During the winter of my sophomore year, I spontaneously picked up badminton. What began as a casual attempt to accompany my friends to their practices quickly became a passion I looked forward to each week.
Nestled between my indoor track practices and dinner, I found myself eagerly anticipating the footwork drills, practice matches, and doubles games. It was a moment of solace during my busy school schedule, providing me with a much-needed break from the stress of academics and other extracurricular commitments.
As my training progressed, I became increasingly dedicated to the sport—more than I originally intended. I began stretching and doing exercises alone at home, hoping these small efforts would give me an edge at the next practice. But just as I felt myself improving, the start of the IHSA girl’s badminton season presented an obstacle. My classmates, who had once been my practice partners, shifted their focus to their school teams, leaving me to train alone. Unlike them, I had no opportunity to participate at Glenbrook South in any official capacity.
The lack of a boys’ counterpart in IHSA sports is a rare and, frankly, puzzling phenomenon. Aside from softball, badminton is the only sport with this inconsistency. For IHSA to establish a boys’ division, at least 10 percent of Illinois high schools – about 65 schools – would need to sponsor boys’ badminton teams. Currently, this threshold is not met, which affects boys who are interested in the sport. This disparity raises questions about the opportunities afforded to each and every athlete, regardless of gender. Why is it that a sport as universal and accessible as badminton, one that so many boys also enjoy, gets neglected?
In the case of badminton, there is no excuse as to why a boys’ team should not already exist. In fact, it would be exceedingly easy to integrate a boys’ option into the pre-existent girls’ team. The option of mixed doubles already exists in the realm of professional play, and moreover, schools could simply hold boys’ individual tournaments alongside the already well-established girls’ brackets.
While some may argue that logistical challenges could explain the lack of a boys’ badminton team, it’s equally possible that this absence may stem from disheartening social perceptions surrounding the sport. Just because badminton is more commonly pursued by girls in our area doesn’t mean that our institutions have to comply with the status quo, in fact that may be all the more reason to break it.
