This season was a rollercoaster of emotions, practices, and drills. I’ll be honest and say that this year, Hoover probably had the strongest badminton team, but we only won two out of seven games. The other five games were lost because of mental toughness going up against teams known for their talent. We were a young team that had a lot of learning to do, which results in some games slipping away.

Despite that, we played our hearts out against those players, making sure once we stepped off the court Hoover was respected. I plan on coming back after I graduate so I can coach the future team. This year also has the best rookies that I’ve seen since my own rookie year. They learned the foundations of badminton quick, and now it’s all a matter of them honing their skills. The seniors of the team have also shown their commitment to the sport over the past three or four years on the court. I’m proud to play badminton and represent Hoover, and I wouldn’t want to play for any other team.