Earlier tonight, the Boys Varsity Badminton team won the quarter-finals match against Edward R Murrow, and senior Jie Xuan Tang won the singles championship for the second year in a row.
On the road to the semi-finals, seniors Vincent Wyntarr-oo and Jie Xuan Tang reflected on their goals and aspirations as team captains.
Jie Xuan, who has played on the badminton team for two years, commented that the role of a captain comes with many of its responsibilities. “We would be the ones to come up with drills for everyone to follow. We would be the ones to make sure that everyone has enough space to play, that everyone is playing fairly, and that we’re together,” said Jie Xuan.
Fellow captain Vincent added that the team was about “more than just playing.” He spoke about the eventual bond he formed with his teammates. “At first I only came for the sole purpose of getting better. But then after getting to know everyone on the team better, it became much more than that. I really do love hanging out with the people on the badminton team and playing with them,” he said. In addition to Jie Xuan winning the singles championship, Vincent and junior Brian Wirjadi placed third in the doubles championship.
When asked about his thoughts on the captains, Coach Matt Lemanczyk said, “Jie Xuan and Vincent are both outstanding people that have tremendous character and work ethic and these are some of the things that we look for when finding captains.” Although there is talent in this season’s team, Coach Lemanczyk said, “the team is still gelling, our doubles teams are improving drastically but it takes time to work out the kinks. But I think once we do, we’re gonna continue to progress throughout the season.”
Many freshmen at Townsend Harris were eager to join the Boys’ Badminton team, determined to bring success to this year’s games. Freshman Bhuri Limlertvate, for one, has high hopes for the season. When reflecting on his experience on the team, he said, “It’s been nice, you know, a lot of great people here, you get to learn new stuff every day. It depends, sometimes we just rally, but sometimes we have to do more intense training. But, it’s for the better.”
Besides newcomers and rookies, there are returning players from previous years. Junior Tony Jia expresses that, “The captains have been doing really good. They’ve been doing everything they’re supposed to, they help with training, mentorship, and overall helping the team improve.”
Tony’s experience with the badminton team has helped him drastically grow and improve his game. “I’m getting better and stronger each year. For example, I’ve greatly improved my speed and power,” he said. Tony, too, expresses high aspirations for this year’s team.
Two years ago, the Boys Badminton team won the championships against Stuyvesant, and last year the team made it to the finals once again, facing Stuyvesant in a rematch. Stuyvesant won that round, and now with the quarter-finals behind them, the THHS team is one step closer to a third year in a row at the finals.
