Arthur Yan ’25, a member of the boys’ badminton team, readies his racket, positioning the birdie and racket into a serving position. He swings the racket seconds later, sending the birdie over the net and starting the match.
The boys badminton team meets every Tuesday and Wednesday for practice. Members of the team complete a variety of different drills during practice. These drills aim to improve and hone their abilities by targeting and strengthening certain weak areas, which Yan feels is helping improve the team.
“I think the team is doing a lot better than I thought it would,” Yan said. “ I still think there’s a lot of room to improve.”
The team has had one match as of Oct. 9 against Evanston Township High School. The dual meet was on Sept. 7, and the team had won.
Math teacher Grant Johnson is the sponsor and head coach of the boys’ badminton team. Johnson has many years of experience playing badminton, and he has helped badminton teams over the years win a multitude of competitions. Under Johnson’s guidance, members feel the team is under good supervision.
“Overall, the team’s been going strong as ever since this is our second year, and we only had one game so far,” Eric Zhang ’25 said.
Johnson has been the head badminton coach for nine seasons now. Though a new team, he believes that the school does appreciate the badminton team.
“The school has been very supportive,” Johnson said. “The athletic director, Coach Tricia Betthauser, has been especially supportive with providing space and equipment if needed.”
The school provides the team with rackets, nets, and birdies for students to use in practice. Yan says that the more expensive parts of the sport are covered. The team is also given a section of the Field House to practice in.
Many members of the team are returning players, allowing the team to build chemistry with one another over their subsequent years on the team. They support each other during practices and work together to overcome obstacles as a high-functioning team.
“I think we have a really good community,” Yan said. “I think everyone in this community should have an opportunity to have a stage to express themselves.”