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Humans of Shuttle Time: Hadeel Mohammad Alomari

TEXT BY BWF STAFF

Hadeel Alomari (right) at a Shuttle Time programme.

This is the 34^th story in our Humans of Shuttle Time series, in which we present the perspectives of those who work on badminton development at the grassroots level. Hadeel Mohammad Alomari, Shuttle Time National Coordinator of Jordan, speaks about her journey in badminton after falling in love with it during a picnic.

Childhood Days

I was a very social and active kid. I tried many sports when I was a kid. Luckily my school was close to my home, so me and my friends got the opportunity to play after school, until I entered the badminton world and started training in the club and the national team after school.

Hadeel Alomari helps a participant at a Shuttle Time programme.

First Experience

I saw badminton during a picnic. Children who were playing badminton were having so much fun. I wanted to try it and my parents got me wooden rackets and a plastic shuttle the next time we went on a picnic.

Relationship With Badminton

I kept playing badminton in summer during picnics, in my school, and in the neighbourhood with my friends. We had a badminton class at school once, and my teacher thought that I had a good wrist, she advised me to train with a team she knew of, and that was when I started training on a daily basis. This went on for years, I got into the national team, participated in many national, Arab, and international championships, and eventually moved to coaching and volunteering with Jordan Badminton Federation, Badminton Asia, and BWF events. I started coordinating events, worked as national development officer, and national Shuttle Time Coordinator, and eventually became a board member of Jordan Badminton Federation.

Memorable Events

Our team winning the West Asia Championship back in 2005. I still remember what it felt like to qualify for the Asian championship in China! And I still remember the look on my father’s face when he heard the news! In addition of course to meeting so many amazing players and coaches along the way, and learning from everyone I met.

A Shuttle Time programme in Jordan.

What Badminton Means

Honestly, it’s a lifestyle! Most of what I do, people I know, my community, friends, and loved ones are from the badminton world.

What Make Badminton Different

It’s a very exciting and fast sport that anyone can learn and play regardless of their age, gender or financial status. Besides, it’s a relatively safe sport.

Developing Community Badminton

I was recently appointed as the Shuttle Time National Coordinator. Before that I was just trying to promote the game in every possible way, and coordinating different events randomly and voluntarily. We have started planning to continue with conducting Shuttle Time courses in schools and universities, focusing specifically on children.

Making a Difference

With the national team hall and multiple clubs and academies in the capital of Jordan, badminton is becoming more and more popular. The biggest difference we can see after conducting Shuttle Time courses is the increased popularity of the game in rural areas of the country. Those are hard-to-reach areas but we were able to reach them through Shuttle Time courses given in universities located in those places.

Lessons From Shuttle Time

That when you’re passionate about what you do, you can come up with great ideas to complete the job, even when the circumstances are challenging and resources are minimal. You need to love what you do — people can sense those feelings, and those feelings are more contagious than we think!

Previous Stories in This Series

Humans of Shuttle Time: Daiverson Ferrari Rodrigues

Humans of Shuttle Time: Ammar Awad

Humans of Shuttle Time: Carolin Ruth

Humans of Shuttle Time: Caroline Brial

Humans of Shuttle Time: Danny Ten

Humans of Shuttle Time: Mohlala Mopeli

Humans of Shuttle Time: Tatiana Petrova

Humans of Shuttle Time: Levente Nagy-Szabó

Humans of Shuttle Time: Kumon Tarawa

Humans of Shuttle Time: Didier Nourry

Humans of Shuttle Time: Joseph Devenecia