The Yokohama Badminton Tournament

A Husky First

Words: Omar Kassem

Photos: Omar Kassem & J. Strong

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Yokohama International School recently hosted a badminton tournament in which six schools from different prefectures of Japan competed. It was an intense competition, and all teams were determined to win by giving it their all. For the first time ever, HIS was one of the schools participating in the tournament. Not only was it our first-ever badminton tournament, but it was our first-ever mixed-gendered tournament. We went in with high spirits and a strong desire to win. Our team performed exceptionally well in its first tournament, with even one of our teams getting first place in the mixed doubles bracket!

The tournament allowed us to demonstrate our hard-honed badminton skills and compete against other schools. This, however, didn't come without hard work and discipline.

We had been practicing for weeks in preparation for the event, and it was rewarding to see that our efforts had paid off. Our team comprised experienced and inexperienced players, but everyone did their best and supported one another throughout the tournament. The atmosphere was electric at the tournament, with cheers and applause filling the gymnasium. On the first day of the tournament, the teams competed in a round-robin series to see where they would be placed in the tournament seed; that day, we played for a grueling 12 hours, and a total of over 150 matches were played between all six schools. Although not all matches were won, we were still motivated throughout the day. 

The tournament's final match, Omar and Joohye vs. the YIS Dragons, was a nail-biter. Everyone was watching, and the pressure was on. Both the first and second sets were very close, but Omar and Joohye pushed through and won the mixed doubles tournament becoming the first Huskies badminton champions.

While not all Huskies faired as well, there were a fair amount of wins and even more perspiration and hard work throughout the weekend. Much appreciation to our coach, Mr. Fazio, and our supporting chaperones Raluca Nagy and Jeffrey Strong—not to mention the entire first Huskies badminton team. 

Stay tuned for more information on our newest HIS sport!