My Story
School Sports
MLK Boys Varsity Badminton Season
By: Afsara Monzur
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Taken by: Chenghui Zaho
If you asked me what my favorite sport was right now, I would reply badminton without hesitation. Last year, I was on the girl's badminton team, and this fall, I was one of the managers for the boy's squad. The MLK Boys' Varsity Badminton team competed against a variety of schools, including Fashion Industries High School, James Monroe Campus, Bronx Science, Seward Park Campus, and others. Even though they had their ups and downs, they always gave it their all in every game.
Other players, such as Manav Ghosh, a freshman, stated, "As my first time being on the team, it was the best experience I've received." He said, “Everyone provides constructive criticism, and we all work together to improve our skills throughout practice. Being a part of the team taught me how to persevere in the face of adversity. Coach Brady was a good coach who put everyone in the game regardless of talent level, as we discovered by playing against teams from all around the city. In the singles match, I competed against Stuyvesant High School. Even though I lost the match, I learned how they play and how to adjust to it.
While Manav detailed his experience as a singles player, Sebastian Suarez, a student at Law Advocacy and Community Justice High School, recalled his experiences as a doubles player. "Playing with a partner is best for me because I've never played singles." Some methods that my partner and I use include chatting on the court, but not too much because we don't want our opponents to hear us. Also, during the week, I watch Danish men's doubles matches to see how they play.
Almost all sports demand leadership duties, and it can be difficult to balance school and extracurricular activities at times. It was especially challenging for the team captain, Bryan Zhao, a senior taking all of his studies at Hunter College. "Being captain was thrust upon me," he explained. I was forced into the job because I had the most experience with the team. I felt obligated because I'd been there the longest, and nobody else was prepared to take action, so I did. Because of all the extracurricular activities I'm already involved in, it was sometimes difficult to balance everything while applying to colleges." While it was difficult, the boys made it and will begin playoffs on November 13th! I wish them luck and hope they do everything they can to study and achieve.
Our Division 1 Title
By: Afsara Monzur
Get ready to witness some of the most thrilling and action-packed events as the MLK wrestling team takes center stage! With student-athletes representing our campus, this sport is all about teamwork, sportsmanship, and developing skills to dominate the competition. One more important feature of this sport is that while you are individually competing against your opponent, you still rely on your teammates and coaches to improve. Everybody on the team, whether you are a contender to win a city title or a 1st year wrestler struggling to learn the skills plays an important part on the team. From the regular season to the championship rounds, every moment is filled with excitement and anticipation!
Sports can be a powerful teacher of important life skills such as mental toughness, responsibility, and accountability. Well, according to Leo Cepeda, a Junior from Manhattan Hunter Science, wrestling does just that! Leo said “Wrestling has been instrumental in my personal growth, both inside and outside of the classroom. Unlike team sports like basketball, soccer, or football, wrestling is unique in that it's all up to you. You alone can succeed or fail, depending on your efforts. And that's exactly what has instilled a sense of responsibility and accountability in my life. I learned that I must navigate through the tough waves of life and emerge stronger than before. This mindset has helped me excel in the classroom, where I am solely responsible for my grades. And it's also prepared my life outside of school, where every decision I make has consequences. Now, I firmly believe that success or failure is entirely in my hands.”
While wrestling has taught a lot of life lessons to many of the players, it has also tremendously shaped our seniors who are currently at Hunter College. According to Alexis Navarro, the captain of the boy's season, “Wrestling has taught me sportsmanship as we have to shake our opponent’s hand as well as their coach’s, this teaches wrestlers to respect everyone including teachers and classmates. As a wrestler, you have to be passing all your classes to even be able to participate. I'm a person who isn’t very fond of school but being able to wrestle and do something I enjoy gives me an incentive to get my work done.”
Our wrestling team has done great every single season and always went above and beyond in this sport. While there are ups and downs to everything they always manage to put forward their best work and make many memorable memories. Mr.Klein, the coach for the team, said, “One of my most memorable moments this season was when we managed to win the division title. We had to overcome a lot of obstacles and still managed to come together and had a 6 and 1 record of a division and we had the best record, and I was pleased with that!” We are all very happy about this win for our campus and thank all the wrestlers who contributed so much towards this.
