TOWAMENCIN- Lamya Shusmi loves badminton.

“It’s a sport that anyone can play. It’s pretty easy to get the hang of, and there aren’t many rules when you play for fun…I play badminton with a lot of my family members. It’s the main game we play [in] our culture.”

Given the obvious benefits of the sport, she was shocked to learn that North Penn High School didn’t have a badminton club.

So she started one.

“[Lamya], who [is] now a senior, last year approached me in health class, wanting to start a club…I think we have over 50 people already interested,” said Ms. Kristen Panaski, the club’s advisor as well as a health and physical education teacher at North Penn. “Everyone’s invited to join, regardless [of] if they’ve ever played before,” she finished.

Panaski urges interested students to log in to the club’s Google Classroom (w6doj7v) and to attend the first meeting on Thursday, September 27th, at 2:30 pm in room F123.

“The whole point of the meeting is to decide the rules of the [October 10th] tournament,” said Panaski, adding that the club is in the process of planning a spring tournament as well. Prospective members will vote on whether or not to divide games based on skill level and to play singles (1-on-1) or doubles (2-on-2). Also up for debate is the setting of a point and/or time limit for each game.

Badminton originated in India during the 1800s; it made its way to the Summer Olympics by 1992. The racquet sport consists of hitting a shuttlecock, or “birdie,” across a net, similar to volleyball and tennis. Although Americans’ experiences with badminton are typically limited to pick-up games at family barbeques, the sport is immensely popular in Asia; the salaries of professional badminton players rival those of the NFL.

“I hope that as many people that want to [will] join the club,” remarked Shusmi, adding, “You don’t have to know how to play to join. We teach.” In addition to in-person instruction, hesitant athletes can check the club’s Google Classroom and even YouTube for instructional videos.

“A student with a disability, a student who doesn’t speak English…can play,” explained Panaski, stressing the relaxed and inclusive nature of badminton club. She continued, “I have a lot of [ESL] students that are from India and Bangladesh, who are brand new, and they’re going to come and play. So they have a club or a way to be involved in this building, which I think is pretty cool.”