Back for another season, the Cathedral badminton team has begun with a promising start. Last week, they won their first game in years against the Mission Bay Buccaneers.

The team members, however, feel that the team has not done all that well in the past because of a lack of dedication, practice, and skill. “I don’t think we’ve done well in the past years because we have a lot of new people compared to other local schools who have many players that are more dedicated than most,” said junior team member Anthony Kackman.

Also, sophomore Michael Hendrik believes the team has not done very well due to lack of experience in most of the players. “Most of the volleyball and basketball players play year round, but most of the badminton players only play during the school’s season. To see success over a long period of time, our team needs to be more involved with the sport outside of school,” Hendrik said.

Despite the team’s troubling history, the team members are very optimistic for the season and are excited about being on the team. Junior Devany Harrell says she joined the badminton team because she had played it once before and wanted to be on a sports team at CCHS because of the sense of community. “My favorite part about badminton is playing. It can be really fun playing against other schools. I have played some really nice people who tell me, “Hey! Good hit!”, when I got a point. I just think it’s really fun to play doubles and work together,” she said.

Junior Anthony Kackman is looking forward to making the badminton team much better than it has been in the past, given the team’s closeness and the new laidback atmosphere under new coach Mr. Brett Ormsby.

“In this season I just look forward to having a great time with my team and want to try my hardest to win as many games as possible. I enjoy the great teammates and the relaxed nature of the games and practices,” said Kackman. Hendrik agreed and said, “This season I look forward to being a part of a fresh start. We have a new coach and a bunch of new players, which gives us an opportunity to rebuild from the ground up.”

In the end, the team is made whole through their familial connection. Hendrik said, “The main thing I love about Badminton is the camaraderie. Our team is very close with each other, and it is nice to know that, through the ups and downs, we are all in this together.”