Under the leadership of Andrew Lau, a senior business analytics major, the Badminton Club has officially launched, bringing new energy to campus athletics.
“For three years it was just a drop-in, no one really organizing anything. Over time, we started to see the same faces and realized there was potential to grow into something bigger,” Lau said.
What started as small, informal groups of friends hitting the courts in their free time has since evolved into a cohesive community with around 10 regular players. Now, the club hopes to retain new members and eventually compete with other universities as a recognized club sport.
Sophomore architecture major Sujana Gurung has been an active participant at the open gym since last year. “It’s a very collaborative sport,” she said. “The atmosphere of playing badminton is really engaging and makes you stress less about other things.”
Gurung added, “My favorite memory is when there was only one net [provided], and we all started playing [at the] one net. [There were] like five people.”
Still, the Badminton Club faces challenges. The biggest difficulty so far has been new player retention. Many students show up once or twice, but don’t stick around. To address this, the leadership team is developing plans to host coaching workshops, introduce surveys to learn why students attend and assign experienced players to mentor beginners.
Equipment is not a barrier, however. Thanks to school support, the club has 15 rackets and plenty of shuttlecocks ready for anyone interested in trying the sport with no gear required.
The club’s main goal is inclusivity. The leadership team wants to ensure new players feel welcome by encouraging them to mix with different groups rather than sticking only with their friends.
Looking ahead, the club hopes to not only strengthen its own community but also connect with other USF athletic clubs. Potential collaborations include club tennis, ultimate frisbee and roundnet. The club also aims to host future events, both during regular gym hours and potentially outdoors.
Russell Tang, a first-year biology major, was introduced to the club at the SLE involvement fair. Entering his second week at the open gym, Tang said, “I like the singles aspect of it, but I also like playing doubles. […] In high school, because of COVID, I kind of stopped playing sports. I didn’t know what sport to join [but] I wanted to do one,” he said. “So I joined badminton because my mom told me to, and I was like, ‘Okay, I just enjoyed it a lot.’”
Regarding his involvement in the sport, he said, “Everyone here seems to be having a good time, and newbies are welcome. So yeah, come down and just have fun.”
To learn more about the Badminton Club, visit their instagram @usfcabadminton.
