Ryan Smith | Ah, beat
Professional hockey players have a long history of athletic descent in their family tree.
Not surprisingly, this connection is often manifested in hockey games. But in other cases, the player’s roots may be associated with baseball (e.g. Jeff Petry), basketball(Seth and Caleb Jones), even football (JT Brown).
For the current Springfield Thunderbird Sam bites With his brother, former Thunderbirds and fans’ favorite Will be bittentheir lineage comes from a more unexpected source of sports – badminton.
Indeed, the early memories of the biting family were shaped by the lightning-like racket movement before the brothers tied up the skates, and his origins date back to the 19th century. Before Sam and Will embarked on their ice journey, their parents Michael and Doris had very little athlete experience: the chance to compete on the world’s greatest stage.
The 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona marked the official debut of badminton as the Olympic sport. In the 30 pairs of competitions in the first men’s doubles, there are two Canadian duo, one of which features Michael Bitten, who won the first honor to represent the Canadian Olympic badminton player.
But Michael is not alone in chasing the Olympic dream. His journey is intertwined with Doris Piché, who first met in the championships in their native Canada eight years ago. Doris is a Quebec who speaks only French, while Michael is the son of a military family who initially bridged their language barriers by handwriting letters.
In Barcelona, Doris was not only one of the top two women in the women’s singles to the Canadian color at the Olympics, but she also advanced to 16 rounds. She will also compete in the women’s doubles matches in Barcelona, before ending her 1996 Olympic career in singles and mixed doubles matches in Atlanta in 1996.
Although Will and Sam were not born until 1998 and 2000, their parents’ achievements left a lasting legacy.
Sam recalls his childhood in Ottawa, “We started playing badminton since we were young.” “From kids, we were holding a racket in our hands. With my pictures, we would meet each other’s birds.”
Badminton is not only a pastime – it is deeply rooted in The Growth of the Bull Brothers. Their first job? Work as a counselor at Michael’s summer badminton camp.
“The camp has about 60 kids a week and new groups a week,” Sam recalls. “When we were really young, we attended the camp and loved it; it kept us active and fit for sports. That’s probably why we always buzzed (until today).
He admits that in another timeline, Sam biting a hockey player may never exist.
“We have been in multiple sports since we were young and they always wanted us to see what we performed and what we like, and I really like badminton,” he said. “If it was more popular in North America, you probably wouldn’t have seen me play hockey. I love my personal aspects and mentality.”
While he may have become professional in a different sport than his parents, Sam is still quick to point out the similarities between singles badminton and the harder side of hockey.
“I like that competitive one-on-one, ‘Who wants more?’ element. “Badminton has a lot, too. ”
Bitten also noted that other intangible assets are very different skills shared between sports.
“There are a lot of stays and starts, and hand-eye coordination. Fans have seen it [Will] It was a goal in the air before, but I haven’t had the luxury of doing that, but maybe one day. [Badminton] It’s a fierce and fun sport that sometimes gets bad or people think it’s easy, but it’s so fast that people don’t understand the speed before seeing two elite players play. ”
Raised by two Olympic athletes, the bitten brother grew up, surrounded by the ruthless driving force of elite competitors. Every four years, when the Olympic torch is lit, it provides a moment for Sam and his family.
“When the Olympics rolled, I thought about all the time my parents and athletes trained. You put so many people into training and performing best every night.”
Sam and his brothers’ rivals are firmly pointing out that while it may first reach the NHL in their hockey career, the young Sam has a clear advantage.
“I still play badminton a lot, and I’m sure I’ll win an honor in the sport,” he said with a smile. “And he knows it, too.”
