A Semester in Review

The Adelphi Badminton Club, Fall 2013. (Photo courtesy of Adelphi University)

The fall 2013 semester proved to be a very successful one for the Adelphi University Badminton Club. 

• Tryouts were a huge success, drawing 55 Adelphi students.
• The competition team competed in two tournaments. They hosted Stony Brook University in the Center for Recreation and Sports on Oct. 19, and traveled to the campus of the College of William and Mary on the weekend of Nov. 9.
• On Oct. 2, 15 members of the team participated in the run/walk event as a kickoff to Jennifer Montgomery Breast Cancer Awareness month, sponsored by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
• The team held its annual doubles tournament fundraiser on Dec. 3rd, where it raised a record $235 to go towards next semester's expenses.

The team has continued to grow over this semester, and hopes to continue this growth moving forward. In the spring, the team has been in talks with badminton clubs at Queensborough Community College, Boston University and Penn State to possibly set up tournament. In addition, the team is looking to take part in another fundraiser, as well as try and perform community service off campus.

Thanks for following along and getting an inside look at a semester with the Adelphi Badminton Club!

Sitting Down With Jenna Cavuto

Senior club president Jenna Cavuto. (Photo by me)

Senior Jenna Cavuto has been leading the Adelphi University Badminton Club since it was established in the fall of 2011. She has seen the club through since the beginning, and has seen it grown from just an intramural club between Adelphi students to a competitive, travel team.

As her penultimate semester on the Garden City campus comes to a close, I sat down with her for an interview.

We looked back on how the club got started, how the club has grown over her tenure, the club's activities this semester, talked about her Adelphi badminton career.

Badminton Club Fundraiser A Huge Success

The participants of the fundraiser gather on the East Court of the Center
for Recreation and Sports to listen to president Jenna Cavuto go over
the rules and regulations. (Photo by me)

The Adelphi University Badminton Club raised a record total of $235 in its doubles tournament fundraiser that took place Tuesday evening on the East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports.

A total of 18 teams came out and competed in the double elimination tournament. The event featured a main draw and a consolation bracket, where losers in the main draw competed in knockout format. Each of the matches was played best-of-three sets, but main draw sets were played to 21 points while consolation sets were played to 15 points.

"The event was great and was run really smoothly and efficiently," junior Chris Weihs, who is not a member of the team but came out to support them, said. "Being knocked out in the first round was pretty upsetting but life goes on! I had some good laughs and met some great people."

Each of the team's members teamed up with someone who is not on the team in the spirit of fairness and competition. The top two seeds in the event were the pairings of Cole Peters (a team member) and Chiwete Njokanma (who were dubbed Team "We Don't Lose" by Peters) and Alissa Montalbano (a team member) and Jimmy Lynn.

While Peters and Njokanma lived up to their seeding and made the final, Montalbano and Lynn were upset in the semifinals by the unseeded pairing of Tye Morrison and Dylan Daxon, who are teammates on Adelphi's varsity golf team. However, Peters and Njokanma, who is a junior on Adelphi's men's tennis team, proved to be too much for the Cinderella team in the final match. They lived up to their team name as they did not drop a set during main draw play and recorded a 21-7, 21-5 victory in the final.

For their efforts, Morrison and Daxon each received an Adelphi t-shirt, while Peters and Njokanma will each receive a $10 gift card to the venue of their choice.

The tournament marked the club's last organized event for the fall semester.

"I couldn't be more happy with how the tournament went," club president Jenna Cavuto said. "It was great to see that many people come out and support us."

In a semester where the club's travel budget was depleted due to its trip to Virginia, the funds will go towards travel expenses for the spring semester.

Check out some photos from the tournament below!

Club secretary Daylynn Wu (near left) and her partner Kristen Caulfield
compete in doubles. (Photo by me)

Team member Jason Emanuel (near right) and team alum Donna Perino
teamed up for the tournament. (Photo by me)

Team member Donald Wunder (right) serves while his partner, Jonathan
Sclar looks on. (Photo by me)

(l to r: Dylan Daxon, Tye Morrison, Chiwete Nojkanma and Cole Peters
pose after their final match. (Photo by me)

A Little Birdie Told Me: Talking About Strokes

Much like tennis, its distant cousin, the two most basic shots in badminton are the forehand and backhand. A player's forehand side is typically his or her dominant, or playing, hand. For a right-handed player, the forehand is on the right and the backhand on the left; forehand strokes are hit with the palm of the hand facing outward, while backhand strokes are hit with the knuckles leading.

The three basic offensive shots in badminton are the clear, smash and drop shot. However, a player's ability to execute these shots during the rally normally depends on how well he starts the point. Everything in badminton starts with the serve.

Matt DeFransisco prepares to hit a
forehand serve for Adelphi.
(Photo by me)

Serve
Not only does the serve start a point, but it can also be used as a weapon. A serve can be executed using a forehand or backhand stroke, but there are many intricate rules which make serving the most difficult concept to master in badminton.

At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand diagonally from each other in their respective service boxes. The serve must make contact with the serve below the waste and serve using an underhand motion with the racket pointing downwards. The shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce.

If a player hits the serve out of bounds, or if he swings and does not make contact with the shuttlecock, then he loses the point and the serve goes to the opponent.

The singles and doubles courts have different boundary lines when it comes to serving. In singles, the playing area and service area are the same and is commonly referred to as "long and narrow." In doubles, the serving area is referred to as "short and wide," while the playing area is "long and wide."

The different serving areas in badminton.
(Chart via www.birdievents.com)

Badminton serves can be categorized as short serves and long serves, and can be performed using a forehand or backhand service action. Typically, forehand serves are played in singles and backhand serves in doubles; however, this usually comes down to player preference.

Clear

The clear can be used as both a rally and defensive shot in badminton. It is the most common stroke, played underhand or overhand on the forehand or backhand sides. The overhead clear is used to push the opponent into the backcourt and open the front court to finish the point. It can also be used to give a player more time to get back into position when on defense. The underhand clear serves the same purpose, but it is played from the front area of the court to the opponent's back court.

It is important for clears to be played deep in the court. Poorly executed, short or mishit clears can set up an opponent to put away an easy smash. 

Smash

Jenna Cavuto comes down from a jump
smash. (Photo by me)

The smash is the 'kill shot' in badminton, hit with a lot of power and speed downward into the opponent's court. There is almost no defense against it, aside from quick reactions and maybe a bit of luck, due to the speed and trajectory of the shuttle. It can be played on both the forehand and backhand sides. The forehand overhead smash is executed in similar fashion to throwing a ball. When preparing to hit the shot, a player should shift his weight onto his back foot, before making contact with the shuttle high above his head and in front of his body. At the point of contact, the player should snap his wrist down, follow through with the racket, and shift weight from the back to the front foot. Footwork and positioning are the keys to executing a successful smash. Once mastering the basic smash, advanced players can also execute the jumping smash. A jump smash generates more power, comes at a steeper angle and gives the opponent even less time to react. Professional badminton players regularly hit jump smashes at incredible speeds. Fu Haifeng (seen in the attached video) holds the Guiness World Record for Fastest Men's Badminton Smash. At the 2005 Sudiman Cup, Fu hit a smash that clocked in at 206 mph (332 kph).

Drop Shot

A properly executed drop shot will just clear the net and land in the front court very close to the net. Typically, it is the best shot to use when the opponent is in the back court to break open a point. When playing it is important not to give away one's intent to use a drop shot, as the opponent might be able to read the play and run down a poorly executed one. 

In preparing to hit a drop shot, a player should set up as if they are hitting a smash or a clear to maximize deception. A player should contact the shuttlecock slightly in front of them, and hit it lightly and smoothly. Not a lot of power is required to get the shot over the net if it is executed correctly. 

Badminton Club Hosting Fundraiser Tournament on December 3rd

The Adelphi badminton club will be hosting their annual doubles tournament fundraiser on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m on the East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports. The tournament will consist of a best-of-three set, single-elimination bracket. There is a registration fee of $5 per player, or $10 per team which is due the day of the tournament. All proceeds from the event will go to support the badminton club for next semester, including to help defray costs of travel, new equipment and gear. 

Registration forms can be picked up in the Campus Recreation Office, located in Woodruff Hall 240, or email the form to the club's president at jennacavuto@mail.adelphi.edu. The registration deadline is Nov. 25th and each member of the winning doubles team will each receive a prize!

Come and pick up your registration form in the Campus Recreation office to help
support the Adelphi Badminton Club!

Tournament Review: Adelphi Badminton at the College of William and Mary Tournament

The team that represented Adelphi at the tournament. (l to r: Daylynn Wu,
Matt DeFransisco, Jenna Cavuto, Donald Wunder, Evelyn Rivera,
Alissa Montalbano, Yao Zhao) Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

The Adelphi badminton team competed in their second tournament of the fall semester this weekend, a tournament hosted on the campus of the College of William and Mary. Unfortunately for the club, they only managed to record one win combined against experienced squads from the host school, Duke University and the University of Virginia, among others.

In women's doubles, Yao Zhao and Alissa Montalbano teamed up along with Evelyn Rivera and Daylynn Wu. Both teams put a a good fight in their first match before losing. Zhao and Montalbano fell in two tight sets with equal 21-19, 21-19 scores, while Wu and Rivera fell in a three-set match, 21-13, 18-21, 21-13. 

In the consolation "D" bracket, Wu and Rivera advanced to the finals. In the final match, they were defeated by a 21-6, 21-14 scoreline and took home the runner-up trophy.

Wu and Rivera's runner-up trophy. Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

Due to the fact both Kevin Jianchen Xuan and Kevin Ferguson were unavailable for the tournament, Matt DeFransisco and Donald Wunder were Adelphi's only representatives in the men's doubles bracket. 

In the mixed doubles "A" bracket, Wunder and Cavuto teamed up as did DeFransisco and Wu. Both teams were defeated in their first matches.  

Wu & DeFransisco competing in mixed doubles.
Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

Montalbano paired up George Chang from Duke University as the final mixed doubles pairing. In their first match in the "A" bracket, they were defeated by Rijo Reji and Sharon Ma 21-10, 21-19. As a result, the pairing moved to the "C" bracket. There, they recorded the only win for Adelphi on the weekend as they won, 21-13, 15-21, 21-19. However, their campaign ended in the second round, ironically, by exactly the same score. 

Although it was a tough weekend on the court for the club, they were able to bond off the court and happy to have the experience of playing at a high level. 

"The statement, 'You improve your game when you play better athletes in a sport' is very true," Wunder said. 

Although the team didn't get as many wins as they might have wanted this weekend, they still produced some highlight-reel points. Check out the two videos below!

Yao Zhao comes out on top in a rally in singles with a killer smash!

Matt DeFransisco makes a diving save in doubles, and Adelphi wins the point!

Match Preview: AU Badminton at the College of William and Mary Tournament

Photo credit: www.wm.edu

This weekend, the Adelphi University badminton team will take its competition level to new heights by leaving the state for the first time. On Friday, Nov. 8th, the team will be taking a road trip to Virginia to a tournament hosted by the College of William and Mary. The tournament is a two-day event. On Saturday, Nov. 9th, the team will be competing in men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. On Sunday, Nov. 10th, the team will continue to compete in doubles play while also competing in a singles bracket.

The tournament is hosted on the campus of the College of William and Mary, but a variety of other schools will also be making the trip to compete. University of Richmond, Duke University, James Madison University, George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University are all sending players. The Virginia Beach Badminton Club is also sending players.

The tournament requested a $15 entry fee per event per player, as well as a $10 facility fee. Due to the limited remaining budget, the Adelphi team will only send seven players to the tournament. These players are Jenna Cavuto, Daylynn Wu, Alissa Montalbano, Evelyn Rivera, Yao Zhao, Matt DeFrancisco and Donald Wunder.

Check back this weekend for the team's results! For more information, check out the official site of the badminton club at the College of William and Mary.

A Little Birdie Told Me: Talking About Equipment

The three kinds of rackets used by the Adelphi Badminton Club, as well
as their box of plastic practice birdies. (Photo by me)

While the Adelphi badminton team is preparing for its tournament against the College of William and Mary next weekend, it's a good time to roll out the first of a three-part series on this blog which will be discussing technical aspects of badminton. This post will be focus equipment, the next will discuss different strokes and the last will talk about differences in singles and doubles play and strategy.

The key equipment needed in badminton (as defined by the Olympic Movement) is as follows:
- court: the area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines
- net: made of fine cord, dark in color and of even thickness, with a mesh.
- posts: used to hold the net in place
- racket: the instrument used by players to hit the shuttlecock
- shuttlecock (Olympic standard): a piece of cork covered in goat skin with 16 goose feathers attached to one end, made from natural or synthetic materials.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body of badminton and is responsible for approving all equipment used in competition. All statistics and information used in this post are found in the Laws of Badminton, which can be downloaded from the BWF here. All measurements in the rules use the metric system, but these can be easily converted to feet and inches.

The Court

Diagram of a regulation badminton court, found in the Laws of Badminton, Section 1B.

A competition sized badminton court is a rectangle with boundary lines that measure 40 mm (approx. 1.57 inches) wide. From doubles sideline to doubles sideline, the court measures 6.1 meters (20 ft), while the singles court measures 5.18 meters (17 ft), as shown in the picture above. From endline to endline, the court is 13.4 meters long (44 ft).

The net is 1.55 meters (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 meters (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts, which hold the net in place, are always placed over the doubles sidelines.

The Racket

A diagram of a standard badminton racket, found
in Section 1B, Subsection 4.

According to BWF regulations, a badminton racket must not exceed 680 mm (26.77 inches) in length or 230 mm (9.055 inches) in width. 

Rackets comes in different weights. The weight of the racket is important, because it determines how fast the player can swing. A lighter racket is more maneuverable than a heavy one.

The Adelphi team uses three different kinds of rackets for players who choose not to use their own personal racket. Each racket differs in weight, string tension and maneuverability.

The Shuttlecock

A regulation badminton shuttlecock, known informally as the 'birdie,' can be made from synthetic or natural materials. 

Typical feather shuttlecocks.
(Photo credit: Chris Eason via Flickr)

The feathered shuttle is required to have 16 feathers fixed at the base with "thread or other suitable material." These feathers should "have a uniform length between 62 mm to 70 mm" (2.44 to 2.76 inches) and shall "lie on circle with a diameter of 58 mm to 68 mm" (2.28 to 2.68 inches).

Below is a pretty cool video from RSL, a professional badminton equipment supplier founded in England in 1928, that shows how they make their feather birdies. For more information on RSL and their badminton equipment, visit their official site.

Match Review: Adelphi vs. Stony Brook

The Adelphi and Stony Brook badminton teams.

The Adelphi University Badminton Club took to the East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports on Saturday, Oct. 19 for its first tournament match of the fall semester against local Long Island rival, Stony Brook University. The Panthers fared well in the tournament as they picked up eight wins in total in the five disciplines: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.

The matches were conducted by traditional badminton scoring; each match was best-of-three sets to 21 points. In addition, the matches used rally scoring; rally scoring was adopted in the official rules of the sport by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in August of 2006. Prior to the rule change, a player or team could only record a point behind their own serve; however, now the outcome of every rally counts as a point. Both sanctioned and non-sanctioned badminton matches, whether they be international, collegiate, or high school, now typically use rally scoring.

The Panthers got off to a good start as they picked up three wins in the first three matches to take the court. Adelphi's top mixed doubles team of Yao Zhao and Kevin Xuan Jianchen defeated Jackie Tang and Nicole Fransisco in mixed doubles by a 21-17, 21-10 score. In the first women's doubles match of the day, Adelphi's Evelyn Rivera and Samantha Hollinde defeated Rebecca Leung and Angelique Evangeliste, 21-10, 21-18. Finally, Matt DeFransisco and Donald Wunder defeated Kevin Song and Fan Liucong by a 21-19, 21-14 score in men's doubles.

Kevin Ferguson (left) and Kevin Jianchen Xuan
(right) in action in their men's doubles
match. (Photo by me)

Xuan Jianchen, who is the Panthers' top player, had a very strong day on the singles court. As the No. 1 men's singles player for Adelphi, he defeated Tang 21-10, 21-15. Adelphi's No. 2 men's singles player, freshman Kevin Ferguson, rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat Elan Maduro 18-21, 21-15, 21-16. In men's doubles, the pair teamed up and played a thrilling three-set match that was decided by extra points. Unfortunately, the two couldn't make it a perfect day as they fell, 21-17, 18-21, 20-22. The two teams were evenly matched and produced a number of highlight-reel points and rallies. Check out a highlight smash from Xuan Jianchen in the video below!

Daylynn Wu serves in her singles
match. (Photo by me)

On the women's side, Zhao had a strong day as she also won her women's singles match against Ammie Tamano 21-14, 21-16. However, it proved to be the only singles win that the women would pick up on the day. Junior Daylynn Wu dropped a hard-fought 19-21, 18-21 match to Angela Cho. The highlight of the day was the singles match between the presidents of both clubs: Adelphi's Jenna Cavuto took on Stony Brook's Amy Cheung. Cavuto took the opening set 22-20 in extra points, but Cheung ended up winning the next two sets, and the match, 21-7, 21-19.

It was an exciting day all around for the team, as eight players took the court in a tournament for the first time. Zhao, Hollinde, Rivera, Jillian Peters and Ashley Worthey all made their debut for the Adelphi women, while Ferguson, Sal Carollo and Adam Blumenthal debuted for the men.

Jenna Cavuto gets ready to return a serve in
her singles match. (Photo by me)

At the end of the day, Cavuto was pleased with the way that the club performed in their first tournament.

"For our first tournament of the year, I think it was a great start for us," Cavuto said. "We had our main lineup and we even had the chance to give some of our newest, dedicated members a chance to compete. I think everyone had a great time and was excited to face some actual competition. We have built a nice relationship with Stony Brook over the years and we look forward to going to their school in the spring!"

The Panthers' next tournament is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 8th, when they will leave New York for the first time. The travel team will hit to road down to Virginia to compete in a tournament hosted by the College of William and Mary.

                                                                    

Match Preview: AU Badminton vs. Stony Brook

Cole Peters in action in the last home match that
Adelphi had against Stony Brook.
(Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto)

This Saturday, Oct. 19, the Adelphi University Badminton Club will have their first match of the year against the Stony Brook University Badminton Club. It will be a home match for Adelphi on the East Court at the Center for Recreation an Sports. The match will feature men's and women's singles and doubles matches, as well as mixed doubles matches. It is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

It is the third time in the club's short history that it will be facing a local rival. The first time the two teams faced off in Garden City was in the spring semester in 2012, while Adelphi traveled to Stony Brook last spring for a road match. A photo gallery from the match last spring at Stony Brook can be found via the Campus Recreation Sports Club web page. For more information about the Stony Brook Badminton Club, you can find them on Facebook at Stony Brook University Badminton Club. 

A full recap of the action on Saturday will follow!

Badminton Club Thinks Pink

"Think Pink" merchandise available for sale at the Jennifer Montgomery
Breast Cancer Awareness (JMBCA) kickoff event on Wednesday, Oct. 2nd.
(Photo by me)

For the seventh consecutive year, the Athletics department at Adelphi University athletics is doing its part in the month of October with the Jennifer Montgomery Breast Cancer Awareness events.

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has held Jennifer Montgomery Breast Cancer Awareness (JMBCA) month every October since 2007. The event is held in honor of Jennifer Montgomery, the wife of former Associate Athletic Director/Head Men's Soccer Coach Robert Montgomery, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now in remission.

Every October, the Adelphi community comes together to participate in a walk to kick off the event and raise money and awareness; in addition, raffle tickets, prizes and "Think Pink" t-shirts and merchandise are available for purchase in support of the cause. The department sells raffle tickets and merchandise for the entire month of October, as well as at select athletic events throughout the month; all prizes are donated by Adelphi's varsity athletic teams and other members of the Adelphi community.

Each club team is required to complete a community service event throughout the year. On Wednesday, Oct. 2, 15 members of the badminton team registered for the run/walk event held on the indoor track at the Center for Recreation and Sports. For a student registration fee of $5, each club member received this year's t-shirt in commemoration of the event and signed up to run or walk a measured distance on the track in 20 minute blocks.

"The breast cancer walk was such a powerful movement," junior Daylynn Wu said.

Badminton team members Ashley Worthey,
Jillian Peters, Danielle Medina and
Evelyn Rivera (l to r) show off their
t-shirts. (Photo credit: Daylynn Wu)

Wu currently serves as the club's secretary and co-captain.

"To see that many people come out and support was really touching. Seeing everyone [from the team] come and participate made me so happy. I hope we can continue to fight against cancer!" she added.

In addition, the team sent a smaller contingent to the main run/walk event, which was held as a part of Family Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 5.

All of the money raised during both events, and during all of the Breast Cancer Awareness events during the month of October, will go to support the Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Awareness Hotline and Support Service. Last year, athletics and campus recreation contributed $6,500 to the university-wide campaign that raised over $27,500.

You can find more information regarding the university's breast cancer awareness campaign for the month of October and the New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline on Adelphi's website. If you want to learn more about JMBCA, log on to http://aupanthers.com/ and underneath the "Support Athletics" tab, click on "Breast Cancer Awareness Month."

Parting Thoughts from the Brains Behind Adelphi's Sports Clubs

Jennifer Schroeckenthaler Cairns (Photo by me)

Numerous factors are responsible for the success of not only Adelphi's badminton club, but each of its 11 club sports. First, each club must have enough interested students who are willing to put in the time and effort to attend practices, compete in tournaments and make the clubs successful. Secondly, a select group of students (collectively referred to as the executive or "e-board" of each club), are responsible for organizing their teams, managing practice and tournament schedules and keep the clubs running smoothly.

However, the success of Adelphi's sports clubs would not be possible without an advocate in administration speaking for them. Jennifer Schroeckenthaler Cairns, who has served at Adelphi for the past eight years, is that person. 

Well, Schroeckenthaler Cairns was that person. On Oct. 6, she will be leaving the Adelphi family to pursue a career change; she will be returning to school to earn her second master's degree in occupational therapy.

She first became involved in Adelphi's Campus Recreation department in 2005, when she joined the staff as a graduate assistant. She served in that capacity for two years, and was promoted to Assistant Director of Campus Recreation in 2007. In that position, her duties included administrating intramural sports, supervising a staff of students and graduate assistants, coordinating group fitness classes and managing club sports and special events. However, as the go-to person regarding Adelphi's sports clubs, she spearheaded the growth of the program over her tenure.

"When I first got here, the sport club program was probably half of what it is now," she explained. "There were probably only six or seven clubs, and now we have 11. It's really grown a lot in number and size."

Screenshot of the procedures for starting a new sport club,
available online and in the Campus Recreation office.

The badminton club team is one of the newest on campus, and Schroeckenthaler Cairns can easily recall when the club was established.

"I met with [current club president] Jenna [Cavuto] a few years ago," she said. "Before that, in the years I've been in this position, no one really approached me about starting a badminton club. We really didn't know what to expect."

However, in the three years that the badminton club team has been in existence at Adelphi, Schroeckenthaler Cairns and the entire Campus Recreation staff have been surprised by the success and rapid growth of the club.

"Badminton has really grown a lot. Unfortunately, we do only have one court that we can set up three nets on, so I would say that's the one negative thing. As far as the participation level, it's 40-50 members. That's really incredible for a new club."
  

In total, she added four new sport clubs and five new group fitness classes over her tenure at Adelphi. Schroeckenthaler Cairns' replacement, who has not yet been officially introduced, will no doubt have big shoes to fill.

Badminton Club Courts High Interest at Tryouts

The East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports can be
converted to three full-length, competition standard badminton courts.
(Photo by me)

The fall season of the 2013-2014 Adelphi University Badminton Club got underway with four days of tryouts on Thursday, Sept. 12, Friday, Sept. 13, Thursday, Sept. 19 and Friday, Sept. 20. A total of 55 Adelphi students, a group comprised of both returning and new team members, attended tryouts over the four days. Tryouts were held on the East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports, where the team also conducts all of its practices.

Following sign-ins and introductions, each day of tryouts began with a warmup session. To get the blood flowing, students paired up and rallied together on each court. To conclude each day, the players were split up into groups based on their experience and skill; from there, the students competed in singles and doubles games against others of similar ability level.

Tryouts in particular provided a unique challenge for the team's executive board. The East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports, the only one with badminton lines painted on the floor, can be divided into three standard size badminton courts. As a result, only four players at most can be on each court at one time. Tryouts were conducted in a timely and organized manner to facilitate as many games as possible. As soon as a game was completed, the next singles or doubles game immediately headed out on the court.

Club president Jenna Cavuto (near left) addresses a
group of new players at tryouts. (Photo by me)

Despite the struggle for space, tryouts proved to be a great success. "I thought tryouts were fun! My favorite part was getting to know the many new people," junior John Medina said. Medina, a psychology major, has been a member of the club for two years. When he arrived at Adelphi, Medina had no prior experience playing badminton. However, over two years, Medina has worked incredibly hard to improve and the results have come for him; last spring, Medina was elevated to the club's tournament squad and competed against Stony Brook University.

With many new faces on the team this year, the outlook on the season is looking bright. "I'm most looking forward to playing other schools with my teammates," Medina concluded.

With the roster now set, the team will begin to move forward with their scheduled practices later this week. Practices are currently scheduled every Thursday from 4-6 pm and Friday from 11 am-1 pm; beginning in October, the team will also hold practices on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 pm-8 pm.

Adelphi Badminton Club Begins 2013 Season

Typically, people associate badminton with backyard lawns, family barbecues and (perhaps) a few too many brews. Unbeknownst to some, the oft-mocked stepsister in the world of competitive racket sports offers numerous health benefits for players of any age and is one of the most nuanced competitive sports. Following its adoption as an Olympic sport in 1992, badminton has shown the world that its elite competitors are much more serious, athletic and dedicated than Uncle Chip and that there is much more at stake in matches than family bragging rights. At its highest levels, badminton is a test of an athlete's strength, endurance, hand-eye coordination and decision-making.

Although is not an NCAA sanctioned sport, badminton is making waves on college campuses across the nation because of its adaptability and widespread appeal.

Here in Garden City, the Adelphi University Badminton Club is entering its third year of existence this fall, after first being established on campus in the fall of 2011. In this short time, it has grown into one of the largest clubs on campus. The root of the club's appeal? It does not discriminate based on experience. The current roster is a balanced mix of beginner players, who are looking to learn the game for the first time; intermediate players, who have had some experience with the game; and advanced players, who have had competitive experience on high school or club teams. The goal of the club is to foster a love of the sport and physical activity while forming friendships and having fun.

The inaugural Badminton Club team, Fall 2011.
(Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto)

Following its inaugural fall season, the club generated enough student interest and funds to begin traveling to local tournaments and universities to compete. Over the past year, the team has locked horns against New York University, Columbia University, Stony Brook University and Marist College; in addition, the club's executive board has been in contact with the badminton teams at Boston University and the College of William and Mary in an effort to take the team's talents out of state and expand its competitive horizons.

This blog will cover all aspects of the Adelphi Badminton Club for the fall semester; coverage will include photos and videos of team practices, interviews and features profiling the executive board and team members and recaps of any tournaments that the club may be invited to compete in this fall.