Sports
Behind the Rallies: Your 2025 Girls’ Badminton Team
Rehmat Kaur
Image Provided By Coach Croce
In this article, through Q&As and team surveys, we’ve uncovered the perfect superlatives for our players, managers, and Coach C. Everyone on this team were incredibly kind, talented, and full of personality—and I felt genuinely lucky to be part of such an amazing group.
Meet the Team:
Players:
Singles:
Rehmat Kaur
Melanie Cevada
Iman Ali
Doubles:
Richmia Erisnor & Marcia Salinas
Melany Orozco & Maura Lavigne Baconaje
Navrose Kudlas & Sahar Ali
Leigha LaJoie & Angelina Gonzalez
Exabition Players:
Mariana Gomez, Alianiz Visnay, Destiny McNulty, Garima Rana Magar, Makhila Crosley, Lia Federique, Madison Mohan, and Jasreen Kaur
Managers: Afaf Aswad, Ariana Hack, and Thailyn Cruz
Coach: Coach Croce
Team Superlatives
Who’s most likely to be caught dancing during warm-ups?
Top Pick: Richmia Erisnor
“She’s always dancing to the Badminton playlist”
Honorable Mentions: (Rehmat, Marcia)
Who would win if badminton matches were based on vibes alone?
Top Pick: Marcia Salinas
“She’s so chill and fun to be around with”
Honorable Mentions: (Melanie C., Iman)
Who has the best game-day energy (in their zone, hyping others, etc.)?
Top Pick: Navrosedip Kundlas
“Her energy is amazing!”
Honorable Mentions: (Sahar, Destiny)
Who’s most likely to make the team laugh when everyone’s tired?
Top Pick: Iman Ali
“She is naturally a funny person with her bubbly personality”
Honorable Mentions: (Angelina, Richmia)
Who gives the best pep talks?
Top Pick: Rehmat Kaur
“She is always encouraging and plays her captain role very well”
Honorable Mentions: (Coach C, Navrose)
Who’s the loudest on court?
Top Pick: Leigha LaJoie
“She’s very energetic on court and is always up to something”
Honorable Mentions: (Garima, Lia F)
Who’s got the best "game face"—never letting anyone know if they’re nervous?
Top Pick: Melanie Cevada
“She displays her confidence and always looks super focused”
Honorable Mentions: (Rehmat, Maura)
Who’s the glue of the team—the one who holds everyone together?
Top Pick: Coach Croce
“She’s the backbone of the team and promotes unity among team players”
“WE LOVE HER!” “The Best Coach” “So supportive”
Honorable Mentions: (Rehmat, Navrosedip)
Who’s quietly consistent—the one you always know you can count on?
Top Pick: Maura Lavigne Baconaje
“She is both consistent and encouraging and someone everyone can count on”
Honorable Mentions: (Mariana, Sahar)
Who’s the most underrated hero on the team?
Top Pick: Ariana Hack
“She’s always there when we need her and cheers us throughout our matches”
Honorable Mentions: (Maura, Iman)
Who do you think deserves a surprise award for just being awesome?
Top Pick: Coach Croce
"No words can describe how awesome she is”
Honorable Mentions: (Jasreen, Makhila, Madison)
“They are great underclassmen student-athletes. They are all very nice and show great potential.”
Manager Spotlights
Who’s most likely to say something completely unhinged but somehow still makes sense?
Top Pick: Ariana Hack
“Always the one who says things out of pocket but at the end of the day she gets her point across.”
“ARIANA WHAT R U DOING HERE???”
“Everyone tells me I’m unhinged. And it’s true.” - A.H.
Who’s the behind-the-scenes boss—quiet but always has everything under control?
Top Pick: Thailyn Cruz
“Quiet queen who slays every day. She’s always at practice as well and is the reason why we slay so much as a team”
“She manages to do everything.”
“She is very consistent, and you can always have a good chat with her”
Who’s the team’s voice of reason—calm, thoughtful, and always there when you need them?
Top Pick: Afaf Aswad
“THE SWEETEST. Always has some good advice”
“She’s so thoughtful and soft spoken which makes it so easy to talk to her or have her cheer you up.”
“She's always thoughtful through her actions and towards others.”
Coach’s Corner:
A quick Q&A and interview with Coach Croce:
Intro: “My name is Miss Croce, and I am the Girls' Varsity Badminton Coach here at Valley Stream North. This is my third season coaching badminton and it has been a great experience. Badminton is a great sport for all; anyone can pick up a racket and have fun!”
Who’s the most improved player this season (or someone who surprised you)?
“Most improved player is Iman Ali. She moved up to being a singles player this season.”
Who makes you laugh during practice?
“Who makes me laugh is my whole team in their own ways.”
Who’s the most focused under pressure?
“The most focused under pressure is my first singles player Rehmat Kaur”
What’s one thing this team does that makes you proud every single time?
“What makes me proud of my team is their kindness, positive attitudes and overall presence they bring to our matches and practices, this is a great group of girls.”
If you had to give the team a collective nickname, what would it be?
“The collective nickname for the team would be smiles.”
I had so much fun every step of the way putting this together. For a lot of us, this was our last year on the team, and it meant even more to be able to grow together and build on everything we accomplished last season.
We made history this year — the first-ever Girls' Badminton team at North to win the championship. From the very beginning, everyone showed up and gave it their all. We turned tough losses into wins, pushed through every challenge, and it all paid off in the best possible way.
It really was the perfect ending to this chapter — the kind of ending we all hoped for. I’m going to miss this group so much. Everyone brought something different to the team, and somehow, all those different personalities just clicked. We made so many memories together that I’ll never forget.
Thank you — for the moments that became memories, for the people who became family, and for being part of something I’ll carry with me, always.