Photo Credit: M-A yearbook staff

Badminton may not be regarded as such, but is actually a relatively intense athletic pursuit

Students who attend Menlo-Atherton are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of different clubs and sports alike, some more serious then others. M-A’s Badminton team, run by P.E. teacher  and athletic director Mrs. Podesta, has long been seen as just a way of earning P.E. credits needed to graduate by senior year. This year, however, a couple of my friends tried out for the team.  After speaking to some of them, I realized just how little about the sport I actually knew.

Although many students regard the Badminton team as a joke, their season started off with rigorous conditioning and, for the first time in M-A history, cut some students because they had too few spots on the team for the unexpectedly large turnout. Sophomore Sarah Hoffman surprised me by saying, “I take it seriously in matches because I want to win, and our match matters in the overall score of the team… Overall I would say yes, I take it seriously.”

Sarah jokes that she enjoys playing badminton because anyone can “pick up a racket and play, even if they have no athletic ability such as myself.”  But don’t be fooled by the lighthearted tone- these athletes train more than you think.  Despite my initial expectations, the players’ comments left me a little lost for words; I anticipated answers that would support my own belief that badminton was a joke.

This season’s coaching staff includes five different coaches, all of whom received praise from the students. The coaches are, according to students, “great badminton players who do a great job of demonstrating and teaching different skills.” After hearing the players’ comments, I can say for sure that I no longer consider this sport to just be a way to earn credits.   It is definitely a competitive and serious high school sport.