Badminton teams finish with strong tournament showing

Though SMIC-I basketball, soccer, and volleyball teams are often in the spotlight, other athletes work just as hard. Among these, are the junior varsity and varsity badminton teams who recently ended their season successfully with their tournament on April 14th. Led by Coach Gina, Coach Kawai, Coach Dean, and Coach Huang, the players trained and practiced throughout the season, also building a close bond with each other in the meantime. The captain of the Varsity team, Olivia Lu (ET11C), commented on and praised a few of her fellow team members: “In my opinion, Isa Kou [was] one of the star players this year. She managed to win all matches for the friendly tournament and the season tournament! Kaiyi Mok also played well in her matches, using her very best skills for her last tournament in high school!”

After almost two months of preparation since February, they were ready. “One team went to CISS for the Varsity tournament while the other two teams went to Suzhou for the JV tournament,” explained Olivia. “The teams all had a good start [that day.] Everyone was cheerful and motivated to encourage each other. As captain, I [was] very pleased to see the team’s family love and I think that the most important factor was to enjoy the process of playing and having fun together, and we achieved that.”

That being said, the teams didn’t come back empty-handed. The Varsity team won 4th place overall, just one place short of a trophy. Within these games, however, girls single won 9 out of 9 games while mixed double won 7 out of 9. All the way in Suzhou, the JV boys were able to bring back a third-place trophy, defeating SAS Puxi. Though many of the team members are seniors and will be graduating in the coming weeks, the team will remain strong and continue their hard work in this sport.

Badminton may not be as mainstream compared to team sports that students here at SMIC-I participate in, but it certainly is not any less demanding or rewarding. Students who are interested in playing this sport should certainly try out next season- not only would they become healthier individuals, it would also be a great opportunity to meet some great teammates and friends.

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