Villa Park Just Keeps Winning Despite Losses

Not too many high school teams in any sport could lose three players of junior national caliber and still be a title contender, but the Villa Park High badminton team is an exception.

The Spartans are 9-0 even without Amy Nguy, Bonnie Wong and Casey Peters, who all decided to skip high school competition this season to concentrate on their studies--and train for the 2004 Olympics.

Nguy, Wong and Peters found that school work, plus playing for Villa Park and working out with the U.S. junior national team at the Orange County Badminton Club, was just too taxing.

“Last year it took a lot of time,” said Peters. “We’d go until 7 or 8 at night and it just didn’t leave me any time for school work.”

A few Villa Park players are hanging in there despite the rough schedule. Mesinee Mangkalakiri, Connie Hwang and Mike Chansawangpuvana, a member of the new boys’ training program at the club, spend at least five hours a day playing badminton.

On a typical day, they practice with the high school team for two hours, then train with the junior national team for three hours more. That doesn’t leave much time for dinner, studying or social activity.

Mangkalakiri and Hwang say they understand why their former teammates quit. Both even hint that this might also be their last season of high school competition.

“When there are away games, we miss a whole day of [junior national] practice,” Mangkalakiri said. “High school is fun, but sometimes you have to choose.”

If Mangkalakiri, Hwang and Chansawangpuvana are tired, you wouldn’t know it. They all are undefeated in team matches this season, and consistently contribute eight or nine of the 10 points needed to win a match.

Even with its squad packed with junior national team members last season, Villa Park lost to Garden Grove in the Southern Section final.

Still, some coaches apparently considered the Spartans invincible this season.

For a while, Villa Park Coach Sherry Smith had a hard time finding opponents willing to play her team. Compounding the problem: Villa Park is a freelance team, without league affiliation.

“I struggled and struggled to get matches for us,” Smith said. “But most people would just tell me their schedules were full.”

Mangkalakiri, The Times’ Orange County player of the year last season, thinks there was another reason. “I think no one wanted to play us because they thought we’d all be here again,” she said.

Troy Coach Marv Hoover accepted Smith’s offer of a match, but after his team’s 14-5 loss he wasn’t sure he’d do it again.

“I thought it would be a good experience for my kids to play them,” Hoover said. “But I don’t think I’ll play them next year, because it’s no fun coming into a match knowing you’re going to get beat badly. They have some unbelievable talent on that team.”

And even if some of that talent decides not to compete in high school next season, Smith predicts the Spartans will do just fine.

“We have only one senior on this team,” said Smith, who had more than 70 players try out this year. “Our boys’ team is really strong and I think this team is going to be good for years to come.”

She would, however, miss the junior national players. “They don’t add only their talent to the team, but their experience and work ethic is really great for the other kids to see,” she said.