Badminton club is an organization where players of all skill levels come together to play the world’s fastest rocket sport, badminton. Badminton is a fast-paced game played with racquets and a shuttlecock (often called a “birdie”). You can play it solo or with other people on a court divided by a large net. Ms. Monkovic, a 7th-grade social studies teacher, is the one behind this amazing club. Keep reading to learn more.
- What Inspired You to Start the Badminton Club?
“I made a survey for middle school students about the clubs they wanted. When the results came, most students decided on badminton. I also enjoy badminton myself and when I was in school, badminton was my favorite sport to play in the gym.”
- What Does a Typical Practice Look Like?
“The first thing we do is bring our equipment to the gym. Each meeting we have a mini tournament and the way that works is we have a bracket consisting of a quarter final, a semi final, and a final. We meet on Fridays from 2:35 – 4:00. Since badminton was as popular as it was, I had to divide it into 3 grades. For 6th grade, there were 25 kids, for 7th and 8th grade, there were 36 kids.”
- What Was the First Practice Like Considering Everyone was Starting with Little to No Experience?
“I taught them how to build badminton nets since we have portable nets. We brought them to the gym and assembled and disassembled them. We also played a game for fun.”
- What Skills Do Students Learn in Badminton Club?
“They learnt the rules, how to assemble and disassemble nets, teamwork, and sportsmanship. I think they also learned to still have fun even if they aren’t good at badminton.”
- How Do You Balance Fun and Competition in This Club?
“I try to make the bracket fair by making people on the same skill level play with other people on the same level. The gym is split up into two parts, freeplay and competition. Usually, there are about the same number of people on each side, however, some people on the side count scores.”
- Has The Team Competed with any Other Teams Yet?
“No, they only compete with each other”
- What Do Students Seem to Like About Badminton Club?
“I think they like it because it isn’t a game the school plays a lot. Since it isn’t played in the gym, it’s a good opportunity to play after school. Some kids even brought their own rackets because they had prior experience. They also really enjoy the tournaments we do.”
- What is Your Favorite Part About Running Badminton?
“My favorite part is knowing that it makes students really happy. It’s also fun to see students outside the classroom. I just like seeing them enjoying themselves.”
- What was One of The Most Memorable Moments in Badminton?
“One of the most memorable moments was on the last day of badminton for 8th grade, when the 3 Jaydens of 8th grade challenged another 8th grader who had 2 rackets.”
To get a student’s perspective, 6th-grade student and badminton club member, Audrina Chen, said the tournament experience was both stressful and exciting. She also had to say…
- What is the Badminton Club Like?
“Fun but hard sometimes because the tournaments can be pretty stressful but, it is more fun than stressful.”
- Do You Enjoy Being a Member of the Badminton Club? If You Do, What Is It You Like?
“I enjoy the club because you can play in free play or in tournaments. The tournaments are fun, but can be hard at times. We also spend time running with the teachers, and that’s also very fun.”
- Have You Improved in Badminton?
“Yes, I feel like my serving has drastically improved.”
- Will You Join Next Year’s Badminton Club if There is One?
“I feel like I will because there are endless possibilities in the badminton club.”
