The sport has become more inclusive

Paolo “Ken” Misenas is one of the few boys on the badminton team at Armijo. Misenas joined the sport because, when he was a lot younger, his sister taught him how to play and he enjoyed it because it was easy to learn and fun to play.

“I find Badminton something not really hard to learn and at the same time it’s fun. You can also make friends with the people who play badminton,” he said. “I’m planning to become one of the good players.”

Some of the differences between boys’ badminton vs. girls’ badminton is that the boys put more strength in hitting hard while for the girls are good at dropping.

According to Misenas, there are three basic Badminton rules when it comes to playing the game. 1) If you’re serving, you have to serve a bit low on your waist; 2) Make sure when you are serving you don’t lift your foot, and 3) Serve over the line.

Misenas also plays tennis, but in his free-time, he studies for his International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, draws, and travels. Next year, when he is a senior, Misenas hopes to achieve more of his goals, participate in more extracurricular activities and have good grades.