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An Interview With Archie Chawla

We sat down with Archie to reflect on his illustrious career.

 

Archie Chawla, a member of the Class of 2015 Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder of Badminton, Squash & Tennis, retired on August 31, 2016.

Prior to talking about his numerous accomplishments as a coach, I first should mention how appreciative I am to have had him as my personal coach for so many years.  Like many others over the past 40 years I fell captive to his lively personality and strong coaching abilities, and without him as my mentor and coach in the badminton world I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Archie’s career spans the early 1970’s all the way to 2016, and in that time he has won handfuls of provincial titles of his own, and coached several athletes to national titles from several capacities including head coach at Canoe Club, Winnipeg Winter Club and Provincial Coach of Badminton Manitoba.

People know him as a fun-loving, technically driven, passionate badminton coach with an ever-increasing appetite for hole in the wall food joints.  If you’ve ever had the privilege of travelling with him, you probably remember the odd Chinese or East Indian restaurant you were forced to enjoy after the competition was over.  But it’s probably something as simple as the joy that fills his heart just to see one of his students, aged 4 to 94, enjoy the sport of badminton, that makes us remember him as such an outstanding coach.

Please enjoy this interview with the man they call Archie.

 

 

Name: Arjinder (Archie) Chawla

DOB: December 8, 1950

Marital Status: Married to Pat Chawla (Johnson)

Children: Sean & Tara Chawla

Archie (A)

Where did you first start playing badminton?

A – In my veranda in my house, located in a little village called Kassa, India.  Just a little village, but we had a big house.

Everybody around me played badminton, my older brother Pal, my Uncle Damon.  Even people from my mom’s side of the family as well, but I didn’t know them as well.

We used to have a warehouse with a really high ceiling and he (dad) converted into a badminton court and when family would visit we would play in there and I was exposed to it that way.

How did your career as a badminton player evolve?

A – It started playing in school in the city of Amritsar in Grade 7, and even then I didn’t play as much as I watched.  Grade 9 is probably the first time I played in a tournament and I would have been 13 years old.  Playing for the school team was my first experience playing on a team.  School badminton is huge in India and I remember playing my first big tournament in the city finals against another school and I remember that match like it was yesterday because I lost that match and basically lost our school the city title against a kid in grade 11.  I was up 14-9 after winning the first, and I lost that game and the rest of the match; but it’s ok it was only in front of about 3000 kids (sarcastically).

Badminton was bigger in schools back then.  Although I did play in the provincial championships and didn’t amount to much.  I played most of my badminton in schools.  Our school had an arrangement with the club though that we could use the club after school if we were on the school team.

I won the Punjab state championships with my city after that as well.

My father left his job and we moved to near Delhi, in a city called Meerut (in a different state), but there was no badminton in the school.  There was 1 court in the entire city and it was on concrete!  I just played against anybody and everybody there was to play on that concrete court though while I was in high school.  I won the U18 Singles and Doubles in that city (laughing) on the concrete court.  It was a smooth concrete though, not a rough one.

The rules at the time though (1965) stated that you had birth rights to a certain area, so I could go back to my original area and compete in their state championships (Punjab).  I won the U18 at the age of 14 in Singles and Doubles.  I improved over players that were beating me in the past just from playing so much on the concrete court.  I didn’t do any training except on the court playing all the time, and I rode my bike 20-30 miles per day just getting around; going to school, visiting friends, etc.  I didn’t even get to collect my prize because after the junior competition the Indian enforces attacked Pakistan and everything was shut down because we were so close to there; and the adult competition didn’t even get to happen.  I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting on tall buildings, just 17 miles from the airport and near the border, watching bombs go off and the flashing of lights and the sound of the planes zooming around.  It was something you don’t forget.

I wasn’t allowed to attend nationals that year because I would have missed 1 mid-term exam.

I played quite a bit of badminton the next year but I didn’t really play tournaments.  I couldn’t go to Punjab Championships, and then the following year they didn’t hold the championships near where I was.

During this time I was now 16 years old and attending Hindu College, and my dad became ill and was staying with my cousins.  My mom and I went to see him and the College coach asked my dad and mom if I would move back to play for him at the College.  My older brother (Pal) played for him and so he must have thought that something was in the genes.  I went and played for them and we lost in the state finals that year (which we shouldn’t have lost).  College Championships were HUGE at that time.  Probably 50-60 colleges all competing regionally before the limit few go to inter-state championships.  I was always too young to go to inter-states.

The following year I moved back to Meerut, and went to Meerut University.  This was the first year that this University was formed, by combining a bunch of colleges.  It so happens that the university hosted the North Zone State College Championships and we Won on Home Court.  We beat all the senior players that were there from my previous state in the final to boot.  A real story of redemption.  We went on to play inter-state championships and lost in the finals to University of Mumbai.  I also won the junior singles and doubles in my Punjab state that year.

Other than college badminton I probably played 3 other tournaments, including state championships and junior nationals.  I never lost a singles match that year, but I didn’t win the national championship because I turned 18 the day of the semi-finals and had to withdraw.  I had beaten the guy earlier in the week in the team competition, and he was the #1 ranked player in the tournament.

I still played a lot after that but I didn’t really compete because the badminton really declined after that.  I played my last tournament in 68’ and I planned to move to Winnipeg after that, but it was held up until 71 due to immigration issues.

 

 

Why did you start coaching?

A –Pal used to be at Wildewood, and Uncle Damon was at Winnipeg Winter Club.  Pal took the job in Regina in fall of 1971 and I was supposed to replace him.  My idea was to come as a coach, work for a while and go to school.  I did do all that but I didn’t finish school. 

When did you move to Manitoba?

A – January 13, 1971.  Landed in Toronto January 12 (Pat’s Birthday)

Can you tell us about your career path in Manitoba? Where you have coached in what capacities?

A – I worked at Wildewood until 1974, and that year the club burned down and was re-built the fall of 1974.  The Wildewood Club though fired me because they felt they didn’t want a part-time employee and I was still going to school, so I took a part-time coaching job at the Winter Club under my brother Pal. 

I was also coaching Tennis at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club for a couple of years from 1972-74.

I did part-time summer tennis at Winter Club in 1974 on top of the part-time badminton.

(Laughing) I also did 1 month in the mines in Thompson.  But that only lasted a month.

Pat and I started going out in the fall of 1975.  We met at the Canoe Club Open, and I asked her out and she said, “no”.  I’m not going to tell you the whole story but later on she said, “if you’re still available I’ll go for a drink”.  I think her sister helped her change her mind, and I’m thankful for that.

It wasn’t until 1979 that I got my first full-time coaching job.  That’s when I started coaching squash at the Winnipeg Winter Club.  I took over for Charlie Yves who was retiring.  I still taught tennis at Deer Lodge in the summer time as well.  It was common for coaches to pick up many jobs like this because sports were more seasonal and you needed to make some extra cash somehow.

In 1981 the Winnipeg Canoe Club offered me a full-time job coaching all three sports; Badminton, Tennis and Squash, and running the pro-shop.  I took over for Richard Earl.  This was a bit of a dream job for me at the time.  It was a lot of work but I was young and I could handle it.  I didn’t have any assistants but Pat would help me out now and then.  I worked there until 1994.

I left there to work at the Carlton Club, downtown Winnipeg on Fort Street, which was a men’s squash club.  I still had the shop at Canoe Club and I still worked with high performance badminton athletes and summer tennis.  I was there for 2 years before they closed down.

This was good timing because that’s when the German group took over the Canoe Club and they asked me to come back full time, so I didn’t really miss a beat.  I was back there from 1995-99.

In 1999 I remember sitting in the cafeteria of the Winter Club during Provincials, and the General Manager of WWC offered me the Tennis and Squash Coach position, just at the time that the Canoe Club was downsizing staff and offering me less.  So naturally I switched to the Winter Club to take the Tennis and Squash coach position.

In 2001 I told the manager it was too much to handle, and they weren’t willing to offer me any help, so I took the Provincial Coach job with Badminton Manitoba and kept the pro shop at the Winter Club.

That job with Badminton Manitoba lasted 10 years.  It gave me a lot of good experiences working with people around the province.  Experiences like going to Flin Flon, Thompson, Gimli and other places where people took pride in their badminton programs was very rewarding.  There were positive results with young juniors and we had lots of competitive players; Andrew Harrison, David Snider, Sam Parrish and Matt Younger, Brad Enns, Sean, and others of course.  We lost so many Canada Games ties by such a small margin that we should have won.  There was a lot of travel and a lot of time on the road, so the last 5 years took their toll and it was tough to maintain the energy needed for the job.

When the Badminton Pro position became available at the Winter Club it was a chance to be on court more with athletes, and a unique opportunity to continue the tradition of a Chawla running the program at the Winter Club.  I knew all the kids and the program was set up already.

How would you say your coaching has evolved over the years? 70s? 80s? 90s? recently?

A – When I came here I had never worked a day in my life, never mind coached.  I had no coaching or getting coached experience.  I had about a 2 hour tutorial by my Uncle on how to run Group lessons before I started.

I feel like I played more with the members near the beginning.  It was less formal. 

I think the real learning curve started in 74’ assisting Pal at the Winter Club learning how to deal with members, set up a program, host events, etc.

Dealing with expectations of others is something that has been an ever evolving art and science.

How do you think badminton has evolved over the years in Canada?

A – Stagnant (laughing).  We’ve always had occasional sparks, but overall we seem to be in the same place as we were 45 years ago.  We’ve had Wendy Carter, Jaimie Paulson, Michelle Li and a few others who started to break out internationally, but never consistently.  We haven’t done anything significant at Olympics or World Championships yet, and it would be nice to see happen some day.

Which decade was your favourite to coach?

A – Probably the 90’s was my favourite.  80’s and 90’s were the best because those kids were all under my guidance.  I had the most control of my programs during those times.  I had a lot of good squash players.  These were the most fruitful years.

What would you say your coaching philosophy is?

A – My belief is that it is never too late to learn something, and so I’ve learned things my entire career.  I also feel that learning can come from anybody and everybody; a little kid, an adult, an athlete and a non-athlete.  It’s more about dealing with people which is the biggest part of coaching.

Who were your mentors as a coach?

A – Pal would probably be my biggest one.  I worked with him the most.

What were some of your best resources for becoming a better coach?

A – Watching people.  I learned more by watching somebody else and figuring out if I liked it.

What did you like/love about Manitoba and what has made you stay all these years?

A – I think it started from day 1 at the Wildewood Club that it was very welcoming.  I hadn’t travelled that much before, but this felt like home.  Whether I was doing things right or wrong, people were always very accepting and helpful.

What are some of your best experiences coaching in Canada?

A – I think probably would be when Pat won her first provincial title because she started with nothing, worked hard and accomplished her goal.  It was just the two of us working from the ground up.

What is your ideal athlete?

A – Somebody like Greg Bury probably.  The reason I say that is because he played and worked hard and played and worked hard and was always willing to learn and never shut down an idea.  He had just the right amount of ego that he felt he could win, but not too much to not take direction.  Alana Miller would be another example of this, although she didn’t have the ego that Greg did, but she has so much ability and talent that she could compensate for that while playing three sports.  Sally and Marni too.

Who’s your favourite player of all time, Internationally and Locally?

A – Rudy Hartono (Indonesia), and probably Jaimie Dawson.

If you could do anything over again but do it differently, what would it be?

A – Finish school (laughing) and train harder.

How has your family played a part of your personal development?

A – My wife helped me be a better coach.  She helped me stay on task better.  Having children helped me feel more responsible because I had to juggle a lot of responsibilities and made me realize how to use my time very efficiently.

What are some of your most memorable life moments, badminton and non-badminton?

A – It would have to winning my first junior provincial championships when I was 14 against a bunch of 17 year olds who thought they would beat the crap out of me.  Winning that was probably the most exciting.

Winning my first tournament in Manitoba was very exciting as well.

Birth of the first child would have to be the most memorable moment for me.  It was so unique and a beautiful shared moment with your wife.

 

   

 

Lighter Questions….

Do you have a favourite book?

A – Bourne Identity (laughing)

Favourite food or type of food?

A – That’s a tough one!  Just write down, “Food”.

Favourite place to eat in Winnipeg?

A – I really like Clay Oven.  Chinese would be Sam Po Dim Sum.  Colosseo is an Italian restaurant on Corydon.

Your best badminton shot?

A – It’s got to be either the Around the Head Smash or the Cut Drop.  Probably Around the Head Smash.

Favourite place to travel to?

A – Palm Springs.

 

Say the name of the first badminton player that comes to mind after I say the adjective:

Fast – Liem Swie King (Indonesia)

Soft Hands – Rudy Hartono….Pal was pretty good too

Smart – Channarong Ratanaseangsuang (Thailand)

Smash – Swi King

Deception – Rudy Hartono

Hard Working – Jaimie Dawson

Strong – Erland Kops

Smooth – Rudy Hartono

Funny – Russell Peters.  Oh wait, Riley Peake.

 

Any advice for a novice coach?

A – It’s all about others.

What will you do in retirement?

A – Working in the shop (laughing) and play golf.  Play bridge.

Any last thoughts?

A – It’s been a great ride.  No regrets.

 

 

 

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