Team update 4/18

Important schedule update:

There will be three games this week.

Monday away vs Hunter
Tuesday home vs South Bronx
Wednesday home vs Stevenson

Team update 4/3

Team update 4/3

1. We have two away games in the week of 4/4. Both games are in Bronx. Games are expected to finish between 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Team will travel to and back from the away game site unaccompanied. Please make sure that you inform your parents and make necessary travel arrangements.

You can find more specific information about the games on the PSAL website, including the game time and address:

http://www.psal.org/games/game-detail.aspx#068/311856

http://www.psal.org/games/game-detail.aspx#068/311853

• All team members MUT wear team uniforms for all games! You can change after you arrive at the game site.

2. We have two practices on Tuesday and Friday.
3. Unfortunately, we will probably not be able to finish the sub tournament. We will play some more arounds. I am considering letting subs vote for the players with the best performance. The top nominated players will challenge the starters. Let me know if you would like to suggest an alternative.

Team update 3/27

Team update 3/27

1. Our regular season starts from next week.
1. All home games will be in the big gym;
2. All team members MUST wear uniforms for all games;
3. Make sure that you are changed before you go to the big gym;
4. Team meets in memorial garden and leave together for all away games at 3:00.

* For games on Mondays, I will not be able to go to the gym before 4:30 due to teacher meetings.

2. Starting from next week, we will have a second round of Subs tournament. This tournament must  finish before 4/5. Top 4 players will be sub players. They will also play games with starters during practices and have the chance to replace any underperforming starters. 

I will announce more details about the tournament on Monday after I discuss with the captains and managers.

Here are some quality that I hope you can exhibit in the tournament:

• Good courtesy and sportswomanship
• Competitiveness
• Willingness and capability to improve
• Active trainer

3. We have two games on Monday and Wednesday. There will only be one practice On Tuesday in small gym and no practice on Thursday and Friday due to parent teacher conference.

Team update 3/19

1. Gym schedule next week.

We will have practices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

If I have more than 8 people emailing me to request to practice on Monday, we might also be able to have a nonmandatory practice on Monday in the small gym from 5:00-6:00. Please email me before 3/19 22:00.

2. Warm up and injury.

I cannot emphasis more on proper warm up and form. This not only helps you improve your performance during games, but also avoids injury. Muscle pull and sprained ankle are not uncommon once you start to play competitively. Everyone needs to warm up and stay warm for all games.

3. Scrimmage Video

Here is a play list of all video that are recorded on Friday. I only have one camera and could not record everyone. Please request to record your games if you want to.

4. Team shirts and hoodie

Team shirts are expected to arrive next Monday. (Maybe another reason to practice on Monday?) I have request to get polo shirts and hopefully we will get these. I have heard many people talking about a team hoodie, please wait until we get the team shirts so that you can get a matching hoodie.

Team Update 3/12

1. Captain election

Please use the link below to vote for the Girls Team captain/co-captain. Please complete your vote by Sunday night so that I can announce the result next week.

http://goo.gl/forms/mzwVyIxfW9

Result

Captain: Rachel Yao 

Co-captain: Jenifer Zheng

Probationary captain: Chien-yi (Angela) Chou and Annie Wang

2. Sub tournament

We have finished selecting the 7 starters. We will start another tournament for subs and let everyone else participate.

The Sub tournament will be a double elimination tournament. Please goole "double elimination tournament" to understand the tournament better if you don't know what it means. In short, you will be eliminated once you lose 2 times. This tournament will help us identify the best player among the subs.

The semi-finalists of this tournament will have the chance to challenge the starters and become a starter if she wins.

http://challonge.com/16GirlsSub1

3. Practice next week and Scrimmage

I have not get our gym schedule for next week. All the practice schedules are still tentative.

We are going to Seward Park next Friday for a scrimmage game vs Seward Park and possibly Hunter if time allows. Please be prepared and also inform your parents. Please make necessary travel arrangements.

If you do not have metro card, please email me. I'll see if I can get a single ride ticket from school for you.

16 Captain/Co-Captain Speech

Please see below for the list of captain/co-captain speech. Listed in order of receipt.

Chien-yi (Angela) Chou

Hi, I'm Angela Chou, a current sophomore. I am now running for co-captain. I would like to be co-captain because I have a passion for badminton. Although i am not the best player on the team, I am eager to learn. I have training outside of school right now and if i were the co-captain, I would be able to use what I learned to improve the team as a whole. Even though I'm only a sophomore, I've been on the team since freshman year and i believe, I can lead the team into a better position in the future with the rest of my years in high school. Also, badminton team is more than just badminton. We are like a family, we support each other, encourage each other, and we do whatever we would do to make the team more “family-like”. Most importantly, you would be able to learn badminton in a love, caring, optimistic environment. Thanks for reading my speech and I hope I can be your co-captain this year.

Jenifer Zheng

My name is Jenifer Zheng and I am a junior this year. I have been part of the Girls Badminton Team since my freshman year which was the first year the team was formed and I am beyond amazed as to how much the team has advanced and grown. Along the way, I have met many new people who have helped me become a better player. I not only want to help the team become better players by passing down knowledge I have received but I also wanted to emphasize that the attribution of family is very important as a team trait. To be able to get to know each team member and consider them family is what I want everyone to get out of being part of the badminton team. Every year, the thing that I look most forward to is the badminton season and this is the one thing that I wish to remember and take with me when I leave high school. I hope to bring this type of mindset to those around me as well. :)

Tianyu (Carol) Shao

Hi, I am Carol, a current Sophomore. I am glad to be given this precious opportunity to run for the co-captain of the team this year. As I have been on the team since my Freshman year, I am familiar with the team. I started to play badminton at 6 and am keenly interested in it. I was elected as the manager of our school’s badminton team in China and am experienced in helping the coach with the managerial affairs and the organization of games. What’s more important, though I still need to improve my skill through hard practice, I am willing to help my teammates and improve together with them as a team. lastly, I am not taking vallo and can stay late to help those who want to practice more and improve their skill. I sincerely hope that through our common efforts we can enjoy the time we spend together and build our team into a happy family!

Annie Wang

My name is Annie Wang and I am a sophomore. I've been on the team since I was a freshmen. When I started playing badminton, I couldn't get the form or the footwork down but with the help of last year's captain and co-captain, KangJin and Rachel, and dedication and practice, I improved a lot. I felt very welcomed, happy and proud when I was in the badminton team and I want everyone on the team to feel this way because improvement starts with passion. Although I am not the best player, I am willing to learn and teach the team so that we can collectively get better. I hope to use some of my acquired leadership skills from being the captain of the JV Basketball team in freshman year and the class president and the academy president in middle school to keep the team organized and ready. Using my leadership skills and experience in badminton, I hope to lead this badminton family towards a great and memorable season.

Rachel Yao

I'm Rachel, a Senior. I've been Captain of the Girl's Badminton team for 2 years (since the team was formed). I have been playing/training badminton since 6th grade at CPBC and I hope to help improve the quality of the team for one more year before I leave. Although we made semifinals for two years in a row, there's a lot of training that we still need, and I hope that I can advise the future captains before I leave. I just want the team to stay strong and be alive for more years to come!
Although I may be a little harsh at times, I don't mean to be mean, and you can talk to me any time about any concerns you have.
Let's have a great season together! 

16 Girls Ranking Tournament

Please see the link below for the ranking tournament:
http://challonge.com/16girlsranking

Clarifications:
1. Rachel and Kangjin are automatically ranked as number 1 and 2, based on previous season records, their performance in this year's tryouts and my personal observation;
2. For the sake of efficiency, I have only selected 7 players who will likely make it to be starters for the seeding tournament. We need to decide the line up asap so that singles and doubles can have their more specific training;
3. We will have other tournaments for trainees and/or subs to move up during the rest of the season;
4. 11 points per set, 2 sets per game. Players will be ranked by points scored;
5. Please let me know if you are not listed in the tournament but wish to participate.

Starters and Subs: 1-9
Trainees: 10 and below

Team update 3/5

1. Congratulations!

First of all, I want to congratulate everyone on making it to the team. I will keep all 19 players we currently have as long nothing goes wrong.

Unfortunately, we had to cut 6 people from our team. They spent a week with us during the practices and the tournament. I hope that you can be friends with them and keep them updated with badminton news. Hopefully, they can improve over the year and make it to the team next time.

I will submit the team roster first thing on Monday morning. All non-freshmen should be opt-out from gym at some point next week. (I believe freshmen will not be opt-out as per school rules.) If you are having problems with opting out, please talk to Athletic Director Mr. McGrath.

I expect everyone to train hard during practices through out the whole season. You should also watch youtube videos and learn more about badminton yourself. If you find any good resources, please share with the team. You can also share these resources with me so that I can incorporate them in our practices.

However, if you slack during practices, I will remove you from the team. I might not be able to oversee everyone during practice, especially when we are practicing in groups. However, I will ask team members and managers. If I get more than 3 negative feedback from people, I will give you a warning. If I still get negative feedback, I will consider remove you from the team based on these feedback and my own observation. You will find everyone on the team very nice and supportive. However, you need to work hard to win respects from everybody.

2. Ranking

Our next step is to decide our line up. We need to have 3 Singles and 2 Doubles (7 people in total) as starters. Once we decide the general line up, we will start another FULL Round Robin (meaning everyone plays with everyone) to test any variables. I will explain in more details next week. As for now, please complete the form below for a quick survey on selecting to play Singles or Doubles. I will take your preference into consideration as we are finalizing the line up.

http://goo.gl/forms/eiTucMUONu

Please note that the tournament we had this week only serves the purpose of cutting. It was an incomplete tournament and was not accurate. You might be ranked lower because you won most games and had to play with Rachel or Kangjin. As a result, you had less points than someone who didn't play Rachel or Kangjin. Please take that into consideration and do not let the current ranking affect your confidence. We will have a more accurate ranking once we finish our ranking tournament.

At this point, you need to fully commit to the badminton team until the end of the season. If for any reason you are not sure, please talk to me directly. 

3. Practice Time

We are having four practicing next week. Please check the calendar for specific practice times and locations. You must attend all practices.

However, if you have a special event that conflicts with one of the practices next week, you can attend that event. However, You MUST: 1). show me a letter from a parent/guardian/teacher explaining why you must skip the practice 2) show that letter to me before you miss the practice. Otherwise, it will be counted as an absence. You can be absent for maximum three times throughout entire season. Once you absent days exceeds three, you will be removed from the team roster.

4. Captain and Co-captain

I will send out a google form by the end of next week for a team captain poll. If you are interested in running for the captain or captain, please write a 100 character speech and send it to me by this Sunday 23:59. Attach a picture if you can. I will post your speech script and picture on the website and let you give the speech on Monday. I would really encourage Juniors to run for (co-)captain so that you can get some experience and be prepared for the next season.

Below are a short list of honors and awards that are related to your leadership/performance on the team. I will gladly recommend you if you have made extraordinary contribution to the team.

• PSAL Wingate Award
• PSAL Student Leadership Council
• Athlete of the month

I am also planning to set up a Bronx Science Badminton Hall of Fame. Either somewhere in the school (or in 313) or just on this blog. I hope you can leave your legacy and make the team experience a memorable part of your high school career. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.   

5. Scrimmage 

On Friday 3/18 (tentatively), we will participate a 3-way scrimmage at Seward Park High School. The other two teams are Seward Park and Hunter.

Seward Park was the city champion in 2014. Hunter was the two-time finalist in 2014 and 2015. We were two-time semi-finalist. So the competition level would be on a par with (semi-)final. It would be a great practice for the team. I expect there to be a lot of opportunities for exhibition games on that day for most of you to play. It would also be the same intensity (two games at the same night) as the semi-final/final day.

Everyone on the team must attend this scrimmage. The games could be expected to finish as late as 8:00 p.m. If you guardians/parents have concerns about late end time, you should ask them write a letter explaining their concerns. If you give me the letter at least 3 days before the day of scrimmage, I will let the non-starters leave after we finish our first game. You should also explain to your parents about the traveling situation through out the season and similar late finish time will occur again on the semi-final and final day. Everyone is expected to stay until the end of all games through out the whole season. 

6. Form and Injury

I want everyone to practice and play games safely. You must train your mussel and learn how to avoid injuries.

The season is 10-games long, with possibly 4 playoff games. If you are playing with improper forms, or playing without pre-caution, you are very likely going to be heading into playoffs with injuries rather than your optimum performance. If there is any ache or anything uncomfortable happening during practice or games, please make sure that you let me know immediately.

7. Rules and Regs

Make sure that you read Rules and Regs. You also need to bring a copy of Rules and Regs to all games.

Team update 2/27

1. Team website

Please A). book mark this website and B). check for team related updates once every weekday. 

2. Team Calendar

Below are the links for the 15-16 Girls season team calendar. You can use the links to add the calendar to your phone calendar, Google Calendar, etc. You can also check the calendar on the right side of this website.

Google Calendar ID:
bxscience.edu_pl2q61aomqtpfibh92b1mbkmm0@group.calendar.google.com 

iCal Link:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/bxscience.edu_pl2q61aomqtpfibh92b1mbkmm0%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Html Link:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=bxscience.edu_pl2q61aomqtpfibh92b1mbkmm0%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York

3. Remind

Please join the team remind group. You will receive short updates via text/email/remind app on your phone. For longer messages, I will send the updates via email and blog update. 

Link for Remind: https://www.remind.com/join/vbadgirl

You can also join via text or email following the instruction below. 

4. Practice next week

We will meet on Tue, Thurs and Friday next week. Practice schedule will be updated every week during weekends. Any unexpected changes will be notified via Remind. 

5. Other notes for practice 

Sports attire
You must have proper sports attire for all games and practices. 
You must change prior to practice. 
You must wear shorts and sneakers. 

On time
You must come to practice on time. Meeting times are updated on the Google Calendar. In general, we meet right after SGI (10th) from Monday to Thursday and after 9th on Fridays. 
If you arrive after the team have started stretching and warming-up, you will have to run 5 laps in the gym and perform a 2-minute wall sit.

6. Team status

Currently, we have selected 18 people. Everyone is on "probationary" status, meaning we will further cut, down to 16 people. I will invite the top 4 players from the 3rd round of tryouts to join our practice next week. There are also several additional students who will come to the makeup tryouts on Tuesday and Thursday.

After stretch, warm-up, and basic skill practice. We will play team tournament. We will use the swiss system. You can do some research yourself if you want to understand the tournament system better. In short, winners will play winners and loser will play losers. You will not play with the same opponent for more than once. For each round, you will play 2 sets of 11-point game. You get 1 point if you win, 0.5 point if you tie, and 0 point if you lose.

The tournament schedule will be updated in the link below.
http://challonge.com/16girlstryouts 

*The current tournament schedule is tentative and subject to change.

7. Badminton knowledge

Everyone MUST to read the most recent rules and regulation in its entirety. 

Link here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwY0h2pcakUwNTZLVWdyRlRTMnM/view?usp=sharing

You should also watch/read skill level appropriate videos and tutorials to enhance your knowledge of the sport. You can start by reading some of the old posts on this blog.