Coach Hoa Tran of San Francisco International High School loves the sport of badminton so much that he volunteers his time to work in a school with no gym.
?One thing about this school is we have lots of heart,? says Tran. ?Kids are really enthusiastic about doing stuff.?
San Francisco International was home to an elementary school but now is a high school for new immigrant students. Now in its fourth year, it has an enrollment of 350 students who come from different countries including Latin America, China, the Middle East and Russia.
With a diverse student body comes a diverse athletics program. Last year, the school?s badminton team of seven boys and seven girls competed for the first time in badminton with other high schools in the league.
The team achieved third place in boys? singles and doubles in the 2012 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) tournament. This year, Coach Tran plans to add more players to the roster to allow students the opportunity to practice.
Now employed at Apple Inc., Tran started his journey with SF International by volunteering first as a computer technician.?Then, last year, when students requested a badminton team, SF International Athletics Director Jose Urista asked Tran if he was interested in coaching. Tran, who plays badminton recreationally in South Francisco and in Millbrae, gladly accepted the position.
?The response has been great,? Urista says, ?The badminton team is having fun, but it?s a growing experience.?
Tran coaches Mondays and Tuesdays on his days off from Apple, and he changes his work schedule to accommodate on game days.
Badminton is officially is played indoors, but the school team has no gym. Without an official court, students often practice outside and they sometimes resort to hitting the birdie back and forth in the halls. A few days a week they practice a the Boys and Girls club but they are limited to one hour sessions. The team plays outside and sometimes practices in the second floor with low ceiling. Coach Tran says he?s searching for an additional borrowed gym for his team. He?s even willing to give badminton workshops to the community in exchange for practice space.
In a small school without a gymnasium, students sometimes resort to hitting the birdie back and forth in the halls. Coach Tran says he?s searching for a borrowed gym for his team. His creative approach is trading badminton workshops to the community in to in exchange for practice space.
?We do what we can. The whole idea is kids can participate in some kind of sport and, in a team environment, get used to team work,? says Tran.
Since the team is limited to practice on an official badminton court, Tran takes them early to match locations to practice before and after games. ?Other schools have a bit of an advantage because they have a gym,? he says.
Urista said in an email that he may contact the SF Parks and Recreation regarding the possibility of accessing more practice space in for the badminton team.
Although similar to tennis, badminton, is its own game. It is played at a much faster speed, and players hit a shuttlecock or birdie, a cone-shaped feathered ball, with their racquets. With a history that dates back to the 18th century in British-ruled India, badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992. The sport is wildly popular in Asia.
?It is much faster than a tennis ball, so a lot of times, it?s the memory muscle that comes into play,? says Tran. ?If you play every day, the reflex becomes automatic. But if you don?t play enough, that is when you play slow and miss a hit.?
Qiwen Huang, a junior from China, who played last season, says she learned how to play badminton from her parents back home. ?Badminton is a good exercise. It can help you be cooperative with other people and get know each other,? says Huang.
Two new incoming players, Sai Bathal from India and Anas Belloozi from Morocco, have high spirits about playing in their first season with SF International.
?I will bring a lot of medals.? says?Bathal, a sophomore who has been playing for eight years.
Belloozi a junior has only been playing for two months but already is developing the talent and the confidence of his more seasoned teammate. ?This year, we are going to be champions,? he says.
Along with muscle memory, Tran says, badminton is a game that requires focus and intensity. He says he tries to teach his players ?to hit (the birdie) back with a purpose, to put in a place, and not just hit back.?
Source: http://missionlocal.org/2013/01/sf-international-badminton-team-thrives-under-volunteer-coach/
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