By Joey Gelman
Photos By Ashley Harris/OSA
Whitney Young was trying to do something in CPL Badminton that only Patyon had ever done: win back-to-back championships. In fact, the Grizzlies had won every championship since 2018, until the Dolphins took the crown last season. This time around, Whitney Young secured its second consecutive badminton title as it looks to become the new dynasty in girls badminton in the Chicago Public League.
Last year’s rivalry kept its intensity this year, as Payton and Young matched up against each other in every final-round match: Singles 1, Singles 2, Doubles 1 and Doubles 2.
Young would go on to win the tournament with a final score of 16 points, with Payton finishing with 13.5 points.
The Dolphins were led by key senior leaders under first-year head coach Caneka Davis.
“It feels amazing, I have such an amazing group of girls, they worked extremely hard,” she said. “This is my first time coaching badminton, and I fell in love with the sport.”
She continued, “Honestly, we have about eight seniors, and they’re so focused and locked in on winning city again, helping me understand badminton, helping me enjoy it. I think just building up their confidence has played a huge part.”
The Doubles 2 Champions, led by seniors Kylie Watts and Anushri Virmani, competed in a hard-fought, three-set match, defeating Eliana Baker and Mariana Chen (13-21,21-10, 23-21).
The Dolphins’ duo played against each other in park district play, and the great friends talked all summer about partnering up their senior year, and it paid off.
And to top it off, championship day was also Kylie’s birthday.
“I feel great… to win it my senior year is so exciting,“ said Watts. “It was a long and treacherous journey to get here…don’t let everything you had to go through go for nothing, win it and give it your all.”
A three-set match is always tough but Virmani knew they had the mental fortitude to withstand the difficulties and come out on top.
“Our biggest thing was to not get in our heads,” Virmani said. “I feel like badminton is very much a mind game sometimes, and you can’t let the other team get in your head. Block all that out and focus on what we know we can do, and do it good.”
The two seniors hope to leave a lasting legacy on this program as it continues to solidify itself as a top program in the league. Watts hopes to leave a good legacy, one that the team can continue to build upon.
And what does this mean for the school?
“It means a lot,“ Watts said. “We won last year too, so for us to win this year, I hope it gets the energy and interest up in badminton. By showing that badminton is a really important, tough, difficult sport that you have to train for, I hope that this [title] comes back to our school and gets more people interested.”
In Singles 2, Young senior Michelle Yee, defeated Jalissa Morones (15-21, 21-18, 21-18) in three tough sets. While she lost the first set, after observing her opponent, she adjusted and took the last two sets to secure the title, all while dealing with an injury.
“I feel tired, it just feels surreal. I can’t explain it,” said Yee. “Just the feeling of getting that last point, I just dropped to the ground. I feel like I just finished my senior year strong.”
Even though the Dolphins had a new coach, last year’s championship expectations and culture remained in place this season.
“This year we had a new coach, but she shared positivity and words of encouragement; we all got along together.”
Yee is also one of the influential seniors on the team and hopes to leave a lasting legacy on the program.
“I feel honored; I feel like I can maybe pass this down to my younger juniors, to teach them what I know,“ she said. “Never give up, always think to yourself, you got this.”
And what was Yee’s plan after the win?
“I feel happy, I’m going to treat myself to some food.”
In the Doubles 1 Championship, Payton’s Sophie Hong and Eileen Chen took home the title in two sets (21-17 , 21-18) over Young’s Sarida Silapaduriyang and Claire Tian. While both players played last year, this was their first year together as doubles partners.
“It feels good, I think we worked hard this year,” said Hong. “It is our first year being partners together, so we had to work out the chemistry and work out our doubles rotation.”
“This is the first time I have won first place for anything in CPL,” said Chen. “And I’m really glad I got to play with Sophie, because we’ve been friends for a really long time.”
Their hard work paid off as their in-game focus, constantly analyzing their opponent, focusing on rallies, and reaction speed, helped them knock off Young in two sets.
The cliché “teamwork makes the dream work’ is often overused, but in this case, Hong and Chen are big believers in working together both in their partnership and across their team.
“Badminton is a singles or doubles sport, so when we work together as a team to analyze and play together, it really boosts team morale,” said Hong. “It shows that we worked hard for our school and showed why we’re Payton.”
“I’m happy we ended on a good note, leaving a legacy,” said Chen. “Maybe [we] can encourage people to collaborate with each other even though they’ve never tried it before, and just work on doing their best, not just trying to win.”
Both Chen and Hong hope to continue their badminton careers in college, with Hong attending MIT in the fall, and Chen attending NYU.
And, in Singles 1, it was Natalie Chin who took home her second city singles title in a row, defeating Lily Sanchez 21-18, 21-10 in the final championship match.
Chin’s championship match was the final match of the day, so all eyes were on her court as she secured the title.
“It feels great, great way to end my senior year,“ said Chin.
To start the year, Natalie was worried that with a new coach, it could bring a new culture, but according to her, Davis was the perfect match for the defending champions.
“Thank goodness we got Coach C,“ said Chin. “She was really motivating and supportive.“
The Dolphins had a mission this season: ensuring last year was not just luck, but rather the start of their turn as the dominant team in CPL.
And they did just that, behind strong senior leaders, who are leaving their mark on this program.
“It’s amazing, it’s nice to leave my mark, you know, I did something,” she said.
Friendship was also a theme that Chin emphasized in reflecting on the season and her career, as the team was incredibly supportive of one another. Having a team full of friends made the season even more special.
And what does it mean for Chin to bring this back home to Whitney Young?
“This program meant a lot to me, because Badminton is a sport that is normally overlooked, but we have this now to show for it.”
While there will be a transition into next season with so many seniors graduating, the team is confident in its ability to finish on top once again in 2027.
Full Tournament Results Can Be Found Here
