The former doubles player is part of the history of the RSL BEC Summer School and so who better than him to talk about what it’s like to experience this event.
Former men’s doubles and mixed doubles player Wojciech Szkudlarczyk has never really left the court. Hailing from Poznan, he has earned many important wins in his career, including a bronze medal in the European Mixed Team Championships. However, his passion for badminton has stopped him from leaving the court.
There are many ways to get involved in contributing to badminton and so Szkudlarczyk opted to help other players through coaching. He has gone from Staff Coach to Head Coach of the training camp at the RSL BEC Summer School and so we wanted to hear about what he has to say about this historic BEC event.
Adapting to the changes that make it special
Ever since Szkudlarczyk has taken part in this event, the location has been Podcetrtek, Slovenia. Yet, that might be one of the only things that has not changed in all these years. Apart from taking on more responsibilities and becoming a leader as a Head Coach in this year’s edition, the training camp has shifted from being targeted to U17 players to U15 as of now.
-We have younger players this time. I think it is a good idea because we have the chance to develop their technical skills and to teach them something new. They can go back home and continue improving.
Szkudlarczyk is enjoying this new experience and it is that dynamic nature that attracts him to this position. Of course, it also means that it comes with potential challenges. Apart from organising the training for the junior players which involves both theoretical and practical sessions, he has many other things to arrange such as extra activities off court and coordinating with the BWF/BEC Level 2 Coach Education tutors, as the U15 players will be part of the participants’ assessment in the course.
-The biggest challenge I’d say it’s to find as much time as possible to practice. It is good that we have a lot of staff coaches to organise this all around. This year we also had to manage more things because we have younger players. We have to take care of them from morning to late evening, so we have tried to find as many activities as possible, Szkudlarczyk explained.
The teamwork between all staff coaches together with Szkudlarczyk’s acquired knowledge throughout the past five editions make him a great leader that all young talented players will benefit from. We ask him what his best memory or edition has been so far and although he cannot pinpoint a specific one, it is the everchanging and lively essence of the RSL BEC Summer School that brings him to participate every year.
-All editions are all different and great. I have met new people and I have had great conversations with all of them. Everyone is different. I think that is why the Summer School is such a great idea, because it is the same project, but it is so different every year.