Badminton tournament at ARC taps growing interest in sport

The college’s Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) hosted a doubles badminton tournament on Nov. 22.

The tournament was held with only four weeks left in the fall semester and students were grateful they could take some time out of their busy schedules to cool off and have some fun playing a sport they enjoy.

“I have been so stressed with the amount of work I have due over the next couple of weeks,” said Joseph Amandi, a business student. “It is nice that the ARC does this for us as the semester picks up.”

According to Sport Chek technician Marc Gaulin, who strings badminton racquets, said the game is growing and it is important for people to get out there and play.

“I have been stringing racquets for over 30 years and now it appears that more and more people are getting into playing badminton,” said Gaulin. “Instead of restringing two to three racquets a week, I am now stringing six to seven which is exciting for the game.”

With the game growing so much, students are hoping that the tournament organized by the Students’ Association can spark an intramural league sometime soon at Algonquin College.

“I play in a badminton league every Thursday morning with my brother and there are a lot of other people there who enjoy the game so much,” said Zach VanderGlas, a bartending student. “I think it would be great if there was an intramural league for us here at the college because tons of people enjoy this game and finding a league can be difficult.”

The ARC will continue offering tournaments as the semester winds down for the holiday season. The ARC also held a dodgeball tournament on Nov. 29.