A few years ago, Peter Teuben at University of Maryland put my name on his website as a contact for badminton locations in Northern Virginia. As a result I have received many phone calls from people who want to play badminton in this area. This is one of the reasons www.evergreensports.net was born.

 

EvergreenSports.net adopts the name Evergreen which is the name of the badminton.  I run in Northern Virginia. The club is founded as part of the Community Outreach Program of New World Bilingual Institute (NWBI), an educational institute founded and headed by Principal Terry Wang base at George Mason University. (As a side note, NWBI offers a great variety of community services and educational programs for youth and adult, including Sunday Chinese school, athletic clubs, and many cultural activities.)

 

The club started in mid-1990s with a group of badminton lovers, and I was one of them.  Everyone was so thankful to have a place to play badminton. There was no particular person to run the club. One time, I decided to join Terry's Seven Sea's Toastmaster Club.  That association was probably the factor I was asked later to run the badminton club.

 

The demand for badminton kept growing. Membership reached a threshold which could cripple the club.  Rejecting people to join the club is the most difficult thing. I always remember how I felt when there were no place available when I really wanted to play.  It ate my heart. The decision was made, and I was determined.

 

Badminton was not a recognized sport in Fairfax County then. It took years of persistent effort to overcome that obstacle.  Today, badminton is available at Holmes Middle School on Tuesdays and Fridays, season after season. Membership fee is the lowest you can ever imagine. There is plenty of joy around…

 

May the club be green forever!

 

 

Clement Chan