INS AND OUTS OF NWU TENNIS AND BADMINTON

Rebecca Odell

@bex.odell

Last week was the residence finals for both tennis and badminton at the North-West University (NWU) Potchefstroom campus. Yet, many students are still uncertain about the ins and outs of these sports. Therefore, Wapad has compiled all the information you need to know about tennis and badminton. 

Last week’s tennis  finals resulted in Over de Voor placing first in the men’s league and Minjonet as first in the women’s league. Minjonet also took first place in the badminton women’s league final and Patria first in the men’s league. 

Kiara Wakeford, a BHSc Honours in Childrens’ Biokinetics student, as well as an avid badminton and tennis player, recommended these two sports to everyone. “I would encourage any person to play both of these as it is not only so much fun, but you get to know your fellow students and residents at another level,” she stated.

Caroline Woernor, a first-year studying BSc Environmental Science with Tourism and Zoology, also encouraged newbies to give this sport a try. “Although the sport can be competitive, it’s mainly fun and an enjoyable sport. Plus you can easily carry on playing when you leave university because all you need is one other person,” Woerner mentioned.

Tennis is played on a standard court (23 x 10 metres) and is played using a tennis ball and tennis racket. When playing tennis, the ball is allowed to bounce once before the opponent is expected to hit it. This sport requires a large amount of running and the ability to start and stop abruptly. 

Differing to tennis, badminton is played on a court that is only 13 x 6 meters and is played using a shuttlecock and badminton racket. The shuttlecock may not touch the ground before being hit by the opponent in badminton. Playing badminton requires the ability to lunge and jump, in order to reach the shuttlecock. 

Tennis is seen as a NWU High Performance Sport. Due to this categorisation, it is not so easy for beginners to join the NWU tennis team. The NWU tennis year starts in January/February, with a few weeks of training, after which trials are held. From these trials, 12 to 18 players are chosen and ranked according to how they played.

As there is only one coach, the NWU does not have the capacity to help beginners. However, novices are encouraged to join surrounding clubs, which cater to the coaching needs of beginners.

Students and staff may, however, play tennis throughout the day by using the booking system to book a court. A number can be found at the courts as well as at residences.  You can contact this number to book a court. Unfortunately, this may only be done during the week, due to the current remodelling of the tennis courts. It is foreseen that the courts will be far more accessible come 2023. A fun league is envisaged to be played during the summer months next year. 

Badminton, however, is not viewed as an NWU High Performance Sport, but as a competitive sport. To find out more on how to join the badminton team, contact Ruan Snyman at [email protected].