Coach of Brazil’s Junior Badminton Team, Norma Teotônio Rodrigues tells us how she fell in love with badminton and how she lives each of her days.
“All my life I have lived in love with sports. I met badminton in my work at the university. And when I started working with it, to plan, I realized that I liked it a lot and I fell in love with badminton. That happened about 12 years ago and from there I can not imagine how my life would have been without badminton. “
Norma shares her knowledge at the University of Piaui, Brazil, where she is a physical education teacher, and each of her days is filled with an intensity typical of her passion for the things she does.
“I have very hectic days but very productive. I work in the courts, in planning, I have my house, my dog. Really are hectic days but I like them a lot.”
Certified by the BWF as a Coach Level 2, Norma has traveled to various international tournaments and is preparing for each upcoming challenge she faces, although “I always think that the best challenge is the last one you live. I attended the World Junior Championship last year in Indonesia and it was an incredible experience. We managed to get in place 18 of 46 countries and that has been a great success.”
Norma breathes badminton, has enjoyed many satisfactions since she met our sport and has set goals that will link her with badminton for many more years.
“Badminton is my life. I have many plans with badminton. In the short term, we have the Youth Olympic Games, the Junior Pan American Games, the World Junior Championships, the South American Games, all this year. And in the long term, when I’m no longer in high-performance badminton, I’m thinking of starting a social project and working with children.”
With great sporting and personal achievements, Norma thinks that, in order to achieve what one yearns for, “persistence is very important. All of us who want to do things well must have a lot of persistence. Try, try more and always look for the best. “
A outstanding Brazilian woman who has achieved international recognition and who wants to achieve much more, recommends the following to each of the women who are reading these lines: “Study, work and do what you do with great passion. That is a first step to achieve great successes.”
