Badminton​ season opens with a smash

School has just been in session for a month, and the Badminton team has already displayed their high-level skills through their achievements. In a recent tournament held at Wynberg Allen school, the senior girls’ team won gold, and the boys’ teams came second. 

The senior girls’ team was represented by Kiara Reavan and Frizia Rounak, Class of 2020, and Aditi Gaur, Class of 2024. The boys’ team included Kung Wijunamai, Class of 2021, and Uzair Ishaq, Class of 2022.

Although Guar is in Grade 8 and the youngest player in the team, she demonstrated excellent skills and has become an extremely valuable asset for the team. 

Reaven, who is the oldest player in the team, acknowledged her teammates and commended the effort put in by them when she injured herself during one of the games. “I sprained my ankle in the first match, which was really frustrating. Frizia and Aditi did a really good job on covering up on my part,” Reavan said. 

Mr. Ajay Negi, Badminton coach, said that “[The tournament] went on from 2 in the afternoon to 11:15 at night. [The players] were all really tired, but they had the heart to give it everything [they had ]and were determined to win.”

The final game that the girls played against Wynberg Allen School proved to be very challenging, however, they managed to come through. 

“We were down 15 to game point and yet, [Frizia and Aditi] managed to recover from that. I felt so proud of them,” Reavan said. 

Mr. Negi also pointed out that “[the boys] have been working exceptionally hard [and] they are very promising players.”

It is a common norm among students and staff that some sports at this school get overshadowed by others. 

“Football and Basketball take priority over badminton [so sometimes] we don’t get enough time to practice,” Wijunamai said. 

However, in recent years, those underrepresented sports are being acknowledged. “Badminton is slowly but definitely getting the recognition it deserves,” Aviva Balani, Class of 2021, said. Balani is also part of the Senior Girls Badminton team. 

Mr. Negi and the team have been working hard towards making badminton a more prominent sport at Woodstock. Since he became the coach in August 2018, he has given his best to push the sport forward.

“Since we decided to make [Badminton] a year-round PASSAGE, the sport really grew. There is a lot more student interest now,” Mr. Negi said. 

He believes that the reason more students are interested in the sport is because they have seen the sport being played and the results they can get. “[Students] want to be a part of the team” now, more than ever. 

“Badminton is not as easy as people make it seem. It requires a lot of skills and a strong will,” Reavan added. 

Members of the Badminton team have been working exceptionally hard, but have received little credit.

Janvi Poddar is the Managing Editor of The Woodstocker 

Edited by Shivaansh Garg 

Photo by Archita Aggarwal