This past week, the OH girls badminton team wrapped up their season. Throughout the season, the girls brought their best efforts, celebrating their wins and using their losses to learn.
The season started in March and ended last week, and whether they were at practice, at an away game, or playing their final conference match, the girls applied the techniques they learned throughout the season.
“The more the girls compete and develop their badminton skills, the more successful they will be,” said team Coach Scott Freischlag.
Aside from singles, a predominant portion of badminton is doubles. For many of the players, their doubles games are some of the most challenging, requiring a seamless blend of teamwork, communication, and high-level gameplay.
OH juniors Aaliyah Johnson and Briana Escobedo have been each other’s doubles partners for three years now, and as their friendship developed, so did their technique.
“We’ve been partners since freshman year, and I feel like we’ve had more time to work with each other,” said Johnson. “Because we have that advantage, we’ve gotten to be better.”
During their away game at Joliet West, the two won by a landslide, using their skills and cooperation to their advantage.
“We won our doubles game,” Escobedo said. “The first game was 21-18, and the second game was 21-9.”
Doubles badminton is about growing from mistakes to improve for both yourself and your partner. Cooperation is a crucial part of growth in partners.
“I feel like last year we did struggle a little bit with communication. But this year, the communication is just so much better,” Escobedo added. “Our movement is very fluid, and we trust each other a lot that is vital for winning these types of games.”
This year, two sisters are representing the varsity girls’ badminton team. OH senior Hailey Smith and freshman Hayden Smith are competing together as a doubles pair.
“I’d say we don’t really talk that much as teammates; we talk more like sisters,” said Hayden Smith. “I can say something without feeling bad, and when we go home, we can talk about our games. We also know how each other plays.”
Girls’ badminton at OH is a fast-paced racket sport offering both singles and doubles play. It’s the perfect choice if students are looking for an action-packed, short-season sport.
“The girls use their hard work from practice and apply it to a point game, meet, or tournament. They continue to use those moments to earn the victory,” said Freischlag.
Badminton keeps the girls active with several drills and practices to enhance their technique.
“We focus a ton on serving and returning footwork, offensive and defensive strategies, communication for doubles teams, racket work, different types of shots, and we drill in an attempt to keep our opponents on edge,” Freischlag added.
If studnets are interested in joining OH girls badminton team, they are encouraged to check out the schools’ Atheltic Website for more information about next year’s spring season.
Hello!!! My name is Jia Nair, and I am a sophomore at Oswego High School. It is my first year on the staff 42Fifty. At OHS, I am involved in BIONIC, Youth and Government, Girl Scouts, and Business Professionals of America. I also serve as the president of The Rightfully Project. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
