Greetings from Orange County, California

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Greetings from Orange County, California, where my US Open is now finished. The day before yesterday, I was defeated quarter-finals by my friend and teammate, Stephan Wojcikiewicz. Apart from winning the tournament, this is the way I would have liked to end my international career. Unfortunately he didn't continue his winning run in the semi-final, having to bow out to a player from Taiwan. They were 14-all in the third game and Steph twisted his knee slightly. As this was the same knee that he injured seriously a few years ago, he wisely pulled out at this point. That ended the run of the Canadian men's singles players.

On another, happier note, Anna Rice, our best woman badminton player, just won the women's singles event. Her run to the podium was quite smooth, apart from a HUGE semi-final match where she had to fight to the end against a strong german opponent, who for 90% of the match was controlling the rallies. Anna had to give everything to get the shuttles back and in the end she proved more tenacious. Her victory in this tournament is well deserved.

Recently I have felt like I am in a period of transition, not quite knowing where my path will lead in the years to come. Since I first decided to become a professional badminton player years when I was just a teenager until this point, my path has been more or less clear. My drive to achieve what I have achieved has been almost completely unrelenting. For the past couple of years, more and more the thoughts of life after badminton have been invading my psyche; questions like, "what if I started my schooling now versus later?", or, "When is enough actually enough?", or "How will I make a living when I am finished playing badminton?" have been some of the bigger ones. I know that the answers to these questions will reveal themselves to me in time; I am not too worried about that, but the feeling of uncertainty in this way is going to take some getting used to. The very cool thing in all of this, is that despite the uncertainty, when it comes to this new chapter, I feel like I did when I was a beginner badminton player. My eyes are being opened to the possibilities of what I can do and achieve, and everything is fresh and new. I will try to bask in the feeling and enjoy my days of play and working towards certain future outcomes.

With that being that, I must go off and enjoy a night on the town here in Los Angeles. It's my last night here for a while, so I will make the most of it!

Good night and until next time...

Andrew

ANDREW ROBERT DABEKA

(c) 613.222.3302

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