Long Beach Badminton Team Turning Heads

The Marines' girls badminton team, which began as an after-school intramural tournament at Long Beach High School, has quickly turned into a force to be reckoned with in only it's second season.

The girls, who finished undefeated in Conference V a year ago, have continued their success after moving up to Conference IV this year. Since it's inception in 2010, the team has gone 21-0, including a 7-0 mark this season.

Head coach Andrew Rossi, a music teacher at the high school, credited the team's early success to their dedication and attention to detail.

"My girls work hard," Rossi said. "That’s rule number one. Since it’s inception, this is a varsity sport and we treat it as a varsity sport. These are the best players in my school. These aren’t just the girls who didn’t make the lacrosse team. These kids are the best at their sport."

According to Rossi, a group of girls approached him about helping them get a team started a few years ago.

"I think I was the only coach who’d ever even played before or knew the rules, but when we got the team together it was a varsity team," he said. "We treat it as such. These girls are doing calisthenics and training, and offseason hitting. They’re really committed to this thing."

Excitement grew for badminton following a school-wide intramural tournament, Rossi said, after the students had played the sport in gym classes from middle school all through high school.

"Badminton is one of those elite sports like fencing or rowing that they have at a lot of Ivy League schools and English universities," Rossi said. "It’s really exciting to see a group of Long Beach girls and to see it taken seriously. They really work hard."

Juniors Brigitte Gilbert and Sam Shreck have been key contributors to this year's squad, as the team's top two singles players.

"Brigitte is my number one singles player," Rossi said. "Sam is a real power player. She has a great smash and she’s a really strong hitter."

As for this year's team, they are vying for the top spot in Conference IV, which will allow them to move up to Conference III next season. Nassau County badminton is divided into five varsity conferences. Every season, the top two teams from each conference swap places with the two teams who finish in last in the conference above them.

"If everything keeps going according to plan, we should be going up to Conference III next year," he said.