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Watch The Birdie! The game is badminton, and the students of NHS are among its staunchest advocates. Awareness of the indoor sport is such that students have formed a badminton club, with the full backing of the student council. By last Friday, former students who are now teachers were eager to raise rackets once again and compete in the "badminton mania" finale, the much anticipated student/faculty match. In the end, it was the pairing of NHS '08 and NHS '59 that prevailed, as the team of NHS junior Jasper Young and badminton aficionado and NHS graduate Ken Blackshaw outlasted the pairing of T. J. Grant and physical education teacher Dave Webb, the man responsible for organizing badminton mania in the first place. Grant and Webb defeated Young and Blackshaw in the first match, setting up the final, winner-take-all extravaganza. The dinks and returns of Young and Blackshaw proved to be too much for Grant and Webb as they fell, 15-9.
Young, one of the students behind the formation of the badminton club, said he's attracted to the game because anyone can play. "You can have serious games, or just games for fun," he said as he practiced for his match. "And it's good exercise, too." Those are exactly the reasons why Webb first organized the badminton tournament 21 years ago as a way to fill the void between winter and spring sports. "Badminton's the perfect activity because it breaks down the barriers of gender and age. It's a sport in which everyone can participate," he said. Although it was a hit from the beginning, badminton's appeal has grown so much in the past few years that the tournament has expanded to meet the demand. While the tournament has its traditional run during March, this year Webb made the gym available to students beginning the first week in February. On Friday nights, he opened the gym for students to play badminton as a weekend activity. Which proves to Webb that, given the opportunity, students will embrace physical pursuits. "It cemented in my mind that students are looking for outlets for more recreational activities," he said.
It's also a game that most anybody can play. "We have individuals who have never participated in an organized sport enjoying the activity," Webb noted. Badminton also is a great equalizer. During March, students who regularly play team sports had no problem teaming up with the less athletically inclined. For some student athletes, in fact, badminton is enjoyable simply because, as Webb said, "they can relax and enjoy the game for what it is." The fun is not limited to students. Last year for the first time, community members were invited to play on a special night. It proved so successful that students looked forward to pairing off with their parents on "family day" this year. "I'm playing with my mother," Cassie Moran said last week. "It's great exercise, everybody plays and it's a good social activity. I look forward to it - everyone does." As did Morgan Dugan, whose sister, Aislinn, finished in second place in the women's singles event last year. "I'm hoping to do as well as she did," Morgan said before her match. Her third place finish this year only served to make her look forward to next year's tournament. "It's so much fun," she said. "It's the best part of the year."
For Webb, who is in his 30th year of teaching at NHS and is chairman of the school's health and physical education department, his new challenge is in keeping up with badminton hunger. "It seems to have taken on a life of its own," he said. "Students have asked to continue badminton as a once a week activity into the spring." There's also the Boston Open invitational tournament in early May. Webb thinks that more than a few students may want to take part. Badminton, anyone? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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