Interview with the Marianopolis Demons Badminton Team

Our badminton team is the only division one sports team at Marianopolis. Division one is the toughest intercollegiate level to compete in. The team has a multi-decade history of achievements, including multiple regional and provincial titles.

Today, we are joined by Xiangjia Li, captain of the badminton team. Xiangjia is a second-year pure and applied science student. He also plays basketball as a hobby.

Can you tell us a bit about the badminton team?

XJ: Yes, we’re twenty this year. Badminton on an intercollegiate level is mixed, so we have both male and female athletes. We practice together at school twice weekly, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. I’d say we’re very close, almost family-like.

How do competitions function? How does one school win against another?

XJ: Badminton is an individual sport, but on an intercollegiate level, it becomes a team sport. So we have seven categories: men’s singles 1, men’s singles 2,  men’s doubles 1, men’s doubles 2, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Every time we play against a school, for every match we win, we receive 14 points. The points we receive when we lose a match depend on the match’s score: it can range between 2 and 12. After all seven matches finish, we add up our points, and whichever school receives the most points wins.

How were the tournament results so far in the year?

XJ: Right now, we are in second place in the Quebec South-West region. But I strongly believe we have a good chance of beating the first place team if we put more effort into our practices.

What are the team’s goals for 2023?

XJ: We want to win regional this year and bring home the banner and the gold medals. We hope to finish second in provincials.

Any home games coming up?

XJ: Yes, on February 12th. Everyone is welcome to come watch. Please come support us if you can. We will play against the Lionel-Groux, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Montmorency, and Outaouais CÉGEPs.

For those looking to join next year, how?

XJ: We have tryouts at the beginning of the next school year. They are open to everyone! We usually have over a hundred people at the tryouts.

Do you have any tips for someone who wants to start to play badminton or wants to play more sports?

XJ: We all start somewhere; don’t be afraid to be bad at first. It takes practice and patience to get better. I promise you won’t regret it afterwards: playing a sport is not only beneficial for physical and mental health, but more importantly, you meet so many amazing people along the way.

What are the challenges you faced this year as a captain?

XJ: The main challenge for me was to learn how to become a real leader. This year, 80% of the members are first years, so it took more time for us to get to know each other. I tried to organize team bonding events, for example, eating together in a restaurant and going to escape rooms together. I wanted to become someone who can bring everyone together and create a good atmosphere during training and tournaments. I value team chemistry a lot.

Any last words?

XJ: Please visit our Instagram page @demons_badminton (shameless plug). The team members manage it; I dare say we’re pretty funny.

Thank you for your time with us today. Good luck with upcoming tournaments, Xiangjia. 

Stay tuned for more sports team interviews.