A Series of Would-seem Unfortunate Events

Today is the day when the badminton Sportsfest takes place!

I at first was wondering why it would take the whole day to finish. When I came, that’s the time I knew the reason that there is also mixed doubles. I was not even properly informed of the mechanics and the schedules that I had to play eight (supposedly) games. Well, here I am, tired and exhausted from a hard day’s play.

When I saw the schedule, I said to myself, “This will be one heck of a day.” I knew later that it was a race to twenty-one points, not eleven or fifteen. Plus, the Sports committee used a different tournament style which I think would make players more tiring and have less time to rest.

Herschel was my first opponent, and the game was 21-2 in favor of the Juniors. (At least the two points I garnered is because I placed the ball; last year, it was because of some unforced errors.) Earning points against him because of one’s own “skill”, not because of his error(s), is already something...

Then came Derrick of the Freshmen, but before we started, Uncle Alfred told me to fight with the Juniors (again) in the mixed doubles. Our opponents? Mervyn and Erika. It was another 21-2 in favor of the Juniors again. Michelle (she was my partner) even told me that she is frightened by Mervs’ smashes...

I could have had a win with Derrick, but because of the mixed doubles match, I was already tired and it was a 21-5 in favor of the Freshmen. At the end, when my drop ended up hitting the net, he suddenly fell straight to the floor, lying down after a tough match. It so happened that we were running and the service changed continuously, so no points were awarded that quickly. It was really a nice match (even if I only had a five).

Then came another mixed doubles match against the Freshmen, and guess who our foes were: Audrey (we’re in trouble) and Kenny (I only met him today). They knew at once that Michie is more vulnerable, so they kept smashing the ball towards her. Well, there’s nothing to blame for that; it’s part of the tactics of badminton.

Lunch came! I was so happy that I could eat “an eight-dish laureate.” I walked to Winslaine and ate lunch with Leslie, Adriel, and the others. But the moment I stood from my chair to return to school, mondo problemo. Both of my upper thighs suffered cramps. At first it was not that severe, and I just massaged it to ease the pain, but when I went back to the badminton court, the cramps became worse. Good thing I didn’t have any games that time. I managed to remove the pain temporarily and watched some games and also became a lineman.

When I went back, it was a mixed doubles match of the Juniors and the Freshmen. It was really a marvelous sight: tremendous smashes by Mervyn, less tremendous but also tremendous smashes by the sisters Audrey and Erika to each other, and also tremendous jump-smashes by Kenny. Too bad that in the middle, Mervs was already exhausted (because he also plays volleyball for the Junior boys, and there happened to be a game before that match), and Erika was a little... how do I say it... “intimidated” by the opponents, so it was I think a 21-12 in favor of Audrey and Kenny.

After I line-judged for a certain event, it was time to have another singles’ match with the Sophomore Jerard. But when I rose up from the chair, the cramps went back, and this time more intense than the previous one. Good thing Uncle Alfred (he is Audrey and Erika’s dad by the way) suggested postponing my games and that Jerard accepted having to postpone our match. I went straight to the clinic (climbing that big flight of stairs) and asked for some medication.

And for around an hour and a half, I was seated either for cheering for the Seniors and some friends from other batches or for line-judging some matches. While I was seated on the ground, stretching my thighs and calves, Audrey even gave me a can of Powerade energy drink to help quicken up the recovery and also lessen my tiredness. (Thanks a lot again, Audz! :D) I managed to recover from the cramps, and it was time to do battle with the Graders in a singles’ match.

At first, I was still a little tired, and it became a quick 20-7 in favor of the Graders. But then some adrenaline pumped up, but still in the end, it was a 21-17 still in the Graders’ favor.

Well, it was already around five and I still had three games left. But then later I learned that the mixed doubles match with the Sophies has been defaulted in our favor because Angela (the Sophie girl) already left.

And after resting for around... two minutes, there was still another mixed doubles’ match against the Graders. Guess what? Gwen (Geordan’s sister for those who don’t know) is one of our opponents. Finally! A less difficult match to settle. I don’t know why but in this match, after the singles’ match with the Grader (I don’t know his name) where I was very tired, I felt the urge to jump-smash or smash the ball directly to the ground. Well, I admit that I was a little too harsh on Gwen and her partner, but it’s just a tournament, and like my dad said before, “You should have a fighting spirit. Don’t fight as if you’re fighting with kids.” It was a 21-3 in our favor. This was the first match that Michie and I won!

My dad was there during the last few matches, and he told me to just give up the last match with Jerard since I lost the first three matches and that I’ll just wear myself out even more. There was a lot of sense in it that I already changed my clothes. But when I came back, Uncle Alfred asked me if I wanted to continue the match with Jerard, and I said “No.” But then he told me that our match is the battle for third place, and it will be I who would be conceding to Jerard if I said NO.

Upon hearing that, hope glimmered to me, my body’s exhaustion dissipated by a big percentage, and I changed back to my batch shirt (the first shirt I wore in the whole tourney). I told him that I’ll just wait for Jerard’s decision whether or not to continue with the match: if he wants to continue, then we will combat for third place, with him at a little disadvantage since he’s more tired than I am; if not, then it would be he who will concede to me, not I conceding to him. (Of course I didn’t tell him why I let Jerard make the decision.) Uncle Alfred replied with an “OK.”

Herschel was stupefied when he saw me change back and warming up with my dad since he knew that I was so tired from the previous matches. He said, “Akala ko ba pagod ka na?” I told him, “Ginanahan ulit ako.” And that’s true: adrenaline rushed through me again.

That time, there was still a boys’ doubles match between the Freshmen and the Sophomores, and Jerard happened to be playing there. The game ended in favor of the Sophies I think. While I was on the other side of the court practicing with my dad, I suddenly heard from Uncle Alfred that Jerard conceded. That’s it. I got the third place that easily.

I changed back to the Nike sando I brought along and started to breathe deep to release all the tiredness in my body. I also knew later that Michie and I also garnered third place in the mixed doubles! Yehey!

Well, guess the cramps I got were a blessing in disguise, don’t you think? And despite all those losses, I still ended up third place in both events. I guess a series of unfortunate events would eventually become fortunate.

And at around six, only the Ong and Go dads and sons and also Sharms and her sister were left in that badminton court. We left after Geordan finally had a point against my dad in a singles’ match (it was 16-1 FYI). I went to Miss Majul to tell her that I couldn’t attend the San Hesus Nazareno outreach tomorrow because of over-exhaustion of my body, and now I’m here, “resting.”