Badminton season has officially concluded for Verrado, and it was one heck of a season. The Viper Badminton team ended a fantastic season going undefeated and making it to the quarterfinals with some players even making the state finals. The Vipers team consisted of very talented players who all made big contributions to the team.

The Vipers badminton team was very impressive, during the season, they went 14-0 overall while only allowing a total of 14 wins from other schools while they had a total of 112! In case you’re unaware of how the sport is played, there are singles matches (1 vs 1) and doubles (2 vs 2). The first side to 21 points wins a game. A point is awarded to whichever side wins the rally. The winning side gets to hit the next serve after a point is scored. If the score is 20-20, a side must win by two clear points to end the game. A point is scored when the shuttlecock lands inside the opponent’s side of the court or if a returned shuttlecock hits the net or lands outside of the court the player will lose the point. At the rally’s start, the server and receiver stand diagonally opposite.

The varsity Vipers played in the state matches on October 25th. The matches started off with singles matches and all games were close, two matches were won, and the rest were lost. Lauren Thrasher and Paige Ginsburg both won their matches.  After those games concluded, the doubles matches began, once again two matches were won the others were lost. It had come down to the final game between Kenadie Woodhead and Mathilde Jacobsen as they faced AZ College Prep. The match was very close, they lost their first game 21-14, and their second match 21-17. Mathilde Jacobsen was quite the star player this season, she had an overall record of 28-2, going 14-1 in both singles and doubles. 

The Viper Times had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with a member of the team, Kelsie Kamp, and ask a few questions. I first asked what she thought they could have possibly done better, in response, Kelsie stated “Everyone tried their hardest, but there were some points that could’ve been called for Verrado as it was based on if it was in or out, also, the other coach seemed to have been against Verrado cheering on our own teammates as well, which led to less energy.”

When asked how the energy going into the match felt, Kelsie said “We were all very nervous going into the match and weren’t too sure what to expect from the other team, however, we all tried our hardest and played our part the best we could.” For my last question, I asked How she had felt about the overall season, to which she responded “I feel it went very well as we were undefeated up until this match, my teammate Mathilde won the singles state championship on Saturday, October 22nd. We all went to watch on Friday to watch and cheer her on during her matches.”

Overall, the Viper badminton team had an amazing and unforgettable season. They brought energy to every game and made sure to always show out! We are all very proud of the team and amazed at what they were able to accomplish in the season.