For most of the women, playing badminton was nothing more than a social pastime and an exciting way to keep fit. Most of the members had little or no experience. No one suspected that having so much fun would lead to success.

John Britton said that for beginning players, the team did well in the mildly competitive tournament, ending the season with four wins in five games.

“We’re lucky that the conference is not as strong as it has been in the past,” Britton said. “But the team proved that it was able to hold its own. Most of the players, except for one, have not been playing badminton for a long time. We have had practices throughtout the season which has prepared them well. The women have come a long way.”

Tomoe Okaguchi was the only team member who had prior training and experience. With the exception of Okaguchi, who was an active player in Japan during her high school years, all the other players are novices.

Many of the team members, like Sabine Kuenstler, 34, physical therapy major, were chosen from badminton classes and are involved in other sports.

Britton said that Kuenstler was a perfect choice.

“Having been in gymnastics and swimming, I knew that she was a great athlete,” Britton said.

Rebekah Wanic, played badminton while in Chicago. Others were picked out of the soccer and tennis teams, like Danielle Ruedas and Arielle Lombardi.

Britton, who is also the soccer coach, said that he “knew how skilled Danielle already was and she was quickly recruited.” Arielle, who was on the tennis team, was also asked to join the team.

Still, for many others on the team, their exposure to badminton has been short-lived and many are unsure of whether to keep playing or not.

Sok Ian Leong, 19, only played badminton for five or six years in her home country of Macau. Leong said that playing badminton for El Camino has been a great learning experience.

Because of her studies, she stopped playing badminton until she came to EC. She didn’t even know about the team. The only reason she decided to take the class was because it fulfilled the P.E. requirement for getting an associate’s degree.

“It was also a good chance for me to exercise and I became better at it,” Leong said. “The skills that I had known before were strengthened.”

Britton said that Kuenstler, who would play badminton whenever it rained in Germany, agreed to play badminton when he asked her. She said she registered for the badminton class because “it was a great workout.”

Yu Chi Huang, 21, business management major, said that she took the badminton class because she enjoys participating in sports.

“I didn’t play badminton before and I just wanted to play because it was fun,” Huang said.

Huang, Kuenstler and Leong all attributed the success of their team to the sense of camaraderie among the women.

Huang said that all of the team members “are kind to each other and help each other to improve.”

“There is no wall between any of us,” Leong said. “Everyone talks to each other about their personal lives and it is so easy to get along with everybody. I think this is why when we play, it doesn’t seem like we’re playing for a competition.”

Britton said that the team has worked hard to get where it is now, especially considering the variety of sports these women were competing in prior to joining the team.

“We had preseason practices,” Britton said. “That worked well for them. They improved a lot.”