As we all know, there are a lot of sports in PSAL, but how much do you know about badminton? You might think badminton is just hitting a little birdie around, but no, it’s a sport of critical thinking and top-notch fitness.
Furthermore, badminton is played with seven main players. There are three singles matches and are ordered by Singles 1, 2, and 3 from the best player and so on, with Singles 1 carrying the most pressure to lead the team. The other matches are double matches, played by Doubles 1 and 2. Doubles needs a lot of cooperation and skills to play.
As the new season starts for girls’ badminton varsity, many new players are joining, which fixes the problem of not having enough players on the roster. Since all the previous players were seniors and graduated last year, we have a whole new team for this year with only two players remaining from 2023-2024.
“Before the girls’ badminton season started, I was a little concerned because we have five strong players graduated, but we have two players left so not much worries. This team is one of my favorite teams, they are very hardworking and very nice girls. I’m having a lot of fun. I think this team will still make it into the playoffs but not into the championship. If we continue to improve, we can definitely surprise some of the teams out and win them unexpectedly,” Coach Mr. Gross said.
For the upcoming games, even though the new players have filled the open spots, they have much to learn and many fears that their inexperience would come at a price.
“For this year’s team, I see potential in them. It was similar to how I started playing where I was also a beginner, but slowly, as it got more competitive, I could see their dedication to do better. As starters, I think they’re doing pretty good. Such as our singles 2, Ya Tan, I’ve seen big improvements from her compared to last year,” Alumni Doubles 1 player Sophia Shi said.
On March 13, 2025, the girls’ badminton team had a scrimmage with Edward Murrow to try out the new players playing the game and give them more experience. They have a game on every Tuesday and Thursday. Their official first game was at Tottenville High School on March 18, 2025.
“This is my first time playing for a school team, and it was a very good experience. During the game, I felt overwhelmed, but I was still very excited to play for the school team. This is something new to me, but it’s always good to try new things and understand what is right for you,” Singles 3 player Anna Chen said.
Despite the changes in roster, the team has thrived to start their first six games of the season, amassing a 5-1 record and sitting in second place in their division as of Friday, April 4, 2025. As for the future of badminton in John Dewey, there are a lot of players that have great potential. These players are training for next year’s matches. Look out for more games through the month of April, with the next home game coming against McKee/Staten Island Tech on Thursday, April 10, 2025.
