Athletic Director Takes on Badminton
After several years away, Joe Berticevich returns to coach the badminton team.
By Saya Fujii
After several years away, Joe Berticevich returns to coach the badminton team.
By Saya Fujii
When badminton was unable to find a coach for the spring 2023 season, a spot opened, leaving Athletic Director Joe Berticevich to take on the position.
Berticevich, the varsity boys’ basketball coach, stepped up this season for the coed sport. He had coached badminton in the early 2000s, and this year he is working on improving the young team.
“It’s a great sport, a great workout and there are great kids to coach. People don't know a lot about badminton, they think it's just a PE sport, but it's very competitive and it's at the college level and higher,” said Berticevich.
Players on the team adjusted to the change from the prior years. Matt Coelho, 10, appreciates that Berticevich brings in alumni to help run drills for the team to continue to improve.
“The coaching this year is different in that we haven't done as much ‘boot camp’ where we learn the basic rules and positioning. It's been a lot of us learning from each other,” said Coelho.
Louis Gendzel, 10, feels that Berticevich has been doing a good job coaching badminton so far.
“He manages games very well and utilizes the better senior players to help coach new ones. The number of new players far outweighs the returning players,” said Gendzel. “As a result, training all of us has been no small task, although we've gotten much better already.”
Last year, badminton was coached by the former dance teacher Lisa Yap and Luka Bazan, 10, feels that it would be nice for the sport to have their own coach.
“I think that Coach B is doing fine for his level of badminton. He definitely knows a little bit about the sport, but it would be nice to have coaches who are specialized in badminton and give us specific ideas and plans for practices,” said Bazan.
Elaine Chow, 10, thinks that Berticevich is coaching them well so far and feels that he is more aware of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“He tries his best to make sure we are getting the practice we need for our season games. Our team captains and Coach B set up drills for us to practice our hitting and footwork,” said Chow.
Berticevich feels that badminton is very different from basketball, but enjoys the competitive piece both have.
“We’re a team, teams are gonna have ups and downs but I think they’re enjoying it, I think they’re improving, so that's all I can ask. It's definitely fun,” said Berticevich.
Berticevich, the varsity boys’ basketball coach, stepped up this season for the coed sport. He had coached badminton in the early 2000s, and this year he is working on improving the young team.
“It’s a great sport, a great workout and there are great kids to coach. People don't know a lot about badminton, they think it's just a PE sport, but it's very competitive and it's at the college level and higher,” said Berticevich.
Players on the team adjusted to the change from the prior years. Matt Coelho, 10, appreciates that Berticevich brings in alumni to help run drills for the team to continue to improve.
“The coaching this year is different in that we haven't done as much ‘boot camp’ where we learn the basic rules and positioning. It's been a lot of us learning from each other,” said Coelho.
Louis Gendzel, 10, feels that Berticevich has been doing a good job coaching badminton so far.
“He manages games very well and utilizes the better senior players to help coach new ones. The number of new players far outweighs the returning players,” said Gendzel. “As a result, training all of us has been no small task, although we've gotten much better already.”
Last year, badminton was coached by the former dance teacher Lisa Yap and Luka Bazan, 10, feels that it would be nice for the sport to have their own coach.
“I think that Coach B is doing fine for his level of badminton. He definitely knows a little bit about the sport, but it would be nice to have coaches who are specialized in badminton and give us specific ideas and plans for practices,” said Bazan.
Elaine Chow, 10, thinks that Berticevich is coaching them well so far and feels that he is more aware of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“He tries his best to make sure we are getting the practice we need for our season games. Our team captains and Coach B set up drills for us to practice our hitting and footwork,” said Chow.
Berticevich feels that badminton is very different from basketball, but enjoys the competitive piece both have.
“We’re a team, teams are gonna have ups and downs but I think they’re enjoying it, I think they’re improving, so that's all I can ask. It's definitely fun,” said Berticevich.