Hi there,

Unfortunately, I've been dropped from the GB funding programme. I was offered a new deal - but only if I moved to Milton Keynes (home of the National Badminton Centre).

For several reasons, I decided it wasn't for me. I don't think it is necessary, and my life is based in Glasgow. I've got my own flat, a boyfriend and I feel I'm too old to up sticks and move south.

It's a shame, and I realise that I haven't met all the targets needed for full GB funding. But I'm hoping that Sportscotland are going to keep helping me and I definitely want to keep going until London 2012.

It's a shame that I haven't made the Olympics this year - Beijing would have been amazing. The British team will be selected on May 1 but I've already accepted that I have no chance. I had to get into the world's top 16 and I just haven't played well enough.

I will still have to meet a lot of targets to receive financial help from Sportscotland. That's the way it should be - and I'm ready for the challenge. I do feel I've played better than my results suggest over the past year or so.

When you drop out of the top 32 in the world and have to go through two or three rounds of qualifying it becomes very hard. An example was this year's All-England. I won two qualifying matches and then lost in three ends in round three. That's tough.

But I'm looking forward to playing for Scotland in this month's European Championships in Denmark. We've got a tough draw against Denmark and Russia. But we did well in the Uber Cup this year (Scotland reached the semi-finals for a first time) and confidence is high.

Sadly, Emma Mason has torn her Achilles so that means she will probably be out for nine months or so. But Rita Yuan Gao has again come out of retirement to help out at the Europeans. I think she's had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra.

It is great that she is still willing - but it also shows how poor the depth is in Scotland.

Still, I'm looking forward to keeping the flag flying for the next few years. Because of the funding situation, I've not worked out my summer schedule - but I'm looking forward to getting my ranking up again and the next Commonwealth Games are now not far away.

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Susan is supported by the Scottish Institute of Sport.  See her profile here.