By Sivakumar Abhayaa (22S03E), Captain

Sports CCAs in RI are known and lauded for their achievements in competition, intensive CCA sessions preparing for such competitions, and their sense of Rafflesian spirit. However, for many of us, we are unsure if we are able to commit to such vigorous and regular training in the midst of a hectic JC life, and rightfully so. Yet, we still want to experience that very Rafflesian Spirit that is synonymous with Sports CCAs in RI! So what should we do?

[Hint: Join Recreational Badminton :) ]

Recreational Badminton (also lovingly known as RecBad by its members) offers you exactly what you need! With no competitions or tournaments looming at the back of our minds, RecBad allows you to enjoy your favourite sport for one reason and one reason only — passion.

In fact, there is no prerequisite to join the CCA! You don’t need to have any previous experience. You don’t even need to know how to play badminton. You only need to be passionate and really interested in playing badminton to join us! 

With sessions only happening once a week, on Wednesdays from 8am to 10am, the commitment to the CCA is manageable and stress-free. RecBad offers you a short respite on Gap day from the busy JC week. You can even join your CCA mates and have friendly competitions every week!

So what does a typical RecBad session look like? Well, you come in at 8 o’clock in the morning, and set up the nets and courts. 8 does sound early and many of us do come to school half asleep. But once we start playing, all lethargy and sleepiness just disappears magically! 

That is where the fun begins! While many of us do know the basic rules of badminton, there is no need to follow them here at all. In fact you can come up with your own weird and unusual rules and regulations, just to make the game even more interesting! From allowing players to only use their non-dominant hands, to switching in players after every single shot, the possibilities are limitless. And the best part is, you and your friends have full autonomy and control over how you want to play the game!

The self-directed nature of our CCA allows you to decide what you take away from our sessions. Many of us just want to have fun, and that’s what we do: have fun and make wonderful memories while playing games. However, many of us also want to improve our badminton skills, and want to play the game seriously. Our CCA also allows you to do that, and these individuals often have intensive, rigorous matches at the side, while the rest of us watch and learn a few things as we admire their games!

After two hours of non-stop fun and games, we pack up at 10. However, CCA does not end there! Many of us still want to cultivate strong friendships and bonds outside of CCA, and we traditionally go to the canteen and enjoy a drink or two while playing games such as Astroparty and WereWolf with our CCA mates! Doesn’t this sound like the perfect CCA?

Due to Covid-19, we were not able to hold any initiatives or events that we really wanted to. However, pre-pandemic, our Seniors held many interesting events that might make CCA even more fun! For example, in 2017 and 2018, the CCA had friendly tournaments with other RecBad teams from schools such as Hwa Chong Institution and Anderson Junior College. Intra-school activities such as Inter-House Badminton competitions were also held and facilitated by RecBad members. We hope that once SMMs relax, we too can participate and organise such interesting events, and if you join, you will get a taste of these events as well!

So, are you interested in joining RecBad? Then hurry up and join us! All you need is an open heart, passion for the game and a racquet! (We provide the shuttlecocks)

*Cover image taken in accordance with SMMs during the prior phase of Covid-19 measures.