Jess (right) with her gold medalAfter a tough season representing BU in the badminton women’s first team at singles in the Premier Division, Jess entered the Dorset Senior Tier 4 tournament in June, feeling her fittest yet.
Having worked hard on her singles game and fitness throughout the year through coach-led training sessions, regular gym sessions at SportBU, 1-1 coaching, and extra training with her teammates, Jess felt confident that this tournament would be her best yet.
“On the day, I faced three other women, playing a total of seven tough games throughout the day, which tested my stamina and endurance, and of which I won six. The first match I won 21-16 and 21-18, the next a close 24-22 and 21-15, and finally I took my last match to best of three games, winning the first 21-19, losing the next 20-22, and winning the last 23-21, making it an intense, close match.
“All games taught me valuable lessons and have furthered my experience in singles, particularly competing against more experienced players who I wouldn’t usually get a chance to play.
“This is my first gold medal at a senior event and I am thankful to my coach Martin Wells, who has been instrumental in helping me to develop my skills throughout this year. The support that he, the staff at SportBU, and my teammates have provided throughout the year has been astronomical in helping me develop as a player. I look forward to further improvement in my final year of university, in which I hope to continue representing BU in the BUCS league and entering further tournaments.”
