I went to check out the brand new United Badminton Club in Fremont yesterday with friends. With 9 courts, it is slightly smaller than the one in Santa Clara, but the flooring is much much better. I wasn’t used to the IBF approved badminton floor mats they have at first, since it is stickier than the hardwood gym floor I am accustomed to, but once I got acquainted with it, I loved it! I was able to get to the move faster with less sliding.

They had a neat computer queuing system as well, with graphical colorful interface to keep track of on-court playing time and waiting status. A heck of a lot better than the old “racket hanging” or “clipper with name” way of line up for open court, and it is a lot easier to kick people off since the elapse time is tracked.

There were a lot of A-level players! I saw many familiar faces; there were former China national badminton team players and US junior national champion and so on. Of course, by the usual fashion, these people play on the “Showoff” challenge court nearest to the entrance. Usually the common players like me won’t dare to “challenge” them so they end up playing for a long time, rotating amongst the handful other guys on the similar skill level. They play beautifully, with fabulous control of the birdie and agile steps; it is a great pleasure just to watch.

My badminton urges are flaming again!