In August 2021, sophomore Brian Lee grabbed a badminton racket for the first time in his life, and played his first match against his older brother at the local gym. After a few minutes of lengthy and intense rallying, Lee scored his first point. The moment he saw the shuttlecock land inside the other side of the court, he was immediately drawn to badminton. With a desire to improve his badminton skills, he joined the JV badminton team in his freshman year. 

“Badminton games were always enjoyable because they were competitive,” Lee said. “Since Lynbrook has a lot of good players, I believed joining the team would give me an opportunity to challenge myself.”

However, high school badminton was much more demanding than he initially anticipated. Due to long and exhausting practices, he had to sacrifice his brunch and lunch breaks to complete assignments. Going to bed late at night became a part of his daily routine as well. When he encountered his first, unexpected loss, he was devastated. 

“The game was so close,” Lee said. “I was so preoccupied with the loss to the point that I could not focus on anything after the game.”

Working on having a more constructive mindset after games, Lee is looking forward to partaking in this upcoming season with his goal to join varsity and compete with more skilled, experienced players. 

“The team is really inclusive,” Lee said. “It feels like a big family. Every time we gather together and shout our chant before the game, I gain so much energy that constantly motivates me throughout the game. I’m excited to see what I can contribute to our team this year.”