SHUTTLECOCK

Peter Von Rüden President of SFE | 2444 total views since Jan 03, 05|

Mister Peter Von Rüden, the President of the SFE and the Vice President of the International Shuttlecock Federation (ISF), speaks about Shuttlecock Sport and the Shuttlecock history in Germany.

Rep.: Hello Mr. Peter Von Rüden, thank you for your precious time, I hope I don’t hinder you.

Pre.: Hello, no there is no problem.

Rep.: As far as I know Mr. Peter, you are the precursor of Featherball in Europe, can you tell me few things about when and how you came in contact?

Pre.: I came in contact with shuttlecock (Featherball) during my journey to China in 1984, where I saw, for first time in my life, people playing on the street with the Featherball. I found it amazing and it impressed me so I asked about it and I was informed that it was a 3.000 years old Chinese game. While leaving China, I bought some featherballs and when I returned in Germany, I started playing with some friends of mine. For at least six years, I was playing with 3 or 4 German friends, just for fun, knowing anything about the existence of Featherball game and its rules. In 1989, I learnt from Chinese people about the creation of the game which was dated back in 1950 and I decided to establish my first club, which actually was the first club in Europe. Some years later, and due to the fact that the members didn’t work enough, I established a second club, which was the first completed club with about 15 members. My next step was to go to the University of Dortmund where I create one more team, and after some years of “cultivation”, I organized the 1st championship in Germany, between the teams of Hagen and Dortmund.

Rep.: So, since then you started the efforts of spreading Featherball in Germany as well as in Europe. What movements did you make, and how difficult it was?

Pre.: Well, I tried to promote Featherball in Europe by contact with many people, including Hungarians and Finnish, through ISTPOL at Munich. And I communicated for the first time with Mr. Janos Feher, who bought from me 500 featherballs and who acts so as to organized a great event at Budapest, between 1990 and 1992, the first competition in Hungary. The funny thing was that when I gave to Mr. Janos the rules, I told him that the net must be about 76cm far from the floor, but he didn’t understand very well and instead he set up the net so as its high to be 76cm, and, of course, they
were playing like that. Also, in Finland, I provided with featherballs Mr. Peter Shild, a man who had a martial art school and shop with this kind of equipment and who sale them to Finland people.
Indeed, since I started to spread the game at Europe, China begun to introduce it to Asian states like Vietnam, Laos and Taiwan.

Now, about Germany, it was very difficult to spread Featherball because I was quiet old, 38 years old, and I didn’t have good technique so people were a bit unfavorable, saying “what is this?”. But, when I went to China and I saw old women and men to play Featherball, children and in general people of every age and gender, I decided to drop my job as an engineer and to work on the spread of what I love and like so much.

Rep.: Today in Germany ,is Featherball a well-known sport? Could it become an official sport?

Pre.: I could say that it is a quiet known sport. Indeed, it is already been taught at some schools where we demonstrated it. Apart from the students that I have taught and the teachers I have trained, I have an official book which includes the rules of the game and which I use to give to the schools that they are interested. Nevertheless, Featherball is not an official sport yet. According to the sport federation that I had asked, to become an official sport it needs at least 20.000 players. Of course it’s not so difficult anymore because as far as we can see, it has the opportunities. For example, in the Championship of 2002 the countries who had participated were 9, whilst we expecting 15 to 20 countries in the 2006 championship.

Rep.: Have you organized many Championships?

Pre.: Oh!!! Many! There must be 20, 30 maybe more! When I started it was very difficult but now it is better.

Rep.: Do you believe that the introduction of Featherball in the Olympic games of 2008 in Beijing will have a good-effect in its spread? Do you thing it can become an Olympic sport?

Pre.: For the time, our organization is too small and about included in the Olympic Games, it must be known in other countries, too, like America and Australia. But, certainly, if the Chinese President promotes it in the Olympic games of 2008, it will really help a lot.

Rep.: Do you have any plans about the promotion of Featherball in countries which are not informed yet?

Pre.: Yes. Actually, next year in Germany we are going to organize the International World Games, an event in which “World” sports , other than Olympics, are including. We believe in this way Featherball will become known to Canada and Netherlands as well.

Rep.: What are the difficulties for you today?

Pre.: The difficult part for me is to give motivation so as more and more people to start playing Featherball. But as far as I can see, it is good to start from very young age like 6 and 7 years old. I already do that with young players; it is hard but also helps in the development of the techniques. It is the only way to win, one day, the Asians.

Rep.: Can you tell me some few things about the equipment?

Pre.: I usually buy 20.000 to 40.000 featherballs from China and then I sail them in Europe. Indeed, I have created a catalogue that includes everything about Featherball and from this catalogue the persons which are interested can choose what they want. Then, for ordering, I communicate with China. From there I buy the shoes , too, since it is non-profit for us to make them in my country.

Rep.: Mr. Peter, can you make a wish for the future of Featherball?

Rep.: I wish more clubs to be created, more countries to be informed about Featherball and participate to the championships and finally, I wish one European country to manage to win the Asians.

Tin- What advice would you like to give?

Rep.: My advice is to start playing Featherball from the age of 6, following many kinds of training. It is good for children to begin like playing and gradually to learn about the rules and to do the right training.

Rep.: Thank you very much, Mr. Peter, for your time. Your help is important!

Pre.: Thank you, too! Before ending, I would like to express my happiness because of the great help that my family has offered to me all these years. I am grateful because my daughter and my wife have worked very hard with me.