Players made their way to the bottom floor of Chota Recreation Center, opened the green doors and took to the court as the Tellico Village Badminton Club prepared to compete.

“I really enjoy the strategy that’s behind the game,” Rick Bailey, club member, said. “There’s a lot of quickness to it.”

Badminton is an easy sport to pick up and one residents have come to enjoy, Bailey said. But that doesn’t mean it won’t provide a workout.


“You don’t have to go chase the ball down or whatever,” he said. “You can come out and play for 45 minutes and get the same amount of exercise as if you were playing two hours of tennis.”

The premise of badminton dates back more than 2,000 years in Greece when people would play versions of battledore and shuttlecock.

Badminton followed those sports and was created in 1870 by the Duke of Beaufort after it was played on the front lawn of the Badminton House in Gloucestershire with a birdie. It was introduced to the United States in 1878.

Patty Malone has been part of the Village club since its inception in 2007. She serves as the training director, but has also been president and vice president.

“It really started out as an informal thing for a couple of years,” Malone said. “Then, we realized it was time to get more organized.”

In that time, the club has grown from a handful to a group of 60.

“It’s not a large club by any means,” Malone said. “We’ve gotten a lot more members since and now we’re pretty constant at 60 members.”

There are different divisions of competition suited to various playing levels.

“On Mondays, that’s our busiest session,” Malone said. “That’s called our ‘friendly’ session where you’re not allowed to slam the ball, and that gives our new and more casual members a chance to get their footing.”

The club holds court times Monday through Saturday, with orientation sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays. More advanced players get their own day to play as well.

“On Thursdays, we get our better players in here,” Malone said. “That’s our competitive A-level division and they’re pretty good.”

Bailey is one of the higher-level players and has competed in badminton since 1968.

“I’ve played in a lot of tournaments,” he said. “I also played a lot when I was in college and I’ve just loved it ever since.”

In terms of competition, the club branches out to play other badminton clubs.

“We’ve gone down to the Chattanooga club,” Malone said. “They’ve also been up here, as well as other clubs around the area.

“Also on Thursdays, we have kids from the University of Tennessee come down and play with our A-level players,” Malone added. “That’s real special for us because we get a chance to see how we can do against younger legs.”

While the club mainly centers around the sport, it also provides opportunities for fellowship and socializing.

“We have a number of dinners and parties,” Malone said. “We also have a big function in September for our membership drive. We have a lot of fun with our sport as well as socially.”

The club provides a place to meet like-minded individuals who share a love for the game, Bailey said.

“You really meet a lot of nice people and have a lot of good games,” he said. “It’s very nice to get out, have competition and enjoy the people you’re playing with.”

For more information or to join the club, visit online at www.tellicobadminton.weebly.com or call Patty Malone at 865-458-7937.