TOWAMENCIN – Over 175 people attended Tuesday’s Badminton Club meeting, the first of the year.

In only its third year, North Penn High School’s Badminton Club has seen a record number of attendees, much higher than their traditional club counterparts. Badminton Club was started in 2019 as a very limited club. Post-COVID the club membership had skyrocketed to where it stands today.

“We took over the club, it started in 2019 but with very little recognition due to COVID, so when we joined the cabinet in 2022 it was our responsibility to restart it and turn it around.” cabinet member and senior Pragya Sinah said. 

North Penn’s community happens to be deeply involved in Badminton as seen culturally as well. Many Asian countries have a big badminton culture, including India and Bangladesh. 

“We were happy to work with cultural clubs like ICA (Indian Cultural Association) and BCC (Bengali Cultural Club) in getting the word out at first; badminton is a huge sport in both these countries and having students who are from that background was a big step forward when we renewed the club” Sinah explained. 

Today, the club is run by a student cabinet consisting of 12 members and an advisor Ms. Panaskl. Largely funded by the athletic department, Badminton Club is able to continue as a zero-due club, being completely accessible to everyone. 

Last year Badminton Club hosted a tournament consisting of over 95 people on a Wednesday after school, a record turnout for them. This year Badminton Club hopes to host 2 tournaments, one being in the winter and one in the spring. However, with sports, reserving gym space is a struggle.

“It was a really big turnout to begin with, at first the organization was all over the place, but we eventually had a good bracket going,” cabinet member and senior Shardul Garg said. “We hope to implement a losers bracket in this year’s tournament, to let more people enjoy it.”

The club is perfect for all kinds of students, no matter their background in badminton. Unlike a team where students must try out, the badminton club isn’t a competitive league and is meant to help students have fun.

“I love how relaxed and how you can just hang out with your friends in the Badminton Club, really a friendly environment,” cabinet member and senior Jaques Nyguen said.

Badminton Club hopes to continue growing by adding more events and creating a competitive, yet fun environment for everyone to enjoy.

The North Penn Badminton Club’s next meeting is October 18th, 2023.