Although a relatively new club at Carlsbad High School, Badminton Club spends most Fridays in the old gym playing together simply for fun. This club was created to promote a healthy lifestyle and enjoy time with friends while playing badminton.

“During freshmen PE, we have a badminton unit, and one of the students in my class enjoyed that unit so much that when we were done she and some other kids decided to form a badminton club,” adviser Mr. Feaster said.

Junior Luna Pham and junior Sophia Zhao became interested in badminton during their freshman year of high school, and shortly after that the Badminton Club was formed. 

“[Sophia and I] decided to start badminton club because it is one of our favorite sports and we realize that many other people also enjoy it,” Pham said. “There wasn’t anything related to badminton present on our campus, [and] we want to promote a healthier lifestyle for today’s teens as this club is an athletic club.”

Pham, the vice president of the club, encourages everyone to try badminton. She believes that even though this club is an athletic one, it does not require much skill to be able to have fun.

“I enjoy badminton as both a competitive and recreational sport because it is fun to play with others,” Pham said. “It is also a sport that doesn’t require someone to be fully athletic in order to succeed.”

Badminton club is always accepting new members, and they hope people will try playing badminton with their friends on every other Friday at lunch.

“I would recommend people to join badminton club because it is an accepting and fun way to spend Friday’s lunch,” Pham said. “Everyone is welcome to come to club meetings to play their friends and just to have fun; no skilled is needed.”

Although for many people badminton is simply a recreational activity, Zhao, the club’s president, enjoys it because of the escape from reality. Badminton takes her mind off the stress of school and allows her to have fun with her friends.

“Since the birdie is so light, you can hit it crazy fast, and it requires all your concentration to be able to play,” Zhao said. “The world just narrows down to one thing, and it’s an easy way for me to play and forget everything else.”