Racquet sport hits the spot

• Inclusive environment for all skill levels
• A growth in younger players
• A safe community space despite COVID-19
• Has been around for over 100 years, and boasts 500 members.

On a typical evening at The Kelowna Badminton Club, dozens of members face off, hitting and receiving a shuttle at often dazzling speed.

Serves, jump shots, and quick reflexes are all part of the game, creating a vibrant atmosphere for players on the five hardwood courts.

Program Director Lyndsay Thomson is proud of the large demographic the club caters to.

“It’s a club that helps to support those starting out as novice athletes, [and] some of our players have also competed at an international level,” Thomson told Kelowna10.

She added that some members of the club are as young as four, and there are lifetime honorary members who are now in their 90s.

“The fact that we’re able to provide a community space for these individuals, it’s just something here at the club we’re really proud of,” Thomson said.

The badminton club hosts a variety of different programs, ranging from playing with friends to coaching. The club also provides a doubles ladder.

“If you maybe don’t know anybody here at the club, that’s your opportunity to come in and meet new people, so it’s got a really good community feel here,” Thomson said.

The difference between an average backyard game of badminton and a competitive match becomes very apparent when viewing the latter.

“What we really like for people to see is what badminton looks like at a higher level,” Thomson said.

She said the sport really stretches an athlete from an anaerobic and aerobic perspective.

“It’s so explosive that what is needed from a strength perspective through the legs, through the back, through the core, people don’t often get to really experience that."

COVID-19 has been tough from a logistics point of view for the club, but Thomson said they are lucky the government has endorsed badminton because of the space available between one another on the court.

“We are still able to provide a space for people to come participate in sport, participate in community, so that we’re fending off some of those feelings of isolation that I think a lot of people felt throughout COVID,” Thomson added.

She said it’s been tough to keep up with the changing regulations, but members have embraced the rules that have been laid out.

“[The members] have really played a big part in helping us to keep the club open throughout COVID,” Thomson said.

Thomson was emotional when talking about her experiences playing badminton.

“It's that great feeling of just belonging somewhere, and doing something that I totally love, which is to play a sport where you get to hit things really hard and run around a whole bunch," she said. "I love it."

Former pro and head coach, Matt Downton, started playing badminton when he was four years old, learning on the Kelowna Badminton Club courts.

“It’s really cool that I get to be a home grown Okanagan boy teaching the next generation back at this club here, so I’m really happy,” Downton said.

He added that in his mind, the coolest thing about badminton is it’s a sport for all ages.

“We have college kids that are mixing in with seniors, 60 and 70 plus people,” Downton said. “It’s just all about inclusiveness and getting everybody out to play.”