The incessant squeaking of shoes paves the way for the whistling of birdies meeting the netting of racquets, as students of all grade levels wait in line for a turn to hop on the court to play badminton.

During their first open gym of the year, badminton club exceeded expectations, garnering a large number of returning and new members eager to play during lunch, junior club president Pranav Rao said. 

Two years ago, badminton club was disbanded due to senior officers graduating. Now, the badminton club receives a full open gym full of eager students waiting to play every meeting, vice president, junior Gautham Kumar said

With their open gyms and club events, the badminton club’s officer team aims to provide a space for people to have fun and play against each other, lead activities director Siddharth Balaji said. 

“My favorite aspect is how many people there are in the [badminton community,]” Balaji, a junior, said. “You can see so many people having a good time playing with each other.”

Additionally, Kumar said the officer team wants to get more people involved with the sport using the open gyms and get more players to try out for the school team. He said the club also wants to provide more playing opportunities for club members, maybe one tournament per semester. 

Badminton club hopes to provide a refuge from the fast-paced high school life for people who feel the pressure of academics, Balaji said. 

“My club goals are mainly to host as many open gyms as possible [and] get as many people to sign up, but also just make it let everyone have fun,” Balaji said. “I know for some people this [year] is gonna be super stressful. We just want to make sure everyone has a fun time.”