GWSC Girls Badminton STATE CHAMPIONS!

Kudos to our GWSC ‘Intermediate Girls’ Badminton Team who were recently crowned the 2023 ‘School Sport Victoria’ State Champions!

Sarah Ung (Year 10), Dorothy Liang (Year 8), Sanvi Talegaonkar (Year 10), Shirin Khanna (Year 10) and Natalie Trinh (Year 9) all combined magnificently on court at the MSAC Badminton facility to secure the State Title. They firstly moved through the preliminary rounds of the competition without dropping a game against representative teams from Suzanne Cory High School, Yarram Secondary College and Weeroona College (Bendigo). The 6-0 score line then continued in the girls Semi-Final against Melbourne Girls College, where our fab-five took their game to another level and easily won all four singles and both of their doubles matches to secure a spot in the State Final. With some final words of wisdom and awe-inspiring anecdotes from their student coaches, Adam Zhu (Year 11) and Juan Kim (Year 11), our Glenny girls stepped out on court for the State Final against The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School with confidence and a determination to bring home our latest state pennant for badminton.

Sarah Ung led from the front, as she had done so all day, in the A1 singles encounter. She drew a large crowd for her final singles match, as fellow competitors and coaches alike gathered around to witness a clinical performance where Sarah combined power, patience and precision to provide GWSC with a 1-0 lead. Dorothy Liang followed this up with a dominant display in the A2 singles match, where her prodigious talents with a badminton racquet in hand were clear to see for all in attendance. Sanvi Talegaonkar then had a hard fought encounter in the A3 singles final, showing true grit and fortitude to keep the shuttle in play during some epic rallies. She eventually wore down her skilled opponent and secured our teams third singles match in an impressive display, exhibiting immense mental and physical strength. Shirin Khanna took to the sprung floor and played in another challenging match, toiling away tirelessly to overcome Mac.Rob’s A4 singles player. It was so great to see how Shirin focused on her coach’s instructions and executed them expertly out on court.

With an unassailable 4-0 lead in the final, our Intermediate Girls Badminton Team then turned their attention to the doubles. Sarah and Dorothy combined for the A1 Doubles Final and showcased their superb synergy, as together they covered all corners of the court. They were able to control the tempo and rhythm of the final, piling on the pressure with powerful shots when needed whilst using deft touch to catch their opponents off guard on many an occasion. Natalie Trinh then stepped up to partner Shirin in the A2 Doubles Final, which resulted in another convincing victory for Glenny. After playing in many singles and doubles matches during the preliminary rounds and Semi-Final, it was awesome to witness Natalie demonstrate her sublime skills and fierce focus on court during the final. She played so well with both Sanvi and Shirin in our doubles matches throughout the entire tournament, adjusting her game to perfectly complement their preferred style of play.

Following our girls 6-0 victory in the School Sport Victoria ‘Intermediate Girls’ Badminton State Final, many of the competitors and coaches from other schools not only congratulated our State Champions on their superior performance, but also commented on how courteous and respectful they were to all of the teams they competed against. Throughout the day our team members were often observed on the practice courts sharing tips and training techniques with their competitors, demonstrating their great sporting etiquette and respect for all. It was clear to see that our Glenny girls were well respected and appreciated during the presentation ceremony, as they received rapturous applause whilst being presented with their gold medals and State Champions Pennant.

Many thanks go out to our student coaches - Adam Zhu (Year 11), Juan Kim (Year 11), Justin Lim (Year 11) and Rohit Tumuluri (Year 11) – who helped train, coach, score for, motivate and support our GWSC ‘Intermediate Girls’ Badminton Team throughout the School Sport Victoria ‘Waverley Division’, ‘Eastern Metropolitan Region’ and ‘Victorian State’ Championships this year.

We would also like to thank Mr William Wei and Mr Mark Robinson for helping to supervise and coach our GWSC ‘Intermediate Girls’ Badminton Team at the regional and state titles respectively.

Finally, we would like to send out a GIANT THANK-YOU to Mrs Carla Gagliardi who encouraged, barracked for, trained, coached and motivated the girls every step of the way this year. Mrs Gagliardi was instrumental from the time of team selections then right throughout the School Sport Victoria ‘Waverley Division’, ‘Eastern Metropolitan Region’ and ‘Victorian State’ Championships in 2023.

Congratulations again to our victorious State Championship winning GWSC ‘Intermediate Girls’ Badminton Team, you should all be very proud of your superb sporting achievements as all members of our #GWSCommunity are. We wish all of you all the very best for your future endeavours on court and can’t wait to follow your journey’s playing the world’s fastest sport….

#GOODminton!