The girls badminton team has begun their season and is ready to win.

Head Coach Hannah Roy explained, “Although this is a season with fewer players than previous years, I am still eager to work with these athletes.”

“We have a great group from last year returning, so I am looking forward to seeing them grow together as a team,” she added.

Coach Roy said that one goal for them is to have fun while still being competitive. “It is sometimes hard to lose focus on the real reason we are here. Competition is crucial, but we also need to always have a positive attitude during practice and matches.”

This year the girls are training a bit differently for their upcoming season, starting with focusing on the basics of badminton and building up on footwork and cardio.

Badminton requires a lot of skill as athletes move around the court. Having a foundation will not only help the team stay fit, but it will help get them where they need to be for this season.

Coach Roy is excited to play all the teams in the IAAM since the A and B conference has combined this year.

Coach Roy indicated that the biggest challenge that badminton has faced is that “people don’t think twice about badminton being a competitive sport, but we have a conference of 10 teams who go into a tournament-style championship at the end of the season that players and coaches take very seriously.”

Sophomore Ava Zimmerer said that the biggest challenges are that “our team has this year’s season with a loss of many key players and having to find new people to play in the championships.”

Her goals for this season are “to become a better player, not only for my team but for myself as an individual.”

Ava’s favorite part about the team dynamic is “how close everyone on the team is and how we all get along.”

Ava said that last year the girls badminton team was undefeated and ready for this year to be the same as well.