learn a lot this week, Zauner said.
For Carla Strauß, another staff coach that already took part in this same event but as a participant of the coach education course, the general mood of the camp has a big impact on the overall experience.
-The atmosphere is good. This time it feels new because the players are younger so we have to take care of them. I have already got to meet new people and had some good shared experiences.
But what do the protagonists of the training camp have to say about it? They gave us some comments to see it from their perspective — and some are not far from what their training camp coaches mentioned.
An international and comfortable atmosphere
The 40 different U15 players taking part of the training camp at the RSL BEC Summer School are a representation of the talent that European badminton has. Participants will not just get to enjoy the social part of it, but also appreciate the differences in style as Zauner mentioned. Lorenz Windauer, one of the young players, agrees with his fellow countryman.
-It is great that there are many trainers and coaches from different countries. You get to know players from other countries, Windauer mentioned.
Nishka Sharma from Switzerland is another junior player that highlights the benefits of playing against opponents from different nations. The last year has made it difficult for our young players to travel and thus face international competitors, so this event is giving her the chance to do so.
-You get to play against people from other countries, which you don’t get to do in your home country that often. I like that the best.
Victoria Dübendorfer and Shikha Sharma, also from Switzerland, agree that playing matches is one of the best parts of training, but it is not all about badminton in the RSL BEC Summer School. Jorūnė Šalnaitė from Lithuania and Emilia Shapovalova from Estonia highly enjoy playing on court, but there are other activities in the experience that appeal to them.
-I like practical sessions because I learn and I also have fun. But we are also going to a castle and an aqua park, I think we will have fun, Šalnaitė explained.
-After this we’re going to the swimming pool. It’s so cool, Shapovalova said.