Badminton
Captains: Justin Phmah, Ava Saephan, Maddie Xiong
What have you learned from previous team captains that you want to bring to the team?
“Get to know everyone on the team better, build a strong community,” Phmah said.
“Taking confidence into account,” Saephan said.
“It doesn’t matter exactly how good you are at the sport. Really what matters is your attitude. That’s a really big factor for me and the team as a whole – making sure the team is having fun and putting in effort, making sure they aren’t just doing it to do it,” Xiong said.
What are you most excited about for this season?
“I’m looking forward to playing a lot of new people and improving,” Phmah said.
“Going into the season, I just wanted to have fun. Last year I was really nervous but I had so much fun playing with my partner, so I was just looking forward to having fun and learning new things,” Saephan said.
“I’m really just looking forward to meeting the new people and watching them develop over the season. We have a lot of new people this year and I can see their potential,” Xiong said.
What is an aspect of your sport that you enjoy but that people might not know about?
“You get to know people a lot better. The community isn’t too big, so you know everybody, at like different schools,” Phmah said.
“It’s the environment. I really feel like people in Badminton are really close, so it’s great to play with people you know and are comfortable with, that’s a big thing I like when I play,” Saephan said.
“The thing about Badminton is that it is a very individual sport. Like yes you’re together as a tema but at the end of the day, it’s just one or two people on the court, so it gives a lot of chances for a lot of personal development,” Xiong said.
What are your hopes for the team this year and after?
“I hope people continue to play the sport, like new people can find their way into the sport,” Phmah said.
“I hope we get more people. We didn’t have as many people as last year,” Saephan said.
Boys Golf
Captains: Jackson Lommen, Charlie Wright
What have you learned from previous team captains that you want to bring to the team?
“Setting an example. One thing that I love to do is to connect to the underclassmen. That way we can feel more friendly and close with each other, with a better vibe for the team,” Wright said.
“Last year Bodie Bloemker was our captain, and he was definitely a lead by example kinda guy.” Jackson Lomen
What are you most excited about for this season?
“NCS. We’ve got a team of youngsters, and we’re kinda ballin ‘out. I’m looking forward to it,” Wright said.
What is an aspect of your sport that you enjoy but that people might not know about?
“It’s beautiful. The courses are beautiful. We are privileged, so we get to play in beautiful places,” Wright said.
“I think the mental component of golf is the hardest part. A lot of the other sports I’ve played in my life have been more physically intensive but for golf the biggest challenge is the mental part of the game, [and I really enjoy that],” Lomen said.
What are your hopes for the team this year and after?
“We finish well in the playoffs and get a good record. For next year, we have a lot of underclassmen coming up, [so I am hoping] we just improve,” Wright said.
Boys Tennis
Captains: Nick King, Willey Tenney
What have you learned from previous team captains that you want to bring to the team?
“A level of intensity that keeps the players motivated and wants to show up to practice everyday. It’s important to be interactive with all the players, keep them feeling good, throw some jokes and keep the energy up,” King said.
“It’s easy for the seniors to make a bubble, so it’s up to the captains to make sure the entire team feels like they’re a part of a community,” Tenney said.
What are you most excited about for this season?
“I’m most excited to keep this momentum we have going and make it to playoffs. Hopefully we’ll play some strong teams and just keep showing out,” King said.
“Piedmont has the longest playoff streak in our division, so we’re hoping to keep that going,” Tenney said.
What is an aspect of your sport that you enjoy but that people might not know about?
“There are no referees involved and while it does allow for cheating, most people are pretty good sports, so it keeps it in between you and the player,” King said.
“It’s very much a gentleman’s sport, and you’d be surprised how people abide by that,” Tenney said.
What are your hopes for the team this year and after?
“For after, we want to keep the legacy going, make sure kids feel motivated to keep the strong tradition of Piedmont tennis going,” King said.
“Push through NCS, win a couple of rounds. We have a lot of talented freshmen on the team and a lot of really talented middle schoolers coming up too, so I think Piedmont tennis is going to be pretty exciting for a lot of yeast to come” Tenney said.
Softball
Captains: Miya Fujimoto, Angelina Wu
What have you learned from previous team captains that you want to bring to the team?
“I’ve learned that being captain is about staying on top of things, helping the coaches plan out, and taking leadership if the team is falling about,” Fujimoto said.
“I had captains who would show up every practice and have this visible urge to want to help others and be there, which was really inspiring. Because there are a lot of new members on the team and people who’ve never played before, so as someone who has played for a while, I feel like I have a responsibility to help guide them, and learn the game,” Wu said.
What are you most excited about for this season?
“I am excited for the new players we got this year, like having a few players with experience come in is nice,” Fujimoto said.
“I’m excited because we have a bigger team than we’ve had in the past, so there’s more diversity in rotations on the field. Also hoping to make a return to the field because I’m coming off of an injury,” Wu said.
What is an aspect of your sport that you enjoy but that people might not know about?
“In softball you do a lot of cheering, like we have organized cheers that everyone does. And since it’s a failure sport, like you fail more times than you succeed, hitting 30% of the time is good, it’s all about those little successes that feel really good,” Fujimoto said.
“The dynamic of our team is really interesting, buts its so many different people than you would normally talk to at school, so that’s fun. And this year especially, interacting with the freshmen is funny,” Wu said.
What are your hopes for the team this year and after?
“I’m hoping the softball program will continue. The past few years we’ve been close to not having one, but we have a lot of freshmen this year, so hopefully they can continue the team,” Wu said.
“They added a middle school softball team, so I’m hoping that helps it grows the program a little bit
Track and Field
Jumps/Hurdles: Miguel Long, Throws Captain:Alina Shahid, Sprints Captain: Sam Shelby, Hurdles Captain: Ella Yasar,
What have you learned from previous team captains that you want to bring to the team?
“Making sure this team is a community and that everyone is bonded. I noticed that my previous captains would be friends with all the different people on the team, like all the different events, not just the people that do sprints or long distance. The captains did a really good job of being inclusive and friends with everyone. I think that brings everyone up, makes them train harder, just makes the team better overall,” Shelby said.
“It’s all about bringing the energy and showing up because people definitely look up to you,” Yasar said.
“Adapting my approach based on the way my teammates respond to my feedback/coaching. I’ve also learned the importance of leading by example. When I try to coach my teammates and help them improve their form and they either don’t listen or it doesn’t work, I always revert back to focusing on myself so that my success and growth can serve as an inspiration for them,” Shahid said.
What are you most excited about for this season?
“I’m really excited for the championship run and hopefully making it to MOCs, either in individual events or relays,” Ella Yasar.
“I’m most excited for breaking the school record a bunch and going to NCS championships in four events,” Long said.
“The throwing events haven’t been the easiest to compete in for Piedmont since we haven’t had a consistent coach up until this year, which meant that I had to use other sources to improve and learn on my own. I’m really excited for this season to progress because I’m only 3 feet away from the discus school record from last year’s PR, and 7 ft away from this year’s PR. We also have a new girl that joined throwing who is 2 feet away from the shot put school record and I am extremely excited to see everyone improve and PR throughout the season,” Shahid said.
“I’m excited about the relay teams – I think they’re really going to be a lot of fun. We have a lot of young talent and I think it’s gonna be really cool to get some people on the relays and see what we can do, see if we can make some runs to the state meet,” Shelby said.
What is an aspect of your sport that you enjoy but that people might not know about?
“I really enjoy the work that goes in because it’s behind the scenes. I don’t really expect [athletes] to like it, but I love knowing that I’m getting better and that I’m preparing myself for a good season,” Miguel Long.
“Throwing doesn’t require an immense amount of physical strength. Going to meets where other teams are extremely muscular and lift heavy weights was intimidating at first, but once I learned that throwing, especially discus, relies heavily on form I felt a lot more confident in my abilities. If you show up consistently, it’s easy to improve exponentially just by fixing small components of the spin. The community between the people who throw and do track in general is also really inspiring and supportive,” Shahid said.
“It’s really you against you out there. In track you run against people but at the end of the day, its you against the clock and getting better every week and comparing yourself to yourself and going on your journey,” Shelby said.
“Even though track is an individual sport, we all work together and train together as a team, so that aspect is really fun because you get individual and team parts of it, and also relays that come really together,” Ella Yasar
What are your hopes for the team this year and after?
“I hope we’re able to win WACC title and I hope a lot of the varsity runners who have a few more years on the team are able to advance their marks,” Miguel Long.
“I hope that the team can maintain the momentum that we’ve built so far. Without a consistent coach I’ve tried my best to keep the team motivated and help them reach their maximum potential. Everyone comes to practice with a great attitude and effort and I hope that it continues on to next year,” Shahid said.
