Badminton Club is the newest addition to the sports and activities offered at Columbia Heights High School (CHHS)! Badminton is a fast-paced sport that also serves (no pun intended) as a leisure activity for those who might not love the breakneck world of tennis or volleyball. Badminton Club lets any Hylander who wants to try it out and learn more about it do so in a chill, non-competitive environment.
Some basic skills needed to play badminton are the forehand and backhand grips, which are similar to the grips used in tennis. Mastering these grips is pretty easy but is effective. In professional badminton (it’s even an Olympic sport!), they use these basic grips to help control the shuttle (also known as a “shuttlecock,” which is the cone-shaped cork-and-feather projectile that acts as the sport’s “ball”) while on the court.
A more effective skill to learn that’s used to end a rally (the badminton equivalent of a “volley” in volleyball) and score a point is called the “smash.” Smashes are used when the shuttle is in play high above the court. To complete a smash, the player will jump or stand still and hit the shuttle down onto the opposing court. This skill is really effective, as depending on how hard you hit it, it’s likely to be really hard for the opponent to receive it and return it to your side. Another skill used in badminton is called the “clear,” which is used to get the shuttle to the back of the opponent’s court. The clear is usually used when the opponent is up close to the net, making it hard for the opponent to get to the back of their side of the court.
“Badminton Club is so fun [because] I get to hang out with friends, play my favorite sport and meet so many nice new people,” Brendon Barnum (9) said.
Open to all skill levels in the Hylander Center, and hosted by science teacher Ms. Aimee Candella, Badminton Club welcomes everyone to compete with other people whether you play super competitively or just go there to have fun. Senior Ari Yussuf and friends formed the club initially last fall due to growing popularity of the sport over the last three years worldwide, with specific growth a lot of countries with an especially strong presence in Asia, Europe, and other places in the world.
“I love Badminton Club because it is open to every skill level,” Noah Saldana Haworth (9) said. “It is a perfect activity to join if you’re looking for Friday fun. Thank you, Ms. Candella, for leading it.”
Badminton was created in the 19th century in British-colonized India. Soldiers set up nets and hit the shuttlecock (back then being a cork from a bottle with a ton of feathers to help it fly straighter and be more aerodynamic), back and forth with a racket, leading to this sport being created. In 1992, badminton debuted in the summer Olympics, and there are currently professional leagues in multiple countries around the globe, including China, Indonesia and Germany.
In the Olympics, badminton has four different events: men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles and women’s doubles. Again, similar to tennis, there are different strategies used in singles versus doubles. In singles, players can usually use the “clear” and “smash” more, resulting in a more tiring experience. In doubles, however, the games usually last longer and are way more intense, having one person in the front and one person in the back, where one player covers “clears” and the other poised and ready to go up and smash the shuttle.
CHHS hosts a very wide variety of players in all sports, but Badminton Club in particular goes to show that you can start a new sport for fun instead of committing to it fully right from the start. And since it’s open to all skill levels, you can go with some friends after school on a Friday to celebrate the start of a new weekend. So, yes, you too should join Badminton Club today!
