From No Funding to “Recreational Club of the Year”
In this first person perspective piece, the president of the badminton club at Rowan University shares how she dedicated herself to succeeding in breathing new interest in the student club.
My name is Medha Dabral and I am a current third-year Biological Sciences major with a minor in Chemistry. I am also part of the Martinson Honors College. Besides my classes, I am a Community Assistant (CA) at Chestnut Hall, an EMT on the Rowan EMS squad, BLAST mentor for the Honors College, president of the Badminton Club, vice president of the American Chemical Society, and phlebotomist at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes (VOLOL) hospital. In my free time I enjoy painting with acrylics on canvas, practicing taekwondo, and solving a variety of rubik’s cubes.
Inheriting an Opportunity to Rebuild a Club
I wanted to share the most defining experience of my leadership journey at Rowan University, which is how I led the effort to rebuild the Badminton Club at Rowan.
At the start of my freshman academic year, the club had so little attendance there were barely enough people to play, and slowly became inactive by the end of the fall semester. As someone who loved badminton, I did not want the club to end like this.
So over the winter break, I offered to help with growing the club in which the previous president encouraged me to become the new president. Around this time during the spring of my freshman year, I was standing in the court on a Friday night with the biggest smile on my face, first day as president.
But I remember walking back to my dorm with my heart feeling as heavy as a rock, crying to my mom on the phone. Only three members showed up to our first badminton meeting that day, one of them being me. It was so awkward to the point I had to end the meeting an hour early that night.
But I could not let this continue on, I needed to find a way to ignite passion in the club and make it into something greater for the future.
First Steps to Grow the Club
So over the course of the next few weeks, I was determined to advertise badminton clubs and discovered ways to improve. I was able to post flyers around campus, over 100 copies approved by Residential Learning & University Housing (RLUH), the Chamberlain Student Center, Recreational Center, and more promoted digitally. I remember having over 30K steps one day running around because I was so committed to promoting the badminton club.
Over the course of those weeks, more members started to join. But as time went on, I realized how challenging it was to manage the responsibilities of running the club alone. In order to build up, I needed a team. As time went on, I recruited three other e-board members my sophomore year and, together, we pitched in unique ideas and reconstructed the club. And as new members joined, we started working together in engaging in community service and other campus involvements, trying to help the Rowan community thrive through the club.
Earning Funding & Recognition
The most significant transformation came when we earned funding for the first time, thanks to the progress we made. This funding was crucial to growing the club. Previously, we had only one net almost falling apart, a few rackets, and limited birdies, which restricted our ability to accommodate new members. I remember we had to use a pickleball net to accommodate to more members with a “second net.”
As our club grew, our supervisor provided us with a $1,000 budget. We expanded by buying three new nets and more proper equipment, which drastically improved the club’s environment. We started as a small group of two to four members and grew into a vibrant community with 25 to 30 members attending our meetings!
This progress culminated in the planning of our first-ever badminton tournament, providing members an opportunity to showcase their skills and passion for the sport. One of my proudest moments is the club winning “Recreational Club of the Year” out of all the Rec Clubs one year later. This award is not just a recognition of our growth, but also a motivation to continue striving for excellence. It’s a reflection of how far we’ve come as a club, and how much impact we’ve made on the Rowan community.
I have been taking a lot of time to reflect on the growth of the club. With just two years of hard work and support, the badminton club went from no equipment, no funding, one e-board member, multiple strikes, and barely any members to a great budget, active membership, an e-board of five diverse and creative people, and new ideas in place (tournaments, mini games, community service, and campus involvement). We have also been interviewed by Rowan Television Network for the “On the Couch” and “All Access with the Profs” sport segments, along with Rowan Broadcast and “Club Chat.”
I am truly thankful for the hard work my e-board members have put into the club with me, along with the support and enthusiasm of the members, guidance of my supervisors, and the opportunity to turn freshman year Medha’s vision into something so meaningful.
I encourage everyone to keep striving toward your goals, even when it feels tough. Because in the end, the fulfillment and achievements will be worth every effort.
Written by: Medha Dabral, third year biological sciences major
Edited by: Jordyn Dauter
Photos by: Valentina Giannattasio and Joshua Bradlery