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Team photo of the 2024 Varsity APAC Badminton team in front of SFS.
Photo taken from SFS Crusaders Athletics Instagram
On the weekend of April 18-21, AISG’s Varsity Badminton team flew to South Korea for their biggest tournament yet. After months of training this season, the team competed in the Super APAC competition held in Seoul at SFS (Seoul Foreign School). This year’s APAC was different from the others, as it consisted of 12 Pacific APAC schools competing, unlike the usual 6-school regional APAC tournament.
The tournament was a round-robin as well as a bracket elimination where the team competed in a variety of categories such as the girls’ and boys’ singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
For many of the players this year, this was their first badminton APAC competition or their first Super APAC. Boys’ Double’s 1 player, Anthony, grade 10, described his experience at APAC as unforgettable. He said, “Badminton APAC was the first super APAC I’ve been to and compared to the other APACs I attended; the team spirit was on a whole other level. If I could, I’d join APAC badminton again.”
The team members described the intense and vibrant school spirit during the games and throughout the tournament. Some members described how everyone on the team provided support during a match. The encouragement from the team pushed each of them further into the competition, helping them play to the best of their ability.
Boys’ double’s 2 player, Kyle, grade 9, described how he cheered on for the team and how AISG was cheering louder than any other team. He enjoyed their spirit and energy in a competitive atmosphere. “I have learned a lot about the importance of cheering. Before I never thought cheering would do much for players, but when I felt the cheer from my teammates and other schools, it made me feel more motivated to do better in each point.”
The team has been working towards the renowned APAC tournament throughout the season, however, there was still much to learn through the experience of the matches.
With some of the most competitive schools on the continent, girl’s doubles 2 player, Candy, grade 11, describes what she’s learned during this year’s stiff competition, “Through experiencing APAC badminton, I believe the main lesson I’ve learned is the importance of maintaining a positive mindset regardless of the outcomes. For instance, there were moments when I felt mentally unstable while competing against someone. The more anxious I became, the more my confidence waned.”
Anthony describes a similar lesson that he’s learned during this trip, “I’ve learned that mindset is very important, also keeping your mind calm when it comes to important points. Another thing I’ve learned from the event is that sometimes things don’t go your way and there isn’t anything you can do about it except deal with it.”
Although there were some difficult moments, it was the team’s uplifting energy and support that kept them going.
Candy looks back at the games and comments on the incredible environment, “The overall atmosphere during the matches was intense and spirited. Everyone gave their best effort and cheered fervently for their team, creating a fierce competitive atmosphere.”
The team’s highlights varied from the tournament to team bonding. While some of Kyle’s highlights were winning some unexpected games and having a tournament full of surprises, it was the opportunity to be in the heart of Seoul to compete that took the prize.
Raaghav, grade 10, the boy’s double’s 2 player, described one of his games against SASPD (Shanghai American School Pudong), “When me and my doubles partner entered the championship bracket, we were faced with an extremely good partnership from SASPD. Getting one set against them was extremely challenging and felt like the highlight of the tournament.”
In the end, it was the team’s words of encouragement and support that made the experience worth it. “My highlights of the event I would say, is when you have teammates watching and cheering you on. It was something that usually I don’t enjoy nor expect but they were there for me, and it felt nice.,” said Anthony.
The varsity badminton team fought and played hard to achieve results that made the AISG community proud. As a school, the AISG boys finished fifth and the girls finished seventh overall. However, the standouts in the individual brackets were AISG’s girl’s doubles 1, Caterina, grade 11, and Sunny, grade 12, winning the bronze medal.
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