This is just a normal point. He clutched his racket and prepared to serve. This is just a normal point. He took a deep breath and set his feet. The crowd went silent. He flicked his wrist, sending the birdie over the net. The sound of sneakers squeaked throughout the rally; the birdie soared in the air, perfectly setting up a cross-court smash. The crowd erupted as he fell to his knees in disbelief—after four years of hardship, Haoran Xia finally triumphed and earned the title of Nassau County Badminton Individual Champion.
Senior Haoran Xia, a singles badminton player at South, started playing badminton at seven years old. Growing up in China, he loved watching his dad play badminton with his coworkers at the gym. Motivated by his father, Xia started training in a local gym and a semi-professional camp during summer break. Now, he trains at New York Badminton Center in Flushing, which helped him become a nationally ranked badminton player.
Xia is one of the most seasoned varsity badminton players who’s played for South. Since joining the high school team six years ago as a seventh grader, he worked his way up to become the badminton captain as a junior and senior.
“Haoran is extremely disciplined and serious,” said the boys badminton coach Allison Gottfried. “I am proud of Haoran for being a humble, ethical, and strong leader. He gradually learned to have confidence in himself, and he has motivated his teammates to do the same.”
Freshman Arthur Xu, the second singles player, sees Xia as a mentor. “I admire his dedication, his skill, and his determination to improve the team.”
Xia’s leadership abilities did not come naturally. Still, each year since ninth grade, his hard work landed him in the Nassau County individual tournament. For this year’s tournament, Xia’s biggest motivator was his past losses. “My first loss in the county championships was in ninth grade. I lost by a landslide, which motivated me to train harder in the future,” he said.
After making it to the quarter and semifinals in previous years, Xia finally earned a victory against Raymond Li from Plainview High School this year, making him the Nassau County Badminton Individual Champion.
“It was a moment to shine for my entire six years of varsity badminton. If I didn’t win, then potentially all the six years I have in the team could have gone to waste,” Xia said.
Xia attributes much of his victory to his mental fortitude. “I was tired [in the finals], but I saw that my opponent was exhausted. Maintaining my mentality and appearing confident made my opponent break down first and play passively.”
Xia expressed conflicting feelings about his Nassau County victory. “This year, all four of my opponent were seniors. Although I was happy that I was able to beat them, it was also bittersweet because I knew that their badminton journey was going to end because of me.”
But mostly, Xia felt satisfied. “I couldn’t believe that I had achieved such an important feat in badminton and in varsity sports. But as time goes on, I am starting to feel more confident that I won because of all the hard work and dedication I put in for my dream of winning the championship.”
