With the start of the winter sports season, conditioning for spring sports has also begun! The Badminton team meets every day after school near the track to prepare for their upcoming season. Last year there were around fifty-five players on the team out of over a hundred people who attended tryouts. Conditioning, meant to prepare aspiring players for tryouts, is known to be difficult, with endurance, muscular, and stamina training. This year, there are over a hundred people partaking in conditioning, striving to be part of the badminton team.
“I want to join the badminton team because I’ve always found badminton to be a fun sport, and I’m excited to improve my skills, learn from my peers, and work together,” says sophomore Yingzi Chen, who is interested in joining the badminton team for the first time.
This year the captains are trying something new for conditioning: instead of having one large group of people conditioning, they have decided to divide everyone into four groups under each of the four captains. This is aimed towards building stronger personal relationships and closer connections between those new and old to the team.
“I’m thrilled about all the newcomers this year and being able to make new memories with everyone throughout the season,” said junior Valeria Garcia, one of the varsity captains.
In previous years, the Badminton Team has been able to achieve victories in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC), a championship tournament at the end of the season where schools in West Alameda County come together for a final competition. However, with a quarter of the previous team having graduated, the returning players hope to continue their legacy with a strong standing at this season’s WACC.
“I’m definitely pretty ready for this season. I hope that I will be able to pass down my own badminton experience to the future team and ensure our victories over other schools. If we lose, it’s just the process of learning,” says senior Alvin Xie, another varsity captain and president of the Badminton Team.
