It’s a long way from Mauritius to Nanchang, thousands of kilometres and several stopovers, and quite expensive for a family of four. Yet Daniel Siow Yin Young was happy to be there to accompany his two children who were participating in the BWF World Junior Championships 2024, just as he has been at various tournaments over the last three years.
That’s apart from the regular days, of driving the kids to training and school and home. It’s almost a full-time commitment for Yin Young and his wife Candice, as they shepherd two teenaged children in their early years on the circuit.
The Siouw Yin Young siblings from Mauritius, Aidan and Mia
Yin Young is no exception, however. There were others, some travelling from even further away such as USA, Canada and Sweden. Nor are they only at premier junior events like the World Juniors. Given the time and expense involved, what keeps them on the circuit?
While he concedes that it is an expensive and time-consuming pursuit, Yin Young talks of the gains they have made as a family while ensuring that the children are involved in the sport.
“We get to spend a lot of time with them,” says Yin Young. “We know them from A to Z. It’s a good time travel together, to countries we’d never go to otherwise.
“Since my kids love badminton, I’d rather they play badminton and go to training, instead of spending time on mobiles.
“We all talk about badminton every day. The discussion is always about badminton, it’s a good thing. We’re happy. As parents we want our kids to be happy, right?”
USA’s Ella Lin
Part of the reason the parents are around is simply security, at a vulnerable age for their kids. But having a child who has elite-level aspirations means that the parents have to structure a significant period of their lives around that goal.
Cissy Zhao, mother of USA’s Ella Lin, has been accompanying her daughter to tournaments and training for 10 years.
“My husband or I accompany her; I cannot allow her to travel by herself,” Zhao says. “We don’t have a system where a coach can take charge, especially in individual events. She’s still a minor, but when she’s older and when she has friends we can let her travel by herself.”
The upside is that family vacations are planned around tournaments, and she can observe at close quarters the gains that her daughter has made as a competitive player.
“We don’t have vacations; we time our vacations around her tournaments,” says Cissy Zhao. “But we have been to exotic places… places you’d never have thought of going.
“The more she wins, the more confident she gets. She is an introvert, but she becomes a different person on court. She becomes very outgoing. Her whole personality changes, she is not afraid of anything, she’s never afraid of losing even when she lags behind.”
USA’s Nicole Krawczyk
For USA head coach Andy Chong, it’s about the values that badminton can impart, such as the larger goal of fighting for a team.
“You’re the only one on court, so it grows your confidence,” Chong, father of junior international Kai, says, “but it’s also a team sport. Some other sports are either team or individual, but in badminton you have both.”
While the players are the primary actors on the circuit, dealing with the joys and sorrows of victories and defeats, and committing body and mind, the supporting cast go through the same journey but they can view the picture from a larger perspective.
As Steve Krawczyk, father of USA’s Nicole Krawczyk, says: “It’s a commitment, but there’s the satisfaction of having something to commit to. A lot of people go on vacations with a tour group, but here you come with a purpose, and instead of meeting random people, you meet people you know. It’s nice. I prefer this sort of trip.”
USA’s Kai Chong
BWF Newsletter
