BY SETH GREEN

In print | Published February 7, 2008

On Jan. 30, Badminton was finishing up practice, when, according to Robert Manduca ’10, another team showed up and “started warming up.” As it turned out, Bryn Athyn College was there to compete, much to the surprise of the Swarthmore players and their coach, who were entirely unaware that a match had been scheduled that day.

According to Cole Armstrong ’10, Swarthmore had emailed Brin Athyn to set up an away game, but no dates had worked. The Garnet had assumed that they would have to delay. This was before the college showed up, after what Patricia Kelly ’08 called two hours of practicing “vigorously.” Heroically, the Garnet decided to play the impromptu match anyway.

There were several variables that might have derailed the match. As Swarthmore had not previously reserved the space for a match, it was unclear whether another sports team had signed up for the time slot.

Another concern was the team’s apparent exhaustion after a grueling two-hour practice. In addition, many of team members had prior commitments that would with an impromptu match. Manduca could not play in the match due to another obligation, and Kelly was scheduled to lead a study session later that evening.

Only Armstrong was available to represent the men, though the opponents only had one woman. “When girls play guys, apparently the girls win by default,” Armstrong said. Nonetheless, the field house was not in use and the match proceeded.

Individually, Maithili Parikh ’11 had a standout match. “She is a great player, amazing for a freshman, and it was her second match following a two-hour practice. You could tell she was exhausted but she still gave it her all,” Armstrong said of his teammate.

Despite being tired, Armstrong said that “seeing another team show up got my adrenaline pumping. It felt kind of like a rumble.” Once he began swinging, he “got in the groove” and won both sets.

Editor’s note: Robert Manduca is Photo Editor of The Phoenix but had no role in the production of this article.

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