The Independence badminton team ended their season with a seven and seven record, placing them 21st in their division in their 2025 season.
Independence High schools double Hanna Avilez and Arlene Vega took badminton all the way to state this year during their senior seasons. The two seniors competed at the state level this year, but fell short in their third round unable to advance.
Avilez and Vega fought a tough season this year in order to represent Independence at the state level. It is Avilez’s 3rd year and Vega’s first year playing badminton. They played as a double and had a very successful season.
This was Avilez’s second year in a row qualifying for state and Vega’s first year qualifying for state. Avilez states “I was overall happy with my performance this year, I think towards the end of the season I could have played a little bit better, but in the end I still went to state for the second year in a row.” The first time she qualified for state she felt that she froze up under pressure. This year she felt better about the performance and was very proud of Vega and herself for playing as well as they did.
As for Vega she had never had a prior experience in qualifying for state in badminton so she had a lot of mixed emotions. She states “I’m a first year in badminton and I felt like I had to do my very best because Hanna hasn’t played for like I think 4 years and I felt a little pressure because I didn’t want to fail her”. She was excited to be able to play with Avilez and compete at the level that she did. Vega enjoyed playing and found it really fun.
Vega and Avilez supported each other all the way through. Vega even states, “she encouraged me to my best and breathe because I was so excited and nervous too” about Avilez. Avilez also felt that Coach Durkin played an important role in her career playing badminton. She says that Coach Durkin has been like a mom to her and has always been there for her to keep a level head during her matches.
Coach Durkin says that “They did so good I was so proud of them they did their best they made it to the second round”. Coach Durkin was extremely proud of the girls and their performance this year. She describes the girls as amazing players and very sweet. She felt that “they were a dominant team and duo”.
This was their first year being a double and once they got their chemistry going they became a state qualifying team. Avilez helped to teach Vega how to play more strategically and hit different shots. However Vega taught her “To be more consistent and calm on the court. She literally helped me lock in”.
Every player on the team did their part in order to finish off the season strong. There were many matches played this year and players who played hard in order to shape Independence’s badminton reputation.
The team had a great season overall and are looking for more players to help strengthen the program. Coach Durkin says “It’s fun if you like it and pee you should come out”. She is looking to do more preseasons next year in order to push for another successful season and hopefully create a state qualifying team.
