Alyssa VanPelt-Cathcart, Contributing Writer
Badminton Club met for their regular Friday meeting on September 20th, 2024, at 5:30 P.M. in Chase Gym. Several students were moving equipment from the storage room to the main gym as the President, Manhey (Biology, Junior), was drawing the separating walls to cut the gym in half. Once their half of the gym was set up, Manhey explained their goal for the Friday meeting, the “Pancake Game.” According to her explanation, the “Pancake Game” is where people attempt to keep the birdie up for as long as possible and count the number of bounces used to keep it up. Manhey did a delightful demonstration for the club.
When Manhey first came to SUNY Oneonta her freshman year, she was coming from a high school where she played Badminton on a sports team and competed in tournaments with other schools. Although Manhey would have liked to be on another badminton team when she came to college, she is happy to be a part of the club. Unfortunately, in her first year, she discovered that the Badminton Club, in her terms, was “frozen” due to lack of membership in the past. So, Manhey worked with others to reinstate the club.
Anthony M. (Business Administration, Senior) has been with the club for two years and an E-Board member for a year as the secretary. Anthony was proud to say that the Badminton Club is a welcoming space, friendly, and overall, just fun to be in. Both Manhey and Anthony stated that they only attend Club Expo as a way to recruit new club members. As they would like to host more events, the student life is too busy for them to truly plan and host events. However, Manhey was excited to share that their club would be at the Field Day event for Student Mentors on September 21st, 2024, as badminton was an activity requested.
Both E-Board members stated that they would always love new members and encourage others to attend. Unfortunately, they have noticed in the past that the week following Club Expo, there is an influx of new members, which results in people feeling left out as they run out of nets and rackets for people to use. People would then leave early or not return because they could not have fun. Manhey expressed that she would probably do the same, so she is not offended by their choice. However, Manhey also shared that if more people attended regularly, it would allow more stability in the club. If clubs have stability, then they can divide the workload and allow for more activities.
Two of the regulars of the club, Brockton (Political Science, Senior) and Jonathan (Sports Management, Junior), would agree with Anthony that the club is a healthy balance of casual and competitive play. Brockton learned about the club through Club Expo a year ago with the recommendation of his friend. Brockton, when asked what he would say if someone asked what the Badminton Club is, said, “We play a bunch of badminton for two hours.” Over a dozen students were actively playing badminton for the full two hours.
Jonathan took a very insightful approach to the mix of competitive and casual. He explained that this mix works the best because the students who do prefer competitive play will know the rules and then be able to teach newer players or casual players. This then gives casual players the opportunity to challenge themselves. Jonathan and Manhey expressed that this was a fun way to get exercise while spending time with friends. Manhey would want fellow students to know the club is open for casual commitment and relaxation. The club meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. in Chase Gym. Having two meetings a week allows students to have flexibility of when they wish to attend.
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