People hear the word “athlete” and automatically think, “Oh, they must be really experienced,” or “I bet they’ve been playing ever since they were a little kid.” It’s instantly assumed that that certain individual has years of training in a sport tucked under his or her wing.

That certainly isn’t the case for badminton player Sue Vang. He grew up in a world of video games, mostly role play games like The Legend of Zelda. Vang dances, sings, and also plays piano, which he began to learn how to play earlier this school year. He says he enjoys the sounds of the notes that resonate from the piano.

The sophomore only started playing badminton last year when his older brother, Sai Vang, introduced him to it. “(Sai) sort of talked me into it,” Sue said. “He started to play badminton, and I just went along with it.”

Vang now plays varsity doubles 2. “It’s very competitive. Everyone’s on different levels, no one’s on the same level as you.” The more Vang involves himself in it, the more he grows accustomed to the way badminton is played. He now loves the sport, saying, “I try to go to every practice.”

While being an athlete means one is comfortable with the rules of the games and has a proficient experience in a sport, it doesn’t always require that one needs to achieve a high level of familiarity with the game after many years of playing that sport before being called one.