The Badminton Society: Why I joined

“Join a society to make new friends!” is something you’ll hear quite often at university and it becomes very cliché. However, it is also very true.

It was my plan to join a society in first year, yet I never had the confidence to do so. In second year however, I decided to pluck up some courage and I took myself to the sports hall for Badminton’s introductory event. When choosing which society to join, I decided to go for the one that I have experience in. It didn’t take long to bond with a few other players. Six months on, I am still friends with those I started with and our little group of 5 has doubled in size. Apart from playing Badminton together, our friendship group often meet to socialise – we’ve been on nights out, pub nights, meals etc.

As well as our small group, the badminton lot as a whole are great people. The key thing to note is that your level of skill does not matter. Keep playing and you’ll improve. There are free coaching sessions, occasional mini tournaments, league trials and a social league to all try out. I admittedly struggle to always attend the sessions, as I prioritise my study when deadlines are approaching. But when I do pop back, I’m always welcomed, as there’s always a positive atmosphere and buzz.

A few of my favourite memories include:

NBL

Derby University were the lucky hosts of the televised National Badminton League. It was great fun to watch and support our players, including some Olympians who competed at the 2016 Rio games.

Christmas Jumper Tournament

The first mini tournament of the year involved being as festive as possible. The night was great as we found ourselves being super competitive but it was all still very light hearted.

UV Badminton

Most recently we wore our brightest clothes and painted our faces like warriors, to take part in the UV night. The effect achieved was pretty cool, although we did look a bit vibrant walking home!

All in all, it has been great to take part in activities outside of my course. Before I joined, I found myself stuck with doing the same thing day in day out. Now I have something in the week to add a little more excitement in my student life. I know that I will be joining again next year, and who knows… maybe something else?