BWF News

Humans of Shuttle Time: Paulo Jerome Niniano Quidato

TEXT BY BWF STAFF

This is the 43rd 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. Paulo Jerome Niniano Quidato, Youth Leader with Northern Marianas Badminton Association, talks about badminton’s influences on his life and the impact of Shuttle Time in the community.

Multi-Sport Childhood

I am currently a 17-year-old senior at Marianas High School. I am Filipino and grew up in a low-income family. I was raised by a single mother along with my two siblings. At a young age, I participated in a variety of sports such as badminton, football, basketball and volleyball.

First Experience

I was first exposed to badminton at the age of seven during a sports summer camp where kids were taught to play badminton. The facility was multipurpose, so there were training sessions about badminton and other sports.

I’ve always been captivated by the speed of the sport. Rallies could vary from a slow, mild pace to a speedy, high-intensity game. I would always think I was the fastest player on court, but watching professionals play was not only an eye-opener but an inspiration.

Paulo Quidato (seated, centre) at a Shuttle Time session.

Relationship With Badminton

Initially, badminton was not my main sport, I decided to pursue a different sport. However, I rediscovered my passion for badminton during a Shuttle Time programme. My passion and interest grew exponentially after that, and I was able to compete in local tournaments, train with the national team, and eventually start a badminton club in my high school. I got addicted to watching professional matches on YouTube.

Memorable Moments

Some people might say the biggest tournament they participated in was the most memorable, but I will always remember my first local competition. As a new player, I didn’t have any expectations for myself, but I soon found myself playing in the finals of my local tournament. Although I was vastly outmatched due to my inexperience, there were people rooting for me. Despite losing that match, I was congratulated and commended by players I’d never met.

What Badminton Means

Badminton has helped me grow as a person. I only started to play because I was invited to a Shuttle Time activity. I had no prior knowledge about badminton before that. It felt like a secondary sport I was forced to play.

However, the longer I played badminton, my level of skill and overall mentality matured. Badminton pushed me to work hard and not give up on everything I do. I developed a strong and healthy mindset.

Paulo Quidato coaching Shuttle Time participants.

What Makes it Different

The speed of the sport was the first thing that caught my attention. The speed at which shots can be played is just mesmerising and that’s what makes badminton unique. Every player has their own unique style of play and it’s just amazing how diverse the community of badminton is.

Developing Badminton in the Community

On the island of Saipan, the badminton community was dominated by adults. There were hardly any youth players. Still, I decided to give it a try. Everyone started to notice the pace at which I was improving and that gave those youth players some hope.

I became their inspiration to play badminton. Two years have passed since I first started playing the sport and the youth community is beginning to grow. Because of local and inter-high school tournaments, the badminton community is beginning to grow at a rapid pace.

Impact of Shuttle Time

Shuttle Time was the spark our community needed; it encouraged the rebirth of the badminton community. Shuttle Time sessions were a great way to expose young players to the sport. Participating in a Shuttle Time session gave me a better understanding of how physically demanding the sport is and what to expect if I continued playing. Shuttle Time also provided us opportunities to learn how to line judge, umpire, and how important a technical official is when officiating a match.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from Shuttle Time was to embrace diversity. In a Shuttle Time session I attended, kids ranged from 10 to 18 years old, all coming from different ethnic backgrounds.

It’s amazing to see people in their 40s or even 60s still play the sport whilst dominating the match against younger opponents, and vice-versa. I believe some people were afraid to try badminton in my community due to the lack of diversity, the community then was dominated by adults who were usually Asian. It was rare to see a child or someone from a different ethnic background try the sport. However, with Shuttle Time, people were given a safe space to learn and play badminton. That’s how I felt when I joined Shuttle Time.

Previous Stories in This Series

Humans of Shuttle Time: Josefa Matasau

Humans of Shuttle Time: Richard Gregory Wong

Humans of Shuttle Time: Alessandro Redaelli

Humans of Shuttle Time: Veronika Protassova

Humans of Shuttle Time: Robbert De Keijzer

Humans of Shuttle Time: Carolina M Vaughn

Humans of Shuttle Time: Sam Paterson

Humans of Shuttle Time: Deki Tshomo

Humans of Shuttle Time: Hadeel Mohammad Alomari

Humans of Shuttle Time: Daiverson Ferrari Rodrigues

Humans of Shuttle Time: Ammar Awad