Position: Ostin Cheung from the School Badminton Team (Secondary) won the Outstanding Student Athlete Award
On 29th June, 2018, Ostin Cheung, team member of the school Badminton Team (Secondary), was awarded the “Grantham Outstanding Student Athlete Awards – Outstanding Athlete (By Sport)”. The selection was hosted by the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation. The purpose of the selection was to recognize students’ laudable achievements in different sports events for the past year. It was also to encourage students exploring their potential in sports.
The school Badminton Team was coached by Teacher Alex Cheuk and he thanked the school for the unconditional support.
Below is the feelings and thoughts of Ostin Cheung:
Grantham Outstanding Athlete in Badminton 2018
I was honored to be awarded the Grantham Outstanding Athlete in Badminton for the year 2017-2018. The Prize Presentation Ceremony will be held on 29th June 2018 in the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
Badminton is the reason why people know who I am. Students from other schools also get to know me as a student from Pui Kiu College because of badminton too. Actually, my interest in badminton is closely intertwined with Pui Kiu College in which I have spent the last 11 years.
Starting from P.2, when I was 8 years old, I started playing badminton as extra-curricular activities provided by my school. That is where my interest in badminton emerged. In P.3, I joined the school badminton team coached by Miss Koon Wai Chee, a Hong Kong Team player. From then on, my enthusiasm in badminton continues to develop. Without Pui Kiu College, I would not be exposed to this sport.
In the past few years, with the recognition of Teacher Alex Cheuk and the kind support of our school Principal Mr. Wu, extra resources have been allocated for the badminton team. That contributes directly to the success of Pui Kiu badminton team in recent years. Undoubtedly, nothing will be the same without the persistent and passionate effort of Teacher Alex. I must extend my sincere gratitude to him.
I wouldn’t say I am very talented in the sport. I remembered I lost almost every competition when I was around 8-12. In hindsight, I was defeated by badminton players who started their training early. For me, I only received methodical training from my coach Mr. Anthony Chan at 12 years old. To a lot of professional players, that is a bit late.
It certainly appears that “winning at the starting line” is somewhat true. For those who disagree, they would say letting children participate in competition too early may give much pressure on them and in turn they might eventually lose their interest in that sport. For those who agree, they would say that early coaching could help to discover and develop the children’s ability in that sport.
The most successful Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, began swimming at the age of seven. After retirement, he said, "The only reason I ever got in the water was my mom.” This somehow shows “winning at the starting line” is what dominating the athletic field. Yet the decorated badminton player Lee Chong Wei started playing badminton only at the age of 11. His achievement somehow disproves the notion of “winning at the starting line.” Obviously, there is no black-or-white answer to this question. But I reckon it is better late than never. If you have a dream, work hard and go for it.
