On Friday, February 20, the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Badminton Tournament took place. The tournament was hosted by Health and Phys. Ed teacher, David Learish. There was a low turnout for this year’s tournament, totaling only five teams, even though it was open to all high school students. The teams consisted of Nick Parks and Coby Kephart, Dylan McGonigal and Mason Reichard, Noah Gay and Deoandrea Horsey, Owen Confer and Rhylee David, and Evan Emigh competing by himself.
The tournament started with a round-robin format, in which each team played every other team. After the round-robin, each team moved on to a single-elimination tournament, with the top team having a first-round bye. Parks and Kephart went undefeated and were able to secure the first-round bye. They were also able to beat McGonigal and Reichard to win the championship. During the intermission, students gathered around to listen to high school science teacher Elishea Reed and her testimony. She highlighted her journey as a believer and said, “What I enjoy most about Jesus is His unconditional love. He will always meet people where they are, not where they think they need to be. Nobody has to be perfect for Him to love them.”
The intermission concluded with a prayer, and then it was right back to playing. This time around, students decided to play in a singles, one-on-one format. These games also started with a round-robin tournament. Like the doubles games, each team also moved on to a single-elimination tournament. The championship game consisted of McGonigal and Kephart, with McGonigal taking the victory.
When asked what he enjoys most about hosting these tournaments, Learish said, “The FCA tournament is an awesome combination of fun and sharing what Jesus has done for us. Badminton has been a solid part of West Branch PE and FCA for many years now. Students often say it’s their favorite PE activity. Jesus showed me that I am a sinner who can’t redeem himself. He came to earth to be our redeemer and save sinners like me. FCA is about sharing that love and redemption that is available through Jesus.”
