Badminton program aims to earn respect for sport
Players like junior Phuong Le are out to prove that badminton takes the intensity and dedication required of all other sports.
March 17, 2009 • written by Emilio Ronquillo
Whether it’s the small playing court, the dimintive rackets, or the daintily-named “birdie”, non-players find reasons to disregard the legitimacy of badminton. It has only been an Olympic sport since 1992, and while it is wildly popular throughout Asia, good luck finding a tab for it on the ESPN news-ticker.
Like its sport, the Mariner program hopes to change perceptions about itself. This year, the team intends to solve its image problems by instituting a cut system and emphasizing the development of JV players.
First year badminton assistant coach Dean Dizikes, who played high school badminton during the 1980s, still believes that the sport hasn’t been accepted by western audiences.
“Spectators don’t given badminton enough credit,” Dean said. “People need to remember that the finer parts of the game take a lot of skill.”
This prevailing nonchalant attitude about badminton has been observed within past teams. The apathy demonstrated by some players can be attributed to the general “social” sport reputation of badminton, as well as the design of matches that denies many JV players in-game action.
“Badminton has been seen as some sport that you join because you want to have chill and hit a birdie,” sophomore captain Ryan Sutardji said. “For the longest time, [fellow players and I] have been trying to convince people that playing badminton takes hard work.”
Badminton’s yearly signup list is consistently long. “We had a team of about 60-70 last year,” junior Eric Cruz said.
However, the quantity of applicants doesn’t reflect some players’ devotion to the sport.
“A lot of players were distractions in practice,” Cruz added. The Varsity player recalled many instances in which some Mariners would follow their own agenda while coaches were working with other players.
Those indifferent attitudes would spill over into games. ”During games last year, there would be JV players doing homework on laptops, and leaving before all matches were over,” junior Phuong Le, a Varsity captain said.
The sour attitude of some JV players stemmed from not being able to play. Sophomore Marianne Medrano, who only stepped onto the court in twice last year, remembers that many of her teammates consequently skipped practices or messed around during drills, due to their lack of playtime.
Coupled with the busy schedules of coaches, a domino effect reverberated throughout the team. Varsity captains would have to take time out of their own practices to straighten out their JV teammates.
Top singles player, senior Adrian Taruc, believes that the system was “unfair” to captains. “Because of the gym size, [Varsity players] have to practice outside of school anyway.” Having to train young players only takes away from the practice Taruc and others could get at school.
For better practice efficiency and more play time for JV players, the team will install a cut system that trims down the 60-name sign up list to a roster of 40.
The cut system’s purpose is to field a skilled team that legitimately wants to compete. Ideally, the cuts will weed out the players who are a detriment to the team. With less players, the coaches will be able to better manage their time in teaching the JVs the technique of the game. Also, there will be significantly less players who miss out on game time.
This emphasis on grooming the younger players is another change of direction within the program. “In past years, the coaches focused on improving Varsity, and the JV players didn’t get much attention,” said Le. “Now the coaches want to train the JV for the future, because the Varsity doesn’t need the same kind of help.”
Because the coaches will devote most of their time to the JV team, the Varsity captains will be left to training themselves and each other. However, the upper tier players know that the focus on JV players is what’s best for the program.
Senior Charles Kim, a three year Varsity veteran, believes that the success of the entire team is important, even though JV wins and losses aren’t tracked. “I’m not satisfied with winning on my own,” he said.
In addition to the tangible changes of the cut system and redirection of coaching focus, the team looks to alter its image by stepping out of the shadows of past teams.
According to Sutardji, whose brother Kevin Sutardji ‘08 played badminton, the team has been dipping in rankings for three to four years.
Le is the sister of Duc Le 06′, who used to star on the team in its more prosperous times. After two years of playing alongside all players that succeeded her brother’s team, she concluded, “We haven’t been able to match the skill level of that 2006 team.”
Although the players certainly have quite a legacy to uphold, coach Dean is certain that 2009 can be the season in which the team makes a name for its own.
“For some reason, many players and spectators capitulate, especially when it comes to Mt. Eden [the top team in the HAAL]. But there’s no reason for that. As long as we keep the energy level high and stay mentally tough, we can beat any school.”
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