By JOSEPH KELLARD
The sport was axed by athletic director Dave Zawatson in November 2002, but he never informed the team of his decision until September, claims Mike Limmer, the badminton coach at OHS for 26 years.
"Zawatson proposed the removal of the program in November, but there was no professional input whatsoever except from the athletic director himself," Limmer charged. "After twenty-six years coaching this sport, coaching the parents of the kids I coach today, I would have liked to have had input. This was an ongoing program that was proposed for elimination by one person, which really is an unfortunate commentary on lack of communication."
Superintendent of the Oceanside School District Dr. Herb Brown, speaking on behalf of Zawatson, said the athletic director's decision was made not last November but during the budget process in April 2003, "and he said he told Mr. Limmer last spring. According to Mr. Zawatson, he's been talking about it to Mr. Limmer for three years, about the declining number of kids who are participating."
In recent years, the district collectively added four boys and girls tennis teams at OHS and Middle School, and formed a swim club that it plans to develop into an interscholastic sport to operate out of the Barry and Florence Goldberg JCC on Neil Court.
Considering the relatively minor cost of the badminton program, Limmer originally questioned whether his team was sacrificed for these new additions, although he said Zawatson did tell him the reason for eliminating it was for lack of interest in the sport, a claim Limmer called false.
In recent years the badminton team generated at least the required 11 players, and last year it ended the season with 20 participants, Limmer said. Among them is Becky Hyams, one of four seniors who has been on the team since her freshman year.
"The team was smaller back then, about 13 players, and last year we had about 19 for the whole season," Hyams said. "It's only grown since then; we're getting more people to come down and play, which is why we see this as even more unfair. Our team is getting larger and now they're cutting it off."
"We had a meeting and found there are more kids who want to join this year," said Tiffany Annese, who by joining the team last year followed in the sneakered footsteps of her three aunts who played badminton under Limmer.
Brown indicated, however, that there's other circumstances surrounding the issue of the required number of players.
"It gets complicated because Mr. Limmer also used boys to play," Brown explained. "It's a girls' sport, but the rules were changed so that boys are able to play now. He had to put boys on the court to fill in the required numbers. He said he's going to make an effort to recruit more girls, and that's why we're running the team."
To get their sport reinstated, Hyams spearhead the effort to have students and faulty sign a petition to present to the school board, and Annese focused on spreading the word about the matter, contacting both the school newspaper, Sider Press, and the Herald.
"I love the sport, and we're all really distraught from this," Annese said . "We can't believe this is happening, and we want to make the community more aware of the situation."
The team planned to write Brown about reinstating the team. Prior to the Herald being contacted, Limmer said he discussed the issue with the district's union leaders and that they would sit down with Brown in coming weeks. But that meeting came last Wednesday, a week after Annese contacted the Herald.
"I think getting the press involved had an impact," Limmer said, "and in my opinion it helped change some things and had input into reinstating the program."
