I used to love playing badminton during the summer when I was younger. We would set up net and spend countless hours playing in the back yard. Then life happened. I no longer had the time to set up a big net or lug it around just in case the opportunity to play arose. Now that has all changed with the rise of speedminton.
Speedminton is badminton for the masses. All it requires is two rackets and a “speeder.” It can be played anywhere, from the sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore to the hard tennis courts on Cabrini campus. It is a versatile as a football or a volleyball.
People everywhere are beginning to see just how much fun it can be, it is now becoming an everyday sight on beaches and is quickly becoming popular amongst some of the country’s most elite fraternities and sororities. I find it amazing that you can play anywhere, have a good time and get some great exercise as well.
The rules of the game are simple, get to 16 before your opponent, and just like in badminton or volleyball a point is scored when the “speeder” hits the ground. Out of bounds can be defined by almost anything, from a hat or a shirt to mark out of bounds to an already made marker that just gets unfurled and spread out over the ground.
There really are no limitations on when you can play speedminton either, as they have glow-in-the-dark “speeders” that are highly visible, making it a great game to play while out with friends on a warm summer night. Interestingly enough when played at night it is no longer called speedminton but rather blackminton. You can buy florescent markers for your courts and florescent attachments for the rackets so that every part of the game is lit up, making for a great night.
I think this game has the possibility to make its way onto many college campuses simply because of the ease of use and the fact that anyone can play it whenever they want. You don’t have to book field time or court time. For many college students renting a house off campus, they don’t have much land that they can work with. This game is perfect for that as it requires very little room.
Another aspect of the game that I found to be very rewarding is exercise, something that everyone needs but that few people get enough of. I know that I myself have a hard time forcing myself to get out and go for a run, or go to the gym for an hour or so.
A game like this could make even the average person want to go out and play. A result of it is getting in a good work out, as it requires agility quickness to get around the court fast enough.
It may be a relatively small court but the “speeders” themselves are very fast and can travel at speeds of up to 175 mph over short distances, and have the ability to fly over 100 feet, making for a very competitive and challenging game. I like challenges and playing a game at night at speeds like that would seem to me to be very entertaining.
The only problem with the game is that it originated over in Europe so that virtually all the dealers who would be selling this equipment are over in Europe, with the only store currently selling it in California. That would mean that in order to obtain the “speeders” and rackets at the very least, if not some of the more fancy blackminton gear, you would have to order it online.
I don’t really see that as being a problem and in fact the exotic aspect of the game makes it that much more appealing. I know that there are a lot of college students out there who spend their down time in front of a computer or TV, and this game has the potential to get some of these people outside for some fresh air and some much needed exercise.
