Notebook: Badminton Has Up And Down Week

The girls badminton team seems to be heading in the right direction. Following a tough 5-2 loss at Jericho last Wednesday, the Lady Vikings claimed victory over Bethpage, 4-3, at home on Friday, bringing their record to a respectable 2-2.

Senior Jackie Werner said she thinks the win over Bethpage may be a hint that the team is becoming more comfortable with their new roles this season. "I have seen a drastic improvement from the beginning of the week to the end," said Werner, a veteran doubles players who sits on a personal 3-1 record thus far this season. "The communication between partners is improving tremendously and the doubles teams are becoming comfortable with each other."

This increased comfort level was definitively displayed with the Lady Vikings' victory over Bethpage, which came into the match undefeated, proving that the team has both the skills and the attitude to be competitive in its new conference.

The new resolve on the part of the Lady Vikings must also be attributed to their coach, Dr. David O'Connor, who runs tough practices to prepare the girls for their matches. "He continues to keep us motivated and on task, pushing us to try out hardest and give it our all whether it be in a match or practice," Werner said.

The Lady Vikings dipped their rackets into both ends of the spectrum this week. After they lost disappointingly to Jericho, displaying the negatives of new positions and partners, the team fought hard to defeat Bethpage, evoking an image of a team with much potential heading into the heart of its season.

"We still need a little bit more time to become fully adjusted to our new positions," Werner said. "But we are shaping up to be a frontrunner in our new conference."

The Lady Vikings have two in-conference home matches this week. They take on Hempstead on Wednesday, April 14, and face off against East Meadow at Schreiber High School on Friday, April 16.