Making a Racket

Making a Racket

                One of the new, up and coming clubs at MHS is the Badminton Club, which is exactly what it sounds like. Every Monday during the school year, 20 to 30 students from all grades meet after school and do nothing but play badminton.

                The sport of badminton itself was created in the mid-19th century in India, but has only been in the Summer Olympics since 1992. Although badminton isn’t even close to the big four sports or smaller ones like soccer and tennis in the United States, in terms of popularity, it’s one of the most played sports around the world. On top of that, more people in the United States are playing the sport now than at any other time. A big reason for the rise in the popularity of badminton is clubs like the one at Minnetonka. According to ESPN, as of 2008, 15,000 high school students were playing badminton regularly.

                But, back to the club: The people in it range from very serious to extremely relaxed about the sport. It doesn’t matter how good you are. Anyone can join and learn how to play. Badminton may not be the most popular sport in the country, but it continues to rise in popularity. If it continues on its current trend, it might join soccer and tennis as one of the most popular second tier sports in the United States.