When Abbie Brooks first picked up a badminton racket at Crieff Primary School, there was an instant connection.
There was not at that young stage, however, any real further thought about the journey the sport could take her on.
Fast forward to the beginning of this year and, now 18, shuttle star Brooks had not long returned from competing at the Iceland International in Reykjavík.
Turn the calendar back a few months prior and she had proudly taken to the court at the European Junior Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
And earlier in the summer she had touched down in another capital city - Tórshavn - for the Faroe Games Junior International where she finished second.
“In the final over in the Faroe Islands I actually had a really bad tear in my hamstring tendon,” Brooks reflected. “I was essentially out for six months.
“But I went to compete at the Europeans and wanted to give it my best shot anyway for the experience. I was very happy with how I competed, despite being injured.
“Being able to compete at that level - and get a comparison of where I was among other players - was encouraging.
“After the Europeans I took a few months off to get my hamstring back to where it was and so I was fully recovered.
“My first competition back was Iceland a couple of weeks ago. I managed to get through qualifying and then had an unlucky draw coming up against the number two seed.
“But I was very pleased with how competitive the match felt.”
Brooks, who attended Crieff High School, has always had that competitive edge.
“I was first introduced to badminton in PE at primary school,” she smiled. “Someone who ran the badminton club came up for an introductory session.
“I started going to the local club in Crieff from the end of primary six and have been hooked ever since.
“Like everyone else, I don’t think I was the best to begin with but stubbornness runs in my family.
“The determination to keep going with it was very strong and I’m glad I did because it has become such a massive part of my life over the last seven years.
“When I started playing more regularly and getting coaching, I did develop quite quickly. I started playing with the adults in Crieff and got into the league divisions in Perth.
“That is how I was picked up by a badminton group called Midlands and also by Dan Travers. I trained with both of them for the first four years of my career.”
Rising through the ranks, there was soon a realisation that playing badminton - a sport she was growing ever fond of - could become a career.
“After the first few competitions I thought, wow, I want to do this as a career,” explained Brooks, who last weekend reached the quarter-final of the Scottish National Championships.
“As soon as I knew it was an option, it was something my heart just wanted to do.
“Over the past few years I’ve been in the senior development squad run by Badminton Scotland, which has aided my development massively. I have enjoyed every second of that.
“At the minute I’m taking another wee break just to recuperate and will see what the future has in store.”
