Badminton

Some of my friends and I spent our Araw ng Kagitingan holiday afternoon playing badminton at Centro Atletico, located on North Road, Cubao, Quezon City. It wasn't our first time to play there, but we were all surprised by how full of people the courts were. Is badminton finally regaining its lost popularity?



Maybe. I first began playing in 2005 primarily because of convenience. The building I worked in (Philamlife UN) had two badminton courts which were exclusive for employees' use. So why not? After all, it was for free! At that time, badminton was or near its peak; there were tournaments all over Manila every weekend. In fact, our company even had two badminton tournaments in a single year. I got hooked real quick, but then I resigned, hehehe. So no more badminton for me.

To play badminton, one would need a racket, several shuttlecocks, a badminton court, and people to play with. That's why after leaving Philam, I stopped playing altogether. It was taking too much effort and money to play (joining a tournament would cost P700+ per player and court hourly rental was P200+).

I don't think I was alone in feeling that. Starting around 2008, there were fewer badminton tournaments. And last year, badminton courts closed left and right. I know of two courts in Pasig that shut down - Smashroom and Sheridan. Players who frequented Sheridan were shocked. They said that there were always a lot of players there. Well, may be not enough to maintain the place.

The courts that are still in operation seem to have weathered the storm. Since I started playing again last year (thank God I found a group) some of the courts I've seen - Yonex, Centro Atletico, Battledore, Smashville - have healthy patronage. Others like Greenpark, Ultimate Impact, and PRC are only full on certain days of the week. I've never seen Greenpark full.

Wow, this entry is long. Anyway, the fact that Centro Atletico was overflowing with players on a holiday is a good sign that badminton is coming back. This might also be in part due to the increasing health awareness of the last few years, plus the massive popularity of running, which tends to rekindle interest in any and all physical activities.

As a badminton fan, even if it doesn't reach the same level of popularity it once have, I'm just hoping that the sport is kept alive, nourished and produce excellent players.