Bradley Hofmeister
Staff Writer
The sport of badminton requires immense amounts of focus, hand eye coordination, and control. Therefore, a strong coach is a necessity for any badminton team.
Makenna Wilson, a Manhattan Beach resident and Mira Costa High School alumni, has taken the job as the official Mira Costa head badminton coach. This past summer, the former head coach David Levin decided to enter retirement after several years of coaching the program. With Wilson’s fiery passion and experience in the game of badminton, she was the obvious choice for the job.
Website: The Mira Costa badminton teams website.
“As a new coach here at Costa, I am hoping I can help the team learn a few things, allowing them to get better better at the sport everyday,” Wilson said. “I see it as my job to help these young adults succeed by helping them get to where they want to be and to accomplish their goals.”
Growing up in Manhattan Beach, Wilson found a passion for badminton at an early age. By the time she was eight, she was already learning the basics and developing skills that would help guide her down a path where she would find a lifelong passion and career. She eventually would go on to join the Mira Costa badminton team, and lead the team to Junior Nationals multiple times.
Photos: Makenna Wilson the new Mira Costa badminton coach.
“I am very excited for Wilson to be our coach this year as I can tell she is passionate and loves the game just as much as the team does,” Junior Audrey Kim said. “Another aspect that I truly enjoy about the game is the ability to make new friends regionally, nationally, and globally.”
After playing badminton all four years at Sonoma State College, Wilson continued to play competitively for several year before she started to focus more on coaching and helping to develop younger players of the game. Wilson has been coaching for about five years now, and was ecstatic when she got the offer to coach at her alma mater.
Website: The Manhattan Beach badminton club website.
“I have played badminton every year I have been at Costa and each year has been better and better,” Kim said. “I really enjoy the competitiveness and speed of the game and I think coach Wilson will bring a positive change to the team and will also get some guidance from our old coach who is sticking around to help out.”
As a result of Wilson’s many years of playing and coaching the game of badminton, she has found and developed a style based around endurance and staying on one’s toes to keep up with the game’s fast pace and high intensity. Wilson believes this is why she loves the game so much.
Video: The Mira Costa Badminton team practices at the Manhattan Beach badminton Club in their first season practice. New Coach Makenna Wilson hopes the team has a successful season and are able to learn how to become better players.
“Overall I would have to say my coaching style is rough but fair and that having good endurance is key to staying focused and being ready to go go go at any moment.” Wilson said. “Another reason why I love this game is because if you can keep up with the endurance and the fast play you can play this game well into your seventies!”
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