Being president of a Sports Association is not a simple charge, demands knowledge and passion for help sport grow.
Nichole A. Case, president of Jamaica Badminton Association, tells us how she got to this position, what is the best that badminton has given her and what she thinks of the role of women in our sport.
Technology Executive, Nichole never left her passion for badminton. She plays badminton since school and participated in local tournaments with some victories under her belt. She has been an umpire of our sport and little by little she became interested in the sports administration.
“I volunteered to assist with executing one of the local tournament being sanctioned by one of my clubs. Soon after I was invited to join the Jamaica Badminton Association as a council member, I continued supporting the execution of Jamaica Badminton’s tournaments and pioneered refining the process used to evaluate, classify and promote players based on defined technical skills and tournament performances, and to ensure bias free team selection to the National Squad. After another year as a council member, I was then elected to the Executive team as the 2nd Vice President, and eventually became the President in 2017.”
President, a very important position that demands a great responsibility. Nichole, being part of the council, learned a lot and she was shaping up to be a leader with the right management skills that the Association needed.
“I was not prepared to do so on my own, I assumed the role with the support of key members of the Executive and council body who shared a similar vision on how to develop Badminton for Jamaica.”
Nichole has enjoyed badminton since she was very young and, in spite of her work, as well as being president of the Association, she continues practicing badminton as her mind and body wellness program.
“My day job as a Technology Executive, is somewhat high in stress and quite intense at times, as such, playing badminton has been my ultimate stress relief, so I am grateful for being introduced to the sport as a youngster and grateful that I have continued to play after all these years, as this plays an integral role in creating balance in my life.”
Sport offers many personal satisfactions, but seeing others benefit from your work provides even greater satisfaction.
“It is fulfilling to see badminton be a positive tool for nation building in Jamaica. I see the way the sport positively impacts in player’s lives for the better. For some, the sport has given them an opportunity to further their education through scholarships, for others, the sport has become an outlet and distraction from social oppression that have lead them to a more positive way of life. And seeing each new generation of badminton player using their knowledge of the sport and introducing an infectious love for playing badminton is a great satisfaction that encourages us to keep moving forward.”
As in many situations, a management also has its small drawbacks, but “there will always be challenges, but without challenges we could not learn, improve and grow.” But with work, and planning any obstacle can be overcome.
Most things in life that thrive, do so when the right balance and combination of ingredients is applied to succeed. Women have a significant role to play in creating balance in all facets of life, and sports are not different.
“I encourage more women to step out and share their perspectives and talents and in doing so, work closely with our male peers to create the right balance of ingredients to succeed, I urge women to remain confident in the unique perspective that women bring to the table and push forward in exploring their abilities and help take their sport to new levels.”
