‘Incredibly motivational’ experience at badminton coach mentorship program
NMI National Badminton player Janelle Pangilinan said that her time at the Badminton World Federation Coach Mentorship Program in Copenhagen, Denmark last Aug. 23 to 25 was “incredibly motivational’”
Under the BWF program, Pangilinan attended a Coaching and Sports Science Education session, a BWF World Coaching Conference, and observed games in the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2023 for a match analysis.
She said that she took away some important takeaways from each presenter in the program. Pangilinan said she witnessed a para-badminton player on a wheelchair for the first time. She said about that experience, “Amazingly, if you put your mind to it, anything is still feasible despite a limitation.”
But the one thing that caught her attention the most was by Kenneth Lersen, in “A New Approach to Coaching” and Ra Kyung Min, “Demonstrating Mixed Doubles.”
She said for Lersen’s session, the important takeaway was “A player is solely responsible for their own actions during rallies, and must analyze what went wrong and what to do in those similar situations in the future. Thus, mistakes are a fuel for learning.”
In Min’s demonstration, Pangilinan said the takeaways were “On court play of the top importance of mixed doubles; the roles of women in mixed doubles, service and return of service, and offensive and defensive strokes used in a mixed doubles game.”
When asked how she will use the skills she learned to develop the Northern Marianas Badminton Association and the youth and her own skills, Pangilinan said that for the youth, “As a coach, it will make it easier for me to comprehend that we can’t always point out the errors that our younger players make. They must identify their mistakes and understand how to correct themselves going forward.”
For her development, she said “The abilities Ms. Min demonstrated as a mixed doubles player will enable me to comprehend my part in mixed doubles better. I’m hoping that everything I’ve learnt will help me and my partner advance when we resume training.”
Being in the international program with other players and coaches, Pangilinan said that it was incredibly motivating as many of the female coaches have advanced in badminton; some are top players in their country before deciding to coach, and some even established their own academy to encourage more young people to improve their badminton abilities.
She added that in the Coaching Conference, there were not only badminton coaches but coaches of other sports, such as soccer and rugby. “It’s their journey and findings that made them inspiring people,” said Pangilinan.
As for what the NMBA director thinks of the future of badminton in the CNMI, she said “I do anticipate that badminton will continue to rise, along with the number of young players. Numerous young people have recently shown interest in and potential for playing badminton as a result of our recent involvement in the Interscholastic program. I do anticipate that badminton in the CNMI will move from recreational play to competitive play within the next five years.”
The 24-year-old administrative officer at the Oleai Sports Complex then said that her future plans for badminton are to initiate after school activities for children who wish to learn how to play badminton.
With 13 years of badminton experience under her belt, she said many parents have asked her to coach their children, and when she has the program up and running, she will gladly do so.
As for future competitions, she said she would like to compete in the Oceania Badminton Championships annually, or at the absolute least every two years while the U19 competition is taking place.

NMI National Badminton Team player, Janelle Pangilinan, front row, third from left, is seen with participants of the Badminton World Federation Coach Mentorship Program in Copenhagen, Denmark from last Aug. 23 to 25.
-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO