As the badminton season came to an end, the major end-of-season tournament CCS determined the top players of each section.

Five seniors from the varsity badminton team attended CCS Championships, held from May 20 to 22. Boys’ doubles teams David Chock and Kevin Chiang, Michael Su and Andrew Shyu, and girls’ singles player Emily Hur all advanced from league finals to play against top-ranked Bay Area high school players.

“It was a great experience to meet some new players from all around,” said Hur. “I learned a lot from watching their unique strategies and skills.”

CCS took place over the course of three days at Monta Vista High and had single eliminations. All Saratoga players qualified to play on the second day, but only Chock and Chiang advanced from there to win fourth place.

“The pressure was very strong as we advanced further into the competition,” said Chiang. “The players got exponentially harder, but we tried out best and kept our hopes up.”

The Falcons sent 18 varsity players to league finals the week before CCS. In order to qualify for CCS, these players had to be in the top four in their respective categories.

“We were hoping that with all the teams we sent to leagues, at least 40 percent would advance to CCS,” said coach Peter Chen. “I was a bit disappointed that our goal was not reached but still very proud of how everyone played at leagues.”

The badminton team wrapped up the season on May 23 with its annual team banquet at Wildwood Park.

“It’s been a great year,” said Hur. “I’m really sad to leave this team for college, but CCS was a good ending to the season.” ◆