Over the years, the OH athletic department has created many athletic opportunities that apply to a variety of students. From soccer and basketball to bass fishing and upcoming flag football, there is something for everyone. One option for girls who want to get involved in the OH athletic community is our badminton program.
The girls’ badminton program is a great opportunity for people who want a spring sports option. With practices this past season starting in February and the season coming to a close in May with sectionals, students participated in practices every day after school. They also have weekly games, and Saturday meets most weeks as well.
Overall, the team might not have accumulated many wins, but the real win was making more progress towards that idyllic winning season—a goal the badminton team strives to achieve while still maintaining an enjoyable environment for its participants.
“I enjoy every practice and every game, even when we lose, the team still has fun,” said varsity player junior Soumya Sulakhe.
Record aside, being on the badminton team is a great experience for the players. Being on a team is a great way to be involved at OH and make lots of friends; the badminton team is a great example.
“I have so many good memories with the team that I can’t think of just one. We always have a great time together,” said varsity teammate junior Olivia Blaszynski.
Make no mistake, though; the badminton team consists of highly dedicated players and hard workers. They work just as hard as any of the more mainstream programs at OH and their practice is integral to their success as a team.
“The girls on our team and the ones we go against are so tough, hardworking, and athletic. As our coach always says “It’s definitely not backyard badminton”,” said varsity athlete junior Gabi Concepcion.
Just like any other sport, the essential step towards improvement is trying new things, which the team is quite familiar with after this season.
“The team’s season has been very good […] We have been open to new kinds of practices, new partners, and we’ve all been good at listening to what coach thinks is best and rising to his expectations,” said Concepcion.
Badminton is both a team sport and individual sport. Some players play doubles, where they and a partner face off against another duo, and others play singles just on their own—some even do both—but the team as a whole needs to do well to have a winning season, which also relies on those incoming to the program.
“The team has been getting bigger and bigger each year. During my Freshman year, there were barely twenty of us and now we have a little over thirty. It would be great to have more people join, but a lot of people don’t know we have a badminton team here,” said Blaszinski.
Looking into next year, hopes are high that the team will continue to grow and keep creating those great seasons that make it all worth it for the players. For most of the girls on the team, their journey began with just wanting to try something new and get involved with athletics OH, but it has ended up with them falling in love with the team they joined and so all that hard work that goes into building that next great season is always worth it.
I am a senior at OH and so excited to be a Managing and Opinions Section Editor this year! I love working on 42Fifty, but I am also very involved in band and numerous honor societies here. Looking forward to doing great work this year!
