As the 2023 fall season has officially kicked-off, the Boys Badminton and Boys Fencing team have defined a series of goals they hope to accomplish. Athletes also reflected on their efforts to prepare for their respective sports season throughout the summer.
Senior Vincent Wynntar-Oo, a member of the Boys Badminton team, rented badminton courts at recreational centers to practice with his teammates throughout the summer. Another player, junior Brian Wirjadi, dedicated around twice a week to practicing badminton, allowing him to “gain experience and a chance to learn more techniques.”
Similarly, members of the Boys Fencing team placed a heavy emphasis on pre-season training, and have practiced a great deal this past summer. Sophomore Dante Pereira-Olson shared, “I have been fencing two times a week at a fencer’s club, along with taking some private lessons.” Similarly, junior Kripal Chowdhury joined the Queens Fencing Club, and plans to attend the Peter Westbrook Foundation in order to sharpen his skills. Senior Daniel Montan took on a different approach towards season preparation, through “training at home and working out over the summer in order to stay in shape.”
Regarding aspirations of the Boy’s Badminton team, junior Leo Huang recalls the fun team practices and looks forward to “watching everyone improve and bond as the season progresses.” He also said, “My goals are to be the best in our division and hopefully win the PSAL championship.”
Brian is extremely enthusiastic about the season and looks forward to “playing with and competing against everyone again regardless of the scenario.” In terms of personal aspirations, Brian hopes to reach finals in the individual PSAL Boys Badminton championship.
Vincent views this season with excitement and confidence, calling this year’s lineup “one of the strongest it has been,” and attributing it to the hard work each player put in over the summer. He set a simple, yet paramount objective to “work hard, play hard, and lead a good, enjoyable season.”
For the Boys Fencing team, athletes are primarily looking forward to reconnecting as a whole and seeing the improvement each player has made since their last season. “Many of [the players] who joined last year had no experience and were completely new to the sport,” said sophomore Hudson Bell.
Junior Victor Koon said, “I’m really looking forward to fencing my teammates and seeing how much we’ve all improved.” Senior Sumay Jain added, “We are looking forward to our rookies now entering the spotlight, seen as many of them have been training hard and learning over the summer.”
Daniel hopes to fulfill his personal expectations of improving on where he has to grow as a fencer by “continuing to give it [his] all.” Dante expressed that his main goals are to redeem himself against last season’s competition, as well as to rank high in individual tournaments.
In terms of team goals, senior and captain Lee Zhong anticipates to have an undefeated season, all while “building a more connected team and having fun along the way.” Lee adds, “I have plans to make our fencing team have more rigorous and specialized training. I’ve been making routines for our practices centered around certain skills, such as footwork or bladework.” Junior Ivan Ho also holds high hopes this season, identifying his goals as “ranking in the top three in playoffs, as well as upholding [their] top spot in [their] designated zone for PSAL fencing.”
