Canlobo Comes by Badminton Naturally

Katrina Canlobo, a star singles player on the Armijo Badminton team, has a plan for the future and a legacy to follow. Canlobo is one of the three captains on the team. Her older sister was also the captain for the Class of 2017, while her cousin was captain in 2016. Nevertheless, she said, “We have a legacy as undefeated and MEL (Monticello Empire League) champs, which could be hard sometimes, but it’s fun to be a part of the team. We are like a family.”

Ever since freshman year, Canlobo has played for the Armijo Badminton team. To prepare for the team, she played sports when she was younger, so she knows the environment. In addition, she’s likely to be seen playing in badminton gyms. A big motivator for Canlobo is the excitement from coming in for practice every day and just being in an environment surrounded by her friends and coaches. Her advice to a student contemplating becoming an athlete would be; “Always keep a positive attitude when entering sports. It’s nice to be motivated, and if you start to lose interest in that sport later on, don’t feel obligated to stay on the team because of your friends or because you’ve been doing that sport for a long time. Do what’s best for you and your happiness.”

When comparing singles and doubles, she said, “Previously I enjoyed playing doubles more, but as I’ve become a senior on the ladder, I’ve learned to like singles more. It’s fun sometimes not having to rely on someone else…A memorable moment would have to be meeting other players from opposing schools. They can be really kind sometimes and it’s nice to see them again when we go on away games.” Her favorite badminton player is Lei Chong Wei, whom she used to watch YouTube videos of on his Olympic matches and tried to apply some of his techniques during practices.

Although she doesn’t plan on playing any other sports right now, she has always wanted to play volleyball or do figure skating. On her downtime, she likes to play video games, play the piano, or listen to music. Besides badminton, Canlobo is very invested in planning for the future and helping her community. “Ever since freshman year I’ve been a teen volunteer at Northbay Healthcare. I’ve also gone to a nurse camp. I used to be in marching band and played trombone but senior year I played the Indian drum.”

If there’s a badminton team or program in college for Canlobo, she said that she would love to go out and play on her free time. As of right now, she hopes to go to San Diego or San Jose State as a nursing major. “I love helping others, so I want to be affiliated with something in the medical field. As of right now, I plan on being a nurse,” she said. Nurse Camp and volunteering at the Northbay Healthcare help with gathering background for the career. Not only that, her dad, who is a nurse and her role model is always there for her. She strives to be like him.