IC Athletics: BADMINTON

This winter and spring, IC Sports have been on the move. Omar Shmaitilly, in charge of leading the athletic program has done a phenomenal job with keeping IC’s name in the books for a successful season.

IC Athletics is part of NESAC, the Near East Sports Activity Conference. For the very first time, IC hosted the NESAC Badminton tournament just this March with teams in JV and Varsity. It was a three day event with both singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. “We have created a double mixed bracket where students pick their teammate from another school to compete in a double elimination”, explains Shmaitilly. Following the event was a closing ceremony and a gala. IC is proud to announce that JV Girls, Varsity Boys, and Varsity Girls all won NESAC plaques.

There was also the Alton Reynold’s first edition hosting as well– in Badminton. Four schools came by for this, and IC also carried the win!

Choosing badminton for the competition this year was a chance to try something new. “Badminton is a core sport. We did basketball and football for the last 20 years, but I wanted to change something. So we played badminton”, says Shmaitilly. “It doesn’t have a lot of highlight and it’s part of the PE program. It gets a lot of interest in this program, so it’s on the right track.”

IC is known for its sports and dedicated program, and the long term skills it teaches students to have for the world outside of school.

“The platform that we cater in sports is good exposure and good experience for our students”, says Shmaitilly. “It builds character, and relationships with other schools and teammates. We practice all year long. It’s always nice to perform and organize meets”.

Likewise, students get the opportunity to healthily learn how to deal with people, traveling, and learning how to navigate situations in the sports world. “There is a positive impact with their competitive level and sportsmanship. It gives them the traits that are filling in the gaps, and gaining skills”, Shmaitilly adds.

While teams and competitions have become less frequent than before in other schools, IC stays strong for its love of athletics and maintains its reputation for quality and dedication. “We still have our standards in sports. We are still having teams and this makes us special”, Shmaitilly concludes.

Great job on a very successful semester Cougars! We’re so proud of you, and are so excited for our upcoming season of sports.