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Kumar Aditya Goel
Dr. Herold
ENG 101
28 September 2023
Negativity Bias
January 3rd marked a new beginning, a new year but also a new conclusion to an old
me. Being the top badminton player in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, I once again
qualified for the championship games. Through the course of my professional badminton
career, I won over 25 competitions, 7 which were at the inter-state level. This competition
was going to be a game-changer for me. If I succeeded, I would have received an invitation to
the Team India camp meaning that I could get a chance to compete at the highest level. Fast
forward to the game, it was an extremely tense scenario. The score was tied and all that
separated me and my opponent from being the game winner were 2 points. The arena was
surrounded by people and of all the noise, the one thing I could hear was my name. The
crowd was yelling my name in support and as much as I tried to keep my anxiety away, all I
could think about in my mind was a strategy that would give me the win. Having held a
badminton racquet since the age of thirteen, over the year I developed a keen sense of
understanding of the game. I understood what shot moves the shuttle which way and which of
those movements could topple my opponent’s strategy the most.
It was too late to read the game in that instance, but I had read my opponent and
predicted his movements and shot selection based on his body language and the placement of
the racquet. Without a second thought, I figured that he would serve to me on the third line,
and I was very certain of it. I considered it and decided to strike because I already knew what
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my opponent was going to do. He served, and since he was a right-handed player, I slammed
the shuttle on his side of the court. I had scored the point! My opponent was under pressure,
and he caved. As I was trying to figure out what my opponent was going to do, I noticed that
he wasn't looking at the shuttle but was rather trying to judge my next shot by looking at my
racket. So, I tricked him into thinking that I was going to hit the shuttle near the net but
instead played it on the far line and in the blink of an eye I had won the tournament. I had
become the first person to ever win the state tournament four times in a row. Everyone in the
arena was screaming my name, and everyone rushed to greet me. I was overjoyed to have
won this tournament and as things seemed I had a shot at being a prospective player for the
Team India camp. All the intense yet happy thoughts in my head and something brought me
back into reality. Upon receiving the trophy, I also came around the fact that my opponent
had accused me of cheating the tournament and rigging it. I understood what he was trying to
convey since my father owned the club that this tournament was being played at. I can say in
all honesty that no game was rigged, and my dad had only hosted the tournament (one of
many hosted by the club) at the request of the association. I received glaring stares from my
opponent, and I had left because I couldn’t hold it any longer. I thought about it excessively
for the following three months. But what if I wasn't a good player, and my dad had actually
done this for me because of my dreams? I started to wonder whether it was real. I just
couldn't see that the opponent was probably speaking this way to get me into a fight because
he knew he couldn't win. He was only attempting to drag me down. I did realize later that I
was actually just considering a little portion of the situation and wasted time worrying about
one unfavorable remark I had heard that day, which was not even true. Hence, I moved on.
The national camp was yet to be released, and I was out with my family at a
restaurant. It was originally scheduled to be released in the morning of that day, but for some
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reason, it got delayed. It was peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was packed. The noise
around me along with the number of people at the restaurant, overwhelmed me. It was getting
difficult for me to control the anxiety, and I kept glancing at my phone while waiting for the
list. I can still clearly recall chatting with my brother at the time and then looking at my
phone to see the list. Suddenly, the loud restaurant became quiet with my scream. My name
was at the top of the list, and I could not control my reaction. Having seen my name on the
list, I yelled at the top of my lungs. Everyone at the restaurant was celebrating with me. That
moment, I forgot reality, I had gotten that much closer to achieving my dream. My dad burst
out in happiness (that’s the happiest I’d ever seen my dad) and ordered 9 bottles of
champagne. Everyone toasted to me having a bright future and it was all very wholesome. As
soon as I got home, I double-checked the list to be sure of the reporting time and location.
Two weeks and I had to leave for the camp at New Delhi, India. I got in touch with
several of my Delhi pals to ask for their opinions on the camp and the opportunities available.
Although there were some unfavorable remarks, I was all ears to the pleasant ones. They
informed me that playing on these courts increased the risk of injury or that nobody could
play their best game there because the courts were too slick. I was told that the badminton
courts were not up to the standards. I didn’t pay attention to the latter until I got the camp
because I’d been too busy practicing for my matches until then. It was time to go and until
that point I had always travelled with my family but maybe that time just wasn’t it. I travelled
alone for the first time and the anxiousness in me just built up. I thought deeply about how
this tournament would pan out for me. I had an hour-long journey to Delhi, and my only
thought was whether or not I would be chosen. I considered all the factors that would
influence my performance and concluded that the state of the court and the lighting would
have a significant impact on how well I played. At the camp, I made a lot of friends while
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also getting to meet some of badminton's greatest players. I met one of the sport's all-time
greats and I couldn't believe all the new things I was going to learn from my new coach, Mr.
Prakash Padukone. He was the first person to ever win a gold medal for India in Badminton.
He was a legend and just knowing that I had the opportunity to learn from him gave me the
chills. Our first session was in the morning. I reached the court ten minutes ahead of the
reporting time and upon meeting some seniors playing there, I chose to warm up with them.
Few of them had seen me playing in the previous events and praised both my badminton
skills and attitude. One of the other players told me that my badminton racket was on the
heavier side and not properly balanced, which coul prevent me from playing the shots
perfectly. I had played with this racket in all my winning matches in the last three years.
Something had sprouted in my mind, and I began to consider if I should get a new one! I
realized that switching rackets at the beginning of the camp was not a smart idea at all, so I
made the decision not to. As soon as the session began, we played a couple of matches,
almost all of which I lost. I had never expected this kind of performance from myself, so it
was quite upsetting. I later realized that I had been playing a little too conservatively because
I kept telling myself that my racket wasn't perfect and that the court wasn't ideal. I was unable
to execute the shots that I had learned during all my years of practice. I put some of my worst
performances through the course of that tournament. Everyone who observed my game had
told me that I could do so much more better if I just let myself free. I couldn’t put up my best
show and the following few days during the camp made me understand that I would not
advance forward in the camp.
I now regret the choices I made because despite being the top-ranked player from my
state, I stopped playing professional badminton afterward, and I completely left the idea of
playing for my country again. I regret that I allowed negativity to impact me so much. I
