If there’s one thing that is universal among sports, it would be teamwork. Being such a fundamental part of every players’ character, teamwork is one thing that will always influence the outcome of any game. Effective communication between the coaches and players gives the team a better edge against their opponents.  Such characteristics are present in our own badminton team.

On August 22, ACP’s JV Badminton won their first game against Campo Verde High School. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the badminton coach, Mrs. Klauer, about her badminton team and their first win. When asked about how she felt after seeing her team win the first game of the season, she noted that “Campo Verde has a historically good badminton program, so it was great to start off the year with a win.” Mrs. Klauer has experience coaching the sport for a few years. In fact, she was the very first badminton coach for ACP in 2018. She coached for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons, and was the East Valley Division II Coach of the Year during the 2018-19 season. This is her first time coaching at this campus. Mrs. Klauer coaches the sport because she says has been an athlete her entire life. “I have coached cheerleading, pom, girls’ track, and badminton over my teaching career.”

I inquired about how she motivates her athletes to continue playing. Her response to this was “My athletes are self-motivated. They come ready to learn, develop, and grow as players.” She adds that “I’m not sure there is one magic bullet to being a coach. Every athlete is different and every year is different, so that answer varies from athlete to athlete and year to year.” Mrs. Klauer explained that her favorite part about being a coach was “being with the girls. Badminton athletes are the nicest on the campus. They are truly a wonderful group of humans.”

We wish this year’s badminton team the best of luck as they compete against other schools. Like our badminton team, always strive for the impossible and be extraordinary! Go Knights!