Athlete focus: Two to take on

Nicole Eguia and Princess “April Marcilla take to the badminton court as a team and together they strive to crush the competition. “My strengths are smashes and cross drops while my partner’s strengths are drives and backdrops,” Marcilla said and Eguia agreed.

Marcilla said that she joined the badminton team in her freshman year because she wanted to stay active, but she had played for fun in her childhood years in the Philippines. “For me, badminton is a de-stresser,” she said. “My most memorable game was getting in the ladder once last year and winning both my singles and doubles game at Will C. Wood… I transferred to Armijo at the beginning of junior year because I did not have a decent experience at Fairfield High. I used to play for their badminton team my freshman and sophomore years and I was #3 on their ladder.”

Eguia chose the sport because she wanted to do something new and challenging, but she had also played as a child. Both have stuck with the team for years. “My most memorable game is on the American Canyon tournament. Even though we lost it, it was fun and I at least got to experience it,” she said.

“What I like about playing as part of a doubles team is that I won’t have to cover the whole court and it is less exhausting,” Marcilla said. Eguia’s response was similar.

Neither girl currently participates in any other sport, although Marcilla used to be part of a Track and Field team outside of school. Both girls would like to continue playing in college, if that is available. They both plan to start at Solano Community College and Marcilla said that she would transfer to Berkeley, unless she goes directly into the Air Force after graduating high school. Eguia wants to study either business administration or health services.

Both girls would encourage others to jump in and try to get involved in sports. “Try something new and something you couldn’t imagine yourself playing because, in the end, you might love what you do and, if not, at least you tried and got to experience something new,” said Eguia.

“Getting involved in sports can help improve your physical health and build confidence,” Marcilla said. “You get to meet new people and make friends. You learn self-management and how to balance your time.”

Marcilla has one older sister, Lovely, who played on the badminton team at Fairfield High several years ago. Eguia has four sisters: Shirley, Mary Grace, Maricae and Sharmaine.