Representing your country is one of the highest honours an athlete can achieve, and is something which Husky badminton player, Gavin Robinson has already done numerous times for his home country of Barbados.
As a child, Robinson was a gifted athlete, and was drawn to the sport of badminton because of the fast pace and demanding schedule at the international level. He's been playing badminton for seven years now, and has already represented his country on several occasions. This honour is something he loves to do and never takes for granted.
"Representing my country on the international stage is a pretty fantastic feeling. Even though I feel some of us take it for granted because we have been doing it for a while, [getting]on that plane or court [is] just an amazing feeling," he explains. "We also have a responsibility, since people don't really know about our country, or [they only know Barbados as the place] where Rihanna is from. We always try to do our best to help promote the country as well as show people what we can do."
Thus far, the 20-year-old has collected a total of 26 medals representing Barbados throughout his junior and now senior career. He has claimed a medal in all badminton categories of Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles. At the 2019 Barbados National Championships, Robinson won silver in both Men's Singles and Men's Doubles, while earning a bronze in Mixed Doubles. He recently won a bronze medal in Senior Mixed Doubles at the 2020 Jamaican Open International. He has already competed in 53 senior matches for his country since turning 19. A massive milestone in his young career so far, was representing Barbados at one of the top stages in North American badminton when he competed in the 2019 Pan Am Badminton Championships.
At such a young age, Robinson's resume of accomplishments on the international stage is already very lengthy. Clearly he is on the verge of having a long and successful badminton career.
Getting the opportunity to play these types of matches will only help his collegiate career moving forward, as he continues to gain valuable experience on and off the court. Going back to when Robinson was deciding on where he wanted to continue his academic and athletic career, he came across George Brown College and thought it was the perfect fit for a few reasons.
"I chose to come to George Brown because the badminton team was the top collegiate team in Canada for the past few years and I had a vast interest in studying engineering there," he stated.
Robinson had a solid first year at George Brown, which included being the Consolation Winner at George Brown's annual Kim Ng Badminton Open in December of 2019. He is truly driven to achieve his goals on the court representing Barbados on the biggest stage, while also helping make a positive impact off court with his studies.
"I would like to achieve a gold medal at the CCAA National Badminton Championships, medal at a Super Series International tournament and qualify for the Olympics," he explained. "I am also studying mechanical engineering and design right now. The program will help me get into a University to get my degree and become a professional engineer who specializes in green energy."
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted millions of lives around the world. It forced the cancellation of the 2020-2021 OCAA and CCAA season. Yet despite the amount of question marks surrounding the 2021-2022 season, Robinson continues to keep himself sharp and ready should he gets a chance to step on the court for the Huskies again.
"My life changed in COVID for the better after I returned home which is Barbados," he said. "During this still-ongoing pandemic I have been exercising every day by going to gym and badminton practice. At times you tell yourself 'this is going on forever and why keep training?' but this is just a learning curve and I love the challenge and feel like I have become a better person. I can't wait until it's over to continue my George Brown Huskies experience."
