Reagan’s Kang and Palmetto’s Slazas are Miami-Dade’s Badminton Players of the Year
Katarina Slazas felt way more comfortable the second time around.
Slazas, like several of her Miami Palmetto badminton teammates, were confident they could repeat as GMAC tournament champions and had little trouble doing so last month.
And at Ronald Reagan High, Matthew Kang knew he could overcome any obstacle thanks to his mentor, an accomplished former GMAC champion himself.
Both Slazas and Kang emerged with GMAC championships in the girls’ and boys’ singles divisions respectively.
And as such they are the Miami Herald’s Badminton Players of the Year.
Slazas, who won her second GMAC title in a row and fourth overall if you count being a member of the Palmetto girls’ soccer team, was one of four repeat champions for the Panthers, who won their second county team title in a row.
“It’s a lot of fun because we all practice hard for this and get to win together,” said Slazas, who beat Goleman’s Anabelle Calles 21-9, 21-1 in the girls’ singles final.
Slazas only picked up the sport last year.
But like several of her teammates, she has quickly developed her skills and turned into the top girls’ singles player in Dade, two years running.
Kang had to battle through the consolation bracket after an early setback and won a rematch against Varela’s Gabriel Pion 21-11, 21-13 to win his first GMAC title.
Kang was inspired once his coach, Marc Brian Bangoy, a former three-time GMAC champion, arrived a little after the competition began to guide him. With his continued guidance, Kang hopes to continue to hone his skills in the game.
“I was hoping my coach would show up because I need that authority showing me how to play the game,” Kang said after the meet. “An outside perspective really lets you see what you’re doing and what you might be doing wrong and he pushed me through it.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Palmetto coach David Zarco saw his players put in the work every Saturday during the season, often for eight or nine hours practicing. Their dedication paid off as the Panthers won their second GMAC title in a row and seventh overall.
As such, Zarco is the Miami Herald’s Badminton Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. It was the seventh GMAC title for Palmetto since Zarco began coaching the program 13 years ago.
As has become tradition, Zarco enjoyed a trip to Wall’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream shop near Dadeland Mall in Miami after the victory.
“It’s great for them because a lot of these kids had never played anything before,” Zarco said. “They get their friends to come out and play and it’s all the ‘mathletes.’ All these kids have at least a 3.5 GPA and they practice every Saturday from 2 o’clock till sometimes as late as 8 or 9 o’clock. They love it.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
