Dedicated students push for a new sports club
Ermias Hagos, Sports Editor
Originally published February 16, 2018
Sophomore Amanjeet Singh (left), sophomore Hanchi Bao (center) and senior Eissa Karimi (right) playing badminton after school. (Annika Bergstrom)
It’s a normal after-school day and most students have either left school or are preparing to play sports, but on the first floor of the building you can hear laughter and birdies being hit. What you’re hearing is unexpected, but as you approach the scene you can see three friends joyfully playing badminton in the hallways as if nobody’s watching.
Senior Eissa Karimi, and sophomores Hanchi Gao and Amanjeet Singh have been playing badminton in the halls since the beginning of this school year. Their captivating, skillful moves and high energy playing the game has turned heads from both students and teachers.
“So basically we got some friends to play with us and we started to play some normal games. Then one day I brought my racket to play badminton and we started to enjoy it and kept on with it,” Karimi said.
However, Karimi didn’t expect the three of them to gain such wide recognition. Not only did it surprise them but it even pushed them to start a new club.
“I like the attention, and everyone has been able to help me start the club,” Karimi said.
While most people who start clubs in high school leave it at that and don’t continue it, Karimi and his friends have sought to expand it. The fun that they have playing with each other and the joy they experience has pushed their boundaries of playing badminton past high school and into adulthood. “We will continue to play the game for fun because badminton means a lot to us,” Karimi said.
But it isn’t just for the fun or for their personal happiness only that they want to expand the game of badminton here. They have bigger goals for future students who might want to whack a birdie once in a while.
“I’m doing this club so more people can be interested in badminton and so I can teach people about badminton. When I leave high school, Amanjeet and Hanchi will still be here and they can continue the club,” Karimi said.
It’s not often that you hear such a story like this. Its something that attracts new athletes to a brand new sport. The club meets before school every Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
These three students have begun a club that will last for the coming years. So the next time you hear such sounds after school don’t be alarmed, you might just be witnessing the beginning of a new school sport.