My father is a trainer

Dudnikova Ekaterina, city of Tyumen

In 1991 Junior Badminton Club, «Candle» by name, was organized in my city of Tyumen. It acted during 10 years. Children learned the game of badminton there. For the first time in our city Lukyanov Nikolai Andreyevich began to develop badminton as a mass children sport. Since 1992 badminton has been included into the program of the Summer Olympic Games.

Since childhood my dad went in for skiing. He took part in mass competitions defending the honor of the Tyumen Gas Assembling Trust team. There he worked as a methodologist of sport, then he was the Director of the sports complex, later he opened Candle Junior Badminton Club.

Among the beginning sportsmen of the club there were my sisters and me. I was 8, and Lyuba was 10 years old when we started playing badminton. Marina joined us as soon as her age got 6 years old.

Our father was not only the Sports Club Director, trainer, judge, but also the President of the Tyumen Region Badminton Federation. He was a member of the sports delegation at the Russian Open international competition, held in Moscow, British Open in the city of Birmingham in England, children tournament in Germany. He was awarded with the title of the Badminton Judge of the National category. From 1996 to 1999 annually in the city of Tyumen all-Russia youth tournament was held. The organizer and the Main Judge of the competition was my dad, and we, young athletes, not only showed our skills, but also learned how to judge friendly matches in this tournament.

My dad was very demanding and attentive, and the most favorite among our trainers. When we went with him to the competitions to other cities, we knew that everything would be fine: the sports life, the board and the psychological climate in the team.

I achieved the third adult class in badminton, Lyuba was awarded with the title of the Candidate for Master of Sports in 1996. We visited such cities as Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Samara, Saratov, Gatchina, Berdsk and many others. I am proud that once I went in for badminton.