by Brianna Smith
The Mira Costa High School badminton team left their mark at the CIF Southern Section. Six standout players qualified for the tournament, reflecting both the teams’ hard work and the growing popularity the Costa team has helped foster locally for badminton.
The Six players who qualified included two boys doubles teams and two individual players. The first team was team captain Zach Berkes and Hao Lin. The team went 3-2 and made it to the consolation quarterfinals. They played their final match against Arcadia, the number one seeded team. The game lasted until the third set, where the pair lost 21-17, just short of qualifying for regionals.
Unfortunately, the pair also played against their own teammates earlier in the tournament. T.J. Lee and Andrew Pedrotti were the other boys doubles team that qualified. They went 1-2 and made it to the consolation round 16 where they played Berkes and Lin.
“It’s a little funny, but also a little sad that I had to be the one to knock them out of the tournament, but I’d rather me, than someone else, I guess,” Berkes said, half-jokingly.
Skylar Irby and James Zhang both qualified and competed as individuals at the tournament.
A majority of the players who competed are also seniors who will be graduating this spring. A total of seven “highly skilled varsity players” are graduating, according to volunteer coach David Levin. He remarked that the next year will be somewhat of a rebuilding period, but feels confident in the growth of younger players.
Many of the students have other academic and extracurricular priorities, like AP classes and band practice, which allowed for several JV players to sub in for varsity players when they were unavailable.
“I have trust in a lot of the underclassmen and hopefully what I have taught them as a captain, they can sort of reflect that on to the other new players and sort of have a nice cycle of a good foundation of a team,” said Berkes.
Though the season’s end was bittersweet, the seniors leave the team better than they found it. As badminton becomes more popular among Gen Z, the team’s popularity only continues to grow. The Costa team went from 12 students in 2021 to holding tryouts for 36 available spots this year.
Coach Levin said a trait that particularly stood out this year was the team’s perseverance. Despite other commitments, losses, and general high school life, the players consistently worked and practiced to build a foundation for the future of the Mira Costa badminton team.
“It’s not just about the badminton,” Levin said. “And that’s the rewarding part of the whole job, watching people come from freshmen, wet-behind-the-ears young people who then grow up to become young adults. “ ER
