City College Badminton team closing in on the end of the season

Rams doubles players Tinnie Situ and Nicole Chui while competing against De Anza’s Cindy Ha and Sapphire Doan display great sportsmanship during their match on April 16, 2019. Photo by Amal Ben Ghamen/The Guardsman

 

By Matthew Paul Maes

matthewpaulmaes@gmail.com

 

The City College Women’s badminton team was back on the home court against the De Anza Dons winning a crucial doubles match but falling short, losing 16-5.

During the first round of singles matches all of the players face competitors based on ranking. Rising in rank is one incentive but gaining the self confidence to compete on a higher level is perhaps the main reason why these athletes take on the challenges  they face on the court.

Rams doubles players Tinnie Situ and Nicole Chui while competing against De Anza’s Cindy Ha and Sapphire Doan display great sportsmanship during their match on April 16, 2019. Photo by Amal Ben Ghamen/The Guardsman

Good coaching is evident in the players who utilize the racket as an extension of the arm and the style and dedication to their footwork. They may be playing one-on-one but this is a team sport which is why every athlete takes each shot seriously, there is no slaking here.
In her first match, Rams top ranked Tinnie Situ faced off against De Anza’s top player Sapphire Doan. As the first round began both players batted the Shuttle back and forth in high flying arch’s seemingly taking stock of each other when suddenly, Situ takes a whack at the Shuttle, smashing it across the net, and the game is on. Ultimately, Situ won her first round 21-15 but lost the second round 18-21 and the third round 16-21.

 

Facing each court are a couple of benches for spectators to sit and watch the match. Talk about front row seats! It’s almost scary when a player slams the Shuttle only a few feet away from your noggin. You actually feel as though you are part of the action especially during long volleys.

 

Seated on one bench were a few guys from the City College Culinary department cheering on their favorite player who happens to be Situ. One of her fans said that, “We started at the same time in the first semester and we are here to support her, she kicks ass.”

 

Later in the match, City College doubles teammates Tinnie Situ and Nicole Chui faced off against De Anza’s Cindy Ha and Sapphire Doan. It was a competitive first round with Situ utilizing her favorite drop stroke and Chui playing a strong defense while smashing the Shuttle forcing the Dons players to fight for control of the match.

 

After the matches, Situ said, “I think that I did really excellent today except for my first game, I was a bit rusty, I hadn’t played since I busted my ankle last week.”

 

Rams coach Tiffany Marino said of her team after the match, “I think that they did well, I think in their first round they were not in their game which hurt us the most because we got down early, lost  a couple of the matches and was a little bit tough to get over.

 

Speaking of her top player, Situ,“I think that she could have did a little bit better, especially the first game. I think that was a very winnable game for her, but she did pick it up and she won both her double games and her second singles match.

 

The City College Rams Badminton team will be playing their last match April 23 at Skyline College.