For the first time in Xavier College Preparatory history, the school opened its campus to 16 badminton teams for the Flying Feathers Tournament, marking the first athletic tournament ever hosted at Xavier.
Xavier hosted the Flying Feathers Badminton Tournament after Highland High School, which usually hosts the event, was unable to do so this year. Highland experienced a water leak that caused damage to its courts, leaving the tournament in need of a new location. Xavier stepped in and offered to host all 16 participating teams.
“We stepped up and said that we would be more than happy to have the 16 teams come to this campus and play the tournament,” said Brian McNerney, Xavier’s head badminton coach.
The participating teams were Corona del Sol, Hamilton, Red Mountain, Marcos de Niza, Basha, Desert Vista, Desert Ridge, Campo Verde, Perry, Highland, Dobson, Chandler, Queen Creek, Westwood, Sunnyslope, and Xavier.
Hosting the tournament also gave Xavier an opportunity to showcase its facilities to coaches and athletes from across Arizona. According to McNerney, visiting coaches complimented the quality of the courts and how efficiently the tournament was run.
The Flying Feathers Tournament was also significant because it has been the first athletic tournament ever hosted by Xavier. Xavier’s facilities can make it difficult to host tournaments for sports. With only one outdoor field the school cannot host multiple teams competing at the same time.
The Flying Feathers Badminton Tournament has given Xavier the opportunity to successfully host a large athletic event while bringing athletes and coaches from around Arizona to the campus.
What began as a school’s need for a new location for the tournament became a historic moment for Xavier athletics and the badminton program.
