Bowen badminton captain Paramasivam a 'silent leader'
Paramasivam Jayadev set the tone for Bowen Secondary School's C Division badminton team when they met their counterparts from Canberra Secondary School in the preliminary round of the North Zone championships yesterday.
The 14-year-old team captain romped to a 21-11, 21-9 win in the opening singles and the Bowen outfit didn't take their foot off the pedal, eventually posting an emphatic 5-0 victory to raise the cheers on their own home court.
Speaking to The New Paper later, Paramasivam said: "I try to play well in every match. I want to win and I also want my teammates to be inspired."
Bowen's teacher-in-charge for badminton, Randy Low, described Paramasivam as a "silent leader".
"He can joke around with his friends, but he will do what has to be done," said Low.
"At first, he struggled (with the role of captain) but he's gaining authority now. The vice-captain (Dean Daniel Ong) supports him and the others listen to him."
Paramasivam acknowledged the role of captain was a challenging one.
"It's very tough because some people don't want to listen, and you must try to make them listen and understand," he said. "We try to support the team so that everyone does what is right. We also build a strong bond through helping one another.
"During training, if the training is very hard, we try to support each other so that it's not so tiring."
Bowen are not a traditional powerhouse in schools badminton, but Low believes the team's work ethic will get them far.
"They are very diligent and they work hard," Low said.
"They really put in a lot of effort and you can see their dedication."
Paramasivam is eyeing a spot in the nationals, and a shot at giants such as the Singapore Sports School.
"So far so good. We've made it through the first round and we must strive to make the semi-finals of our Zone," he said.
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