Very few junior badminton players can claim that they are among the best in the nation, but MHS is home to two of them — sophomores Anderson Lin and Mia Hundley, who both play on the varsity badminton team. According to the USA Badminton Junior Rankings on Tosszone, a website for badminton statistics, Lin was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the under 19 (U19) division of boys singles, and Hundley was ranked No. 9 for U19 girls doubles as of March 1, 2023. Both players have held No. 1 in other events within the past few months, according to Tosszone.
Lin primarily plays boys singles badminton, he said. He started playing badminton with his cousins in Taiwan when he was in first grade, he added. Lin’s favorite memory in badminton is winning his first-ever national junior title at the Pan American Junior Badminton Championships, he said. Lin has competed in the event twice, he added.
“I won my first title when I was 12,” Lin said. “I got one gold in (U13) men’s singles, one gold in men’s doubles, and one silver in mixed doubles. That was my first super, super good tournament.”
Lin now trains with Bay Badminton Center for over two hours on most weekdays and the whole day on weekends, he said. Lin also travels once every one or two months for tournaments and focuses on winning major tournaments to boost his ranking, he said.
Traveling “does get in the way of schoolwork sometimes,” Lin said. “Sometimes I have to fly here, and I’m up at 12 doing homework.”
On the school team, Lin comes to at least two practices a week and participates as much as possible, badminton head coach and staff secretary Tommy Nguyen said. Although Lin and Hundley are expected to participate in all MHS practices and matches, they sometimes can’t attend because of commitments to off-campus training, Nguyen said.
“I do tell them that if they come to practice, I want them to participate and bond with the team,” Nguyen said. “This is a team full of classmates, and full of friends … I want them to just remember what it’s like to be on a team as a teenager.”
Lin is a quick, knowledgeable player that other players look up to and serves as a foundational element for the team, Nguyen added.
“When Anderson shows up, there’s a lot of camaraderie, and everyone’s excited to see him,” Nguyen said.
Not many people at school know he has a national junior badminton ranking, Lin said.
“I think it’s good that way because I don’t want to make it seem like (I’m) cocky or anything because I’m at school right now, and I’m not playing badminton,” Lin said. “Badminton has nothing to do with school. So I just like to keep it on the low.”
Having a national junior ranking doesn’t prove anything, as even players who rank last or are unranked can perform well as long as they put in the work and consistently train, Lin said. Lin pushes himself to improve as well, he said.
“I want to make sure I get better before I go to play international tournaments,” Lin said. “As of right now, (my goal is) just trying to get better every day.”
Like Lin, Hundley started badminton at a young age and now plays girls doubles, girls singles, and mixed doubles, she said. She is one of the top junior doubles players in the nation, she added. Despite being 15 years old, Hundley recently switched from playing U17 to playing U19 full-time for a bigger challenge, as she was ranked No. 1 in U17 girls doubles last year, she said.
“Mia is very well-rounded,” Nguyen said. “You can pretty much put her anywhere, and she’ll have a solid chance. I think what I like about her is that she’s tough. She’s just really tough. Last year, she was battling with knee problems but still remained stable and strong.”
Hundley is good everywhere on the court, said junior Audrey Tai, who is Hundley’s girls doubles partner at MHS. Hundley is also very accepting of mistakes during a match, Tai said.
“She carries me,” Tai said. “I make a lot of mistakes. I don’t train as much as her — she trains a lot. But she’s so good, and I’m so glad that she’s there.”
Hundley is currently training at Synergy Badminton Academy with multiple coaches and spends two and a half to three hours every day practicing, she said.
“These are long, grueling hours,” Nguyen said, explaining the training needed to achieve a national junior ranking. “You really have to be dedicated, and you have to be not just physically fit, but also mentally strong. There’s a big mental toll competing in sports, especially at such a high level. It requires a very strong mindset.”
For tournaments outside of school, Hundley is responsible for choosing her doubles partners, she said.
When asked about what she looks for in a doubles partner, Hundley said, “(Mainly) if I can talk to them — also skill.”
Hundley’s advice for athletes is to train every day, she said.
“When Mia walks into the gym, it’s just filled with love,” Nguyen said. “Everyone’s just excited to see her, say hi to her, and catch up.”