A Night on the Court (not at the Court)…
Every Wednesday night, some of the hottest badminton action in Perth comes to the Alma Venville Rec Centre in Maylands with the G&L Badminton Club. For those who call badminton a ‘limpwristed’ sport, club founder Dallas, who’s been playing badminton for 20 years, would tell you that you ‘don’t realise how fast and ferocious it can be when it is played well… And how good it is for the gluts!’
The group’s numbers are steadily increasing. One club player, James, declared the sport so fun that, ‘it is worth giving up smoking!’ Others have echoed the sentiment, and everyone I spoke to during my night down at the court talked about how fun and social the club was.
That is due in large part to Dallas’s commitment to welcoming new members and creating a welcoming environment for people to learn the sport. ‘A highlight for me is seeing people improve, seeing people who have never played before come and pick up a racket,’ he said before giving a quick rundown of that night’s players, ‘Dominic is deadly. He has a terrific return serve and a heavy smash. G has a mean return serve. Nicole, she runs for everything, so does Mel. Campbell has one of the best return serves. Kelvin is a very up and coming player…’
Dallas comes prepared with shuttlecocks and racquets aplenty. The club invites any interested players to come down and play, or even to watch, though Dallas does suggest even spectators bring their gear, ‘because inevitably you will want to play.’ The action starts at 7.30pm and, according to one of the club’s long-time members, Campbell, the club plays ‘until the shuttlecocks are pretty well stuffed’ – or 10pm, whichever comes first.
