Another year of perfect rallies
BADMINTON Coach Wells prepares team for another run at CIF title.
Sophomore Faith Tham, left, and junior Elaine Lin receive the birdie in match against Wilson, continuing DB’s win streak.
As expected, the Diamond Bar High School badminton team is sweeping through the spring season, proving that they aren’t ready to let go of their seven year CIF championship streak.
Most recently, the team won a blowout game against Walnut High School on April 2, 20-1, and then defeated Chino Hills High School on April 3, 19-2.
Badminton coach Kemp Wells expressed surprise at Walnut’s level of skill, as it was the first year the school had a badminton team since 1983.
“They have quite a few players that have trained when they were younger,” Wells said. “So even though they’re a first year team, they definitely don’t play like they’re rookies.”
To improve their chances of winning, Wells changed the lineup of doubles and singles for the games against Walnut and Chino Hills.
Sophomore Claire Wang was moved to women’s singles although she normally plays in double matches, while sophomore Conner Lam, also a doubles player,, was moved to men’s singles play against Walnut. Junior Owen Chae and sophomore Kai-Hao Wen were paired up for the first time for men’s doubles. Among the standout players in the game were freshmen Kodi Lee and Codey Ma. Both Ma and Lam took four points against Walnut.
He noticed that Walnut had particularly strong players in men’s doubles, but by pitting more seasoned players against the rival, Wells was able to create an easier match for the team. This allowed Diamond Bar to bring home another victory.
“This was a good test for us, since we’re anticipating needing these wins if we’re going to make it to the championships again,” Wells said.
On the other hand, the coach took on a much more relaxed approach against Chino Hills. Instead of playing his strongest leading players, he played the reserves to hone their skills in time for the championship.
“It was one of those fun days where we incorporated both levels,” Wells said. “Everyone but one player got to play in a match that counted.”
Satisfied with the results of both of the recent matches, Wells also praised the students who played in the mixed division for the two games.
Wells is working on improving the teams’ shot selection, serving and returning. These key aspects of the game have had a heightened importance since rally scoring was implemented onto the courts around three years ago.
The team hopes to continue their winning streak during the next game on April 11 at Wilson High School.
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