Grab a racket and watch out for birdies. Badminton has arrived at Oakland University.

The Badminton Club at OU joins the ranks of OU’s club sports, meeting on Fridays from 5-7:30 p.m. at court three of the Recreation Center. Meetings are open to all and equipment is provided.

The club got its start during an intramural badminton tournament at OU.

“Steven [Razzouk] and I were in a badminton tournament set up by IMLeagues, and the idea was brought up by a fellow badminton player that we were versing against,” Delon Hurmuz, club secretary, said.

According to Razzouk, club president, the players realized that while they all loved badminton, they were only able to play it once a year at intramural tournaments.

“We looked at each other like ‘You guys all like badminton? You all love it? So why don’t we have a club for it?’” Razzouk said. “Some of us got together and decided that hey, maybe we should apply and see what happens.”

The club began holding meetings last November on Sunday afternoons, which consisted of practicing and discussions of future club activity. Since then, meetings have been rescheduled to their current Friday time.

Rackets can be borrowed from the Recreation Center if attendees do not have their own. Razzouk said while the club plans on having their own supply of rackets in the future, players should invest in their own racket in order to become familiar with them. Another piece of equipment serious players can buy are court shoes to provide better traction. Birdies are covered by club dues.

Along with the club-supplied rackets, there are plans to expand the club’s badminton horizons once more people join.

“We plan on fundraising to hopefully travel and play against other clubs,” Hurmuz said. “We also plan on hosting in-club tournaments that will hopefully bring more attention toward the club.” 

At a glance, badminton can seem like a smaller version of tennis. While the sports have plenty of similarities, the heart of a badminton match beats much different than a tennis match.

“Badminton can get a bit quicker because its [played in] a closer area,” Razzouk said. “If people think that a birdie cannot travel so fast, they are not right.”

Badminton sets and matches are shorter than tennis matches, a birdie can fly 60% faster than a tennis ball, the badminton racket lighter and a badminton court is about two times smaller than a tennis court. This adds up to creating a fast paced and tight game.

Matches are made up of two to three games, depending on how fast a team becomes the best of three. Games are played until a team has a clear 21 points or breaks a 20-all tie two point spread.

“[Badminton] can be very lighthearted and easy to play … and it can be the most competitive thing ever,” Razzouk said. “It is what you make of it.”

Anyone interested in joining the club can do so by going to the club’s CampusLabs page and can also follow the club on Facebook.