By Neil Barry
A group of former national badminton players and enthusiasts have embarked on a mission to expand and promote the sport of badminton throughout Guyana.
As much as it is a common fact that badminton is not among the more popular sports in Guyana, the members of Harpies Badminton Club (HBC) believe there is a much larger audience than is commonly believed to be following the sport.
They feel they can engage that target audience in what can be an exciting and captivating activity.
Headed by former national champion Grandison Robinson, who is also a Level Two coach, the group has made arrangements to become affiliated to the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) and have already made extensive preparations to launch their institution.
According to the elected sports administrator of HBC, Delmar Abrams, the club was envisioned late last year and planning began in February this year.
“We realized that the sport in Guyana had been going through a period of steady decline owing to the fact that there is only one badminton club, said Abrams.
He added:”Marian Academy may also have a club but that would be a junior club that caters to students of that school exclusively.”
According to Abrams, the club believes that this has played a role in the centralization of the sport around one point thus stifling its potential growth.
Currently, the Yonex Badminton Club (YBC) is the only sanctioned club under the GBA and, although there are other venues where badminton is played, none have been sanctioned.
Historically, places such as the Police Sports Club, GuySuCo’s Recreational Facility at Ogle and the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (Cosmos) were the most frequented venues for badminton lovers and the club has recognized that many persons remain engaged in the sport by using these venues for their own recreation.
Abrams said the executives of the club believe that it should be a welcome addition to the GBA as it seeks to help decentralize the game and have more persons involved. They also stress that the club has developmental plans targeting youths across the country in an effort to make the sport more competitive among juniors and to pave the way for new talent to be unearthed.
Harpies BC has been granted the support of former national, regional and international badminton players from Guyana. Among its membership are former national champions in both the junior and senior categories who aim to impart their wealth of knowledge pertaining to the sport of badminton to all who are interested in the sport.
The name “Harpies’ was chosen because the founding members sought to have a name which would suggest that they represent Guyana and also be a symbol which is both powerful and majestic, Abrams said.
Harpies BC will aim to have competitive level training for young players through a standardized coaching system as well as recreational play time for all interested persons. High on their agenda is advancing the sport through public awareness and participation in national, regional and international activities. Harpies has also devised a ranking system which they would like to establish for its members, Abrams added.
The club executives say they are intent on developing young players and stress that there will be qualified coaches present at each session to equip both juniors and seniors with the required skills to succeed. Since the club hopes to produce future successful national and professional players, the members of the administration aptly pointed out that parental support, building team spirit and discipline, will be key aspects in player development, and the club will seek to promote such.
Abrams said that training would not only consist of skills training but all aspects of fitness training to ensure players are in the best possible competition shape so as to enable their standard to be on par with those of our regional and international badminton counterparts.
Abrams stated that club activities will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:30hrs – 19:00hrs for junior players and from 19:00hrs – 22:00hrs for senior players. On Saturdays recreational games will commence from 13:00hrs – 21:00hrs.
The availability of more than one facility will in the future, which the club sees as vital, will see the club being able to expand the playing days. However, Abrams stated that “owing to the fact that we are still in negotiations with a few possible locations we would not be able so advertise a set location at this point in time. The reason for this is because the management of these locations requests a sanctioned club.”
