Alhambra Badminton Aims High

VIVIANNE LAM
Staff Writer

The varsity badminton team started off their first game of the season with a victory against South Pasadena. The South Pasadena games was one of their highlights of the season because it was a close win in both the home and awy game with a score of 11-10. The following matches however were alternating wins and losses. The team’s record has been quite persistent, it is currently 4-4 and they only have two more games left before playing in the league finals.

“This season has been a huge improvement over last year’s for sure. We’ve been working hard, we’ve won a lot more games and we hope to be able to tackle the schools that are farther up in our league,” junior Sun Lu said.

During the team’s practices they tend to work more on techniques ranging from basic footwork to more advanced moves such as drops and smash shots. The team usually practices four days a week in the small gym and sometimes they dedicate their time on the weekend at Almansor Park to practice on the courts that are provided.

“Aside from practicing regularly, my teammates and I also spend our time on the weekend in public parks and badminton clubs such as San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club (SGVB) to strengthen our skills,” senior Chi Yu said.

The team’s great cooperation requires plentiful experience in the sport, precise evaluation of the situation on the court and in game, the ability to immediately readjust to many different skills. The infinite amount of variations on the court also contributes to the difficulty of practicing good cooperation with one another.

“As a mixed and doubles player, the toughest thing about my practice would have to be the cooperation with my partners because it requires plentiful of effort. While it may sound simple, it’s not,” Yu said.

The badminton team next plays in league finals on April 26 and April 27.