“Our first experience in the tournament was extremely enlightening, and it was further inspiring to see all the members of the club be so thoroughly involved and enthusiastic throughout the tournament as well as the practices before the matches,” said Shirdi Kummarakuntla, president of the recently formed Badminton Club. Having started in early spring 2023 semester, the Badminton Club is now a family of over 15 members, many of which have participated in the Durabird Eastern Collegiate Tournament organized in Philadelphia. in the past week.

Kummarakuntla discussed his impression of the club members, saying, “The participants were invested in the tournament and ensured they used the best equipment and ensured they used the best equipment, gave their best efforts and worked out with utmost seriousness.” Kummarakuntla said about the club members’ eagerness to participate in the tournament and their rigorous practice schedule. “I was pleased to see their enthusiasm towards the sport and was impressed to notice that it was not only limited to the game but also with a fair intention towards learning and improvising in the sport.”

Manoj Kumar, a member of the badminton club and one of the winners for certain matches at the tournament, discussed his experience at the tournament. He believed this tournament to be a great deal as the team got an opportunity to interact and play with several other teams from different universities such as Yale, the University of Connecticut, Dartmouth and Williams, among others. He said, “This tournament helped us learn a lot and motivated us to build a competitive spirit. Besides, exploring our skills and learning from the other participants was a fair opportunity.”

Following a similar notion, Prakash Reddy Mukku, another winner at the tournament, expressed his views toward this tournament and stated it to be a great opportunity. He said, “Through this tournament, we gained a fair chance to meet with new members and players from several universities and explore their way of playing this game. Indeed, they played very well, which helped us learn through sheer observation. Moreover, playing under a competitive spirit added to our enthusiasm which helped us perform better.”

Moving on, he talked about the badminton club, the motivation behind starting this club, and his future goals with the club. Kummarakuntla said, “Badminton is a sport that many individuals enjoy, but unfortunately, there was no RSO at the university and thus, I chose to start a badminton club.” Adding further, Kummarakuntla shared some of his goals for the club and said, “I wish to see the club’s growth at professional levels, and I aspire to see students indulge in this sport in the longer run. To achieve these goals, we aspire to seek more support from the university in marketing, equipment, and financial regards in the long term.”

Kummarakuntla thanked the club’s coach and advisor, Sri Teja Chinnam, director of enrolment operations at the university, who supported the intent behind setting up this RSO. The badminton president also stated how the club is open to all, whether someone is a professional or a beginner. He said, “We are always looking to welcome new members and would love to meet students from every course and major involvement in our sport. Besides, we highly encourage beginners to join the club as we can help them evolve and improve their skills to a greater extent.”