Over the next few days, students from several schools in Georgetown will have the opportunity to learn the basics of badminton under the tutelage of one of Guyana’s best players, Narayan Ramdhani.
Priyanna Ramdhani shows students how to hit a shuttle
Two “Introduction to Badminton” camps are being hosted under the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA), and will run for the next four days, after beginning on Monday.
The first camp from 10:00h to 12:00h (each day) is being hosted at the National Gymnasium. This camp, which currently has 17 participants, caters to students from Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High School, North Georgetown, Success Elementary, St Joseph High School, Mae’s Primary, St Rose’s High, and Christ Church Secondary, as well as any other student who wishes to join.
The second camp from 14:00h (2pm) to 16:00h (4pm) is specifically for the students at Marian Academy and is currently filled to capacity. A separate camp was hosted at Marian Academy owing to the existence of a badminton club and courts at the school’s auditorium. When Guyana Times Sport caught up with Ramdhani at the Marian Academy camp, the international player explained the purpose of the six-day event.
Narayan Ramdhani facilitates a session of stretches before play
“The goal is to just teach the children the game, giving them more exposure to the game to get more people playing. We’re also trying to get them to encourage more people to come out,” Ramdhani explained.
As a part of the package for the camp, each participant was given a top-quality Yonex racquet, which will allow them to continue practicing long after the camp is concluded.
While Ramdhani is keen to ensure that each player leaves the camp with great knowledge of the game, he emphasised the importance of making the learning process fun.
“This is just to teach them the basics, how to hold the racquet, how to serve, and make it fun. Because if they don’t enjoy it, they’re not going to come back. So we’re just doing about 45 minutes of technical stuff and the rest is just to have fun with the game,” he shared.
Ramdhani is receiving the assistance of his sister Priyanna and national player Akili Haynes in order to facilitate the camp.
