On April 14, Irvington High School’s badminton team competed in a home game with Newark Memorial and emerged in a 16-1 victory. Although this game became their eighth win out of nine games in the 2026 spring season, Irvington badminton has been working towards other goals.
“We worked on team spirit this season,” says Irvington badminton team captain, Angela Ye (12). The Irvington badminton team was cut down from around 70 to 40 students due to a lack of connection between student players. “We had a really good team huddle before the game, so our team spirit is much different from last year.”
In badminton, all singles and doubles matches consist of best-of-three games, with each game played to 21 points. However, when competing in a team, 17 matches are played total, with the first team to nine wins earning a victory. “Because your match contributes to your overall team score, there is an overarching pressure when playing. If you lose, you are losing a match for your team,” Ye says, “Focusing on that pressure ruins your performance. Instead, you should be focusing on how to improve your next point.”
While Irvington is focusing on improving team spirit, an important aspect of badminton is maintaining the mindset of a strong player, including sportsmanship and composure. “When I coach my team, I tell them to always take a deep breath before every point, especially after losing three or four points in a row,” Ye says, “If you are playing doubles, stop the game, look at your partner, and calm yourself down before your next point.”
Speaking of doubles, Sravya Vengalam (10) shared her experiences with her first mixed doubles match with Max Zhang (11). “We played against an elite competition player. At first, I was apprehensive about playing, but soon after, I rebuilt my confidence and I think I played well,” Vengalam says. Although she usually plays girl’s doubles with her partner, Hitaishi Narishetty (10), Vengalam has learned to explore the dynamics of mixed doubles. “It was nice playing with a new partner for the first time. I think learning to play with different people always makes you a better player.”
Although the Irvington badminton team jogs, shuffles, and stretches to warm up on the court, there is more to badminton than getting a little sweat going before an upcoming game. Mr. Choi, one of the two Irvington badminton coaches, reflected on his teams’ performances during the home game.
“We had some students performing better than expected, but we also had some students who we were disappointed by both their performance and behavior,” said Mr. Choi. “Our biggest goal is to get them to cheer for each other more and build a stronger community together. So far, the team is much more spirited than last year, so I would count that as a big win.”
With upcoming matches in the spring season, including two big games against Mission and American, Irvington will continue to demonstrate their team spirit by cheering their teammates on.
