Since Paul Wright took over Oak Park and River Forest High School badminton, the program has developed steadily.
“We have qualified singles and doubles teams downstate every year,” Wright said. “We have finished as high as five and as low as 40 as a team at the state tournament. I would love to see a top-20 finish this season.”
Wright’s optimism is well founded, considering the Huskies return four notable players from last year’s team which went 9-5, placed fourth in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division, took second at the Stevenson Sectional, and finished 40th in the state.
OPRF (4-0) is off to a promising start this season, winning the Hersey Invitational and earning second at the T.F. South Invitational.
“Our top two doubles teams won both invites,” Wright said. “We have been putting an emphasis on power and placement to get ourselves ready for state and the faster play of better players.”
Although Hinsdale Central is the favorite to win conference this season, OPRF, Lyons Township and York are regarded as contenders.
Seniors Emma Proctor, Halley Bergen, Anika Carlson and Maya Jamroz lead OPRF this spring. Proctor and Bergen, who performed well in singles and doubles last season, are captains and the Huskies’ No. 1 doubles team this spring.
“The season has been going very well,” Bergen said. “Everyone has been putting in their best efforts and the team atmosphere is extremely positive and supportive.
“This season the level of support and positivity I have seen during games and morning practices is outstanding. Players cheer each other on, coach each other in between games, push each other during practices, and overall enjoy the game play and presence of each other. OPRF’s badminton team overall has a lot of potential to become one of the better teams in our conference.”
Proctor and Bergen have been dominant, taking first place in two invites without dropping a game.
“I think the team is really strong in terms of power, which I think is important,” said Carlson, who plays both singles and doubles. “You may have good placement or speed, but to end a point or match quickly involves having the power to smash on an opponent well. I think there’s a lot of potential in perfecting our footwork and making ourselves super-efficient players.”
Jamroz and junior Nelida Schalich-Ayllon play second doubles.
“The tournament at Hersey was the first time we played together. In spite of this, we did really well against some very good teams, even beating the LT doubles pair which finished first in No. 2 doubles,” Jamroz said. “It was obvious that we had really good chemistry and were able to communicate and move around the court well. Neli and I dominated at the Thornton Fractional South tournament, winning all of our seven matches and taking first place.”
OPRF juniors Olivia Remington, Annie Ren and sophomore Molly Heflin provide depth on the varsity.
In 2018 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Bergen paired with Maeve Heflin to split four matches at state. Maeve Heflin graduated, along with Gabriela Simone and Catherine Cho. Simone and Cho also competed in doubles at state last year. Proctor just missed making state last year, losing in the qualifying match at the Stevenson Sectional.
“Emma and Haley are the leaders of the program this year,” Wright said.
Last fall, Jamroz and Proctor also starred on the OPRF tennis team. Jamroz joined Sophia Kreider as the Huskies’ top double team. The tandem advanced to the IHSA state quarterfinals and finished 25-6. Proctor qualified for state in singles, the first OPRF singles player to achieve that in four years.
Carlson excelled on the OPRF golf team.
“Last year I had to juggle practicing for golf and badminton at the same time which was tough,” Carlson said. “I definitely am doing better than I did last year. The team is doing really well this year, too, which has been exciting.”
Wright credits varsity assistant Jimmy Webster for much of the Huskies’ progress.
“Jimmy has done a wonderful job in developing our summer camp,” he said. “It’s growing into one of the largest camps we have at OPRF. Currently, we are averaging 60 to 80 girls and boys in camps. Getting kids playing early in badminton has helped our program tremendously.”
Oak Park middle school physical education teacher Tom Rocco has introduced the sport at the younger levels.
“Thanks to Tom, the middle schools are now teaching badminton,” Wright added. “We also have kids attending badminton clubs during the offseason.”
The players are appreciative of the increased popularity of OPRF badminton.
“It’s nice to know that other people share your passion and excitement for a sport,” Carlson said. “The program has grown in strength consistently every year, which is encouraging to see. Coaches Wright, Maxwell and Webster have all done amazing jobs promoting the program and creating opportunities for girls to come try badminton.”
OPRF hits the road this week with matches at York on Wednesday, April 3 (4:30 p.m.), followed by the Willowbrook Invite on Saturday, April 6 at 9 a.m.
The Huskies’ next match at home is against Lyons Township on Wednesday, April 10. Start time is 4:30 p.m.
“The last few years have been really strong for OPRF badminton,” Jamroz said. “We have been fortunate to have a program with really talented, athletic, and hardworking players.
“I feel that the success of OPRF badminton is due to the amazing coaching. The vast majority of the girls who try out for the freshman team have never played badminton before in their life. I think this just really highlights the strength of the coaches and program.”