When most people think of badminton, they imagine a sport similar to tennis, played with a cone shaped “ball” hit back and forth over a net raised in the air. However, what most don’t know about Badminton is that it is the fastest racquet sport in the world, requiring sharp reflexes and great conditioning as hits have been recorded up to 206 mph as opposed the fastest serve in tennis at 164 mph. Badminton is a prominent sport in Asia and its popularity has grown tremendously in the U.S. and in Europe in the past decade. In fact, one of our own Jesuit students took an interest in badminton at a young age and has had great success in the sport. Joseph Pitman ’16 is a national badminton champion, winning a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Badminton Championships in 2014.
Joseph Pitman first started playing badminton when he was seven years old. His mom, from Indonesia, grew up playing the sport, while his father began to play when he met Joseph’s mother. Pitman tagged along with his parents each week to play badminton and fell in love with the game, a love that continues to “drive him each day to train and improve.” In fact, Joseph’s current coach, Mr. Will Do, most admires Pitman’s “dedication and resilience.” Pitman “never gives up on his opponents shots even if they are out of his reach,” diving onto the floor to try to save “every shot like its the game point.”
Pitman plays both singles and mixed-doubles, but prefers mixed-doubles as he had greater success in that division. In fact, Pitman teamed up with Nicole Frevold in mixed-doubles to qualify for the Pan American Junior Championships earlier this year, winning first in their bracket. Heading to Guatemala for the PanAms, Pitman and Frevold represented Team U.S.A. and again dominated their field as their opponents proved to be no match for the dynamic duo, bringing back a gold medal for the United States. Pitman loved the experience of representing the U.S., taking “great pride in wearing the Team U.S.A. uniform.” He also enjoyed how his “fellow U.S. teammates cheered him on while on the sidelines,” as he was not used to the same passionate encouragement his teammates provided. In addition to the PanAms, Pitman won the New England Junior Open, overpowering his opponents to win the U15 boys singles division.
Currently, Pitman “struggles to find time to practice” as he has been “busy with school.” In his life, he puts “school before badminton,” a preference even supported and echoed by his coach, who “plays the role of his big brother, providing him with guidance and support” on and off the court. In addition, Pitman “will probably stop playing badminton competitively once he goes to college” as most colleges do not have badminton as a sport because it has not “fully developed in the U.S. yet.” As far as the Olympics go, he does not foresee himself competing in the Olympics anytime soon because of the large expense it costs to even qualify. However, his coach “has no doubt” that he will become “one of the best junior players in the U.S.” if he continues to train and specifically works on his “assertiveness, taking control of the pace of rallies” instead of letting his opponent dictate the speed of the match.
Moving forward, Pitman wants to focus on qualifying for the 2015 PanAmerican Junior Championships and hopefully bring back another gold medal for his country.
