Former badminton player with numerous international achievements, a BWF Level 2 coach, a mother of a 9-month-old son, and an authority on Mexican badminton, Cynthia González has shaped her life with the various opportunities that badminton has provided, leading her to develop as a person, sharing her days with our sport and spreading her resilience, perseverance, and courage.
“This whole life (in badminton) has led me to many changes. I went through it as a player, from being a player to a coach, and now from being a coach to a mom coach. I’m now a mother, my baby is nine months old, and that motivates me to want to keep improving, to keep preparing, to be better in all aspects of my life. At the same time, it makes me also involve this aspect of motherhood in my daily life.”
Cynthia was introduced to badminton at the age of 8, at the Chapultepec Sports Center. She has conquered various national and international podiums as an athlete, and the experience acquired in the challenges she has faced has led her to share her knowledge with other athletes through training, and to prepare herself with the BWF Coach Level 1 and BWF Coach Level 2 certifications.
“I started coaching five years ago, previously teaching very young children. Now I have five years of experience as a state coach. I also had the opportunity to attend Pan Am Junior Championships with my students. Now I’ve returned to Mexico City and I teach badminton at clubs. I also teach youth categories who will participate in the National Games and can qualify for the Pan Am Junior Championships. I also work with adults, which is something that many of us may not consider, but which is a very important and essential part of every country.”
It’s often difficult to share responsibilities in various areas of life, including family, work, and more. Cynthia has been able to manage this very well without neglecting her responsibilities and dreams. She’s been able to balance her time and care for her loved ones without neglecting her work and her desire to continue improving and developing in her profession.
“I have the support of the institutions I work with so I can spend time with my family, with my baby, to enjoy him, and at the same time, continue working, teaching, offering training, and continuing to prepare with courses. Nowadays, women have so many tools to grow and to balance motherhood with work and professional life. Of course, it’s hard, tiring, but I don’t see it as a sacrifice. I see it as an opportunity for personal and professional growth and to enjoy time with my family—with my baby, in this case, who is the most important thing in my life.”
In addition to being a coach and mother, Cynthia recently took on a position with the Mexican Badminton Federation, which also involves sharing her time with ensuring the well-being of athletes and providing them with opportunities to continue growing in our sport.
“I’m a medalist member of the Federation. It doesn’t sound too complicated, but it’s a position that requires a lot of respect and a lot of enthusiasm to be able to defend what Mexican badminton athletes want to achieve and support them administratively so they can continue to achieve their dreams and goals.”
Her youth allows her to share new ideas and recall fresh memories of her time as a player, which connects her with athletes of this generation. Many admire her and consider her a role model, which also gives her a different perspective and allows her to take on new responsibilities for her students.
“When you become an athlete and represent your country, it comes with an immense responsibility because you become an inspiration to many children and an example to follow. As teenagers, you don’t realize the impact you can have in front of so many people or that you can be a role model for children in your country and in other countries. Sometimes we don’t realize the reach we have when practicing a sport at an international level, and I believe that’s what inspired me to want to give my all as an athlete. It continues to inspire me to become a better coach every day, so I can make the right decisions and promote badminton in Mexico and help it grow.”
Little by little, we can see more women involved in various roles in our sport and who have achieved various achievements that inspire other women to also get involved in badminton and see that they can achieve their dreams and goals.
“I started the sport in a state in Mexico where badminton didn’t exist, and now the children have already won medals at the national level and qualified for the Pan Am Junior Championships. I think this is the fruit of hard work, dedication, and the love with which I do it. It’s a very inspirational topic for me, because there aren’t many women in Mexico dedicated to coaching. Having the responsibility and being an example to many other women that we can also be coaches and be part of the badminton scene in Mexico and continue contributing is an incentive for me to keep improving, to keep preparing, and to let the world know that there is good badminton in Mexico.”
What does it mean to you to be a woman in sports?
“It’s beautiful. That a woman can represent her country, that she can now be an inspiration to young girls who want to achieve something in life, who want to be the best badminton players in the world. From a professional perspective, being a woman has always been seen as something that doesn’t allow you to aspire to very high positions. I believe that today we are given the necessary and sufficient tools to become very outstanding in badminton, whether as a coach or as part of an administrative team within a federation. There are already women who have set an example for us, and I think that means empowerment. That gives you hope and encourages you to try to achieve things that you might not have imagined.”
Goals achieved, new objectives set, opportunities seized, and a wealth of effort and dedication. These are a few words that sum up Cynthia’s history with our sport, a history that continues to be written in her new roles and that, we are sure, will bring many benefits to Pan Am badminton.
“I thank the Mexican Badminton Federation, Pan Am and the BWF for all the support they give us with the new programs for women, allowing us to continue preparing ourselves as coaches, administrators, and sports managers. I believe they give us all the necessary tools to achieve and be whatever we decide and want within this beautiful sport. I congratulate all the women for the great work they do every day because sport empowers and makes women much stronger.”
