to Boston Area MA and Southern NH Badminton Clubs

Marblehead, MA Badminton Club

This club meets twice a week throughout the entire year at the Marblehead Community Center at 10 Humphrey Street at the corner of Humphrey and Pleasant Streets in Marblehead. The hours are 7:00 to 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and 10:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. School vacations do not affect the schedule, but if school is cancelled due to weather, then this activity is also. The fact that this club continues through the summer is unusual; most other clubs are dormant through the summer. This club has been meeting at this location since January, 1998.

This club is not an independent club, but it is an activity (named "Pick-Up Adult Badminton") sponsored by the Marblehead Recreation Department, whose phone number is 781-631-3350. Participation on both Wednesdays and Sundays is currently for adults only.

There are two ways to sign up to play in this club on Wednesdays and Sundays:

• For either day, you can sign up for a 10-week session at a cost of $50 for Wednesdays and $40 for Sundays by paying David Soule prior to the start of the session. Wednesday sessions and Sunday sessions are independent of one another. For example, a Wednesday session will start 9-Jul-08 and continue for ten weeks, and a Sunday session will start 29-Jun-08 and continue for 10 weeks. If you sign up for a session, for example, you can then play for as many weeks in the session as you wish; if you don't use it you lose it - there is no keeping track of how many times you play. This is the preferred sign up and payment method for participants in both the Wednesday and Sunday sessions. If you pay by check, make it out to David Soule, and it will be accepted up until one week before the start of a 10-week session. Later payments must be in cash.
• The alternate method for Wednesdays and Sundays is to pay $5 per week to David Soule.

There are four courts. Feathered birds are used, and plenty of already-used birds are supplied for warming up. The town brochure suggests you should bring your own birds. One of the regular players buys birds in bulk from time to time and sells them to individuals by the dozen. Level of play includes players of levels A through D, and this club is also available to beginners.

The club meets all year round, including warm summer evenings. The gym is not air-conditioned, but this has not proven to be a problem for most players.

There used to be badminton lessons held at the Marblehead Community Center for adults on Mondays, but this is not happening any more. See the following section for details. The coaching staff is focusing on coaching younger players.

For more information, contact club regular David Soule at david.b.soule@bankofamerica.com. You can also visit the Marblehead Recreation Department web site; click on "Members" and "Badminton".

The club supports a Yahoo Groups e-mailing list to notify players of news about the club. If you would like to be added to this list, contact David.

Adult Coaching Programs

Although this is outdated info, it is kept here to alert readers what may be offered again.

Lana Vinokur (e-mail VinokurLana@yahoo.com), a top-ranked Massachusetts player, will be offering a ten-week program from 9-Sep-07 through 2-Dec-07, skipping Columbus, Veterans, and Thanksgiving weekends. Here is what is planned, as described by her.

We have decided, for the sake of convenience and mainly for continuous training process, to have a ten-week program again. As before, we will have two one-hour groups on Sunday mornings. The first group will go from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., and the second one will go from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

The cost of the ten-week program stays the same as before, which is $100 per player. Payment in advance is required. Sign up as soon as possible, as the number of players participating in these programs is limited.

A Map Showing the Club Location

You can view a map showing where the club meets.

More Complex Directions to the Club

There are more steps in these directions, but this route is usually faster than following the following set of directions. Beware that this route cannot be used in the reverse direction, since Raymond Rd. is one-way. Taking Route 114 all the way back to Route 128 is suggested. Beware that it is difficult to notice where Route 114 makes a diagonal left at a signal about 3/4 mile past the signal at which Route 1A North joins Route 114 near Salem State College.

• Take Route 128 North, past where Interstate 95 diverges, and take Exit 26A, which is "Lowell Street". At the bottom of the exit ramp, you are forced to turn right at the STOP sign.
  
• Take this street for 2.5 miles, through residential and commercial neighborhoods, until it ends at a T intersection. Turn right, following the sign for Route 107 South.
  
• Go 2 blocks to the signal, and turn left onto Jackson St.
  
• Take this to the end, where there is a STOP sign, and turn right onto Jefferson St.
  
• Go 1.1 miles to the end, and turn left onto Loring Ave., which is also Route 1A North.
  
• Take an immediate right, staying on Route 1A. Then take the next right quite soon onto Raymond Rd. Take this to its end at a STOP sign, and turn right onto Route 114, but there is no immediately visible route sign.
  
• Take Route 114 one mile (entering Marblehead along the way) to the signal. At that corner, Humphrey Street comes in from the right, and there is the Marblehead Savings Bank on the right. At that intersection, go straight across and into the access to the high school. Take an immediate right into the Community Center parking lot.

Simpler Directions to the Club

There are less steps in these simpler directions, but you do go through the center of Salem, which can be slow.

• Take Route 128 North, past where Interstate 95 diverges, and take Exit 25A, which is Route 114 to Salem. This is the same exit as for the North Shore Shopping Mall.
  
• At about 1/2 mile from the exit ramp, Route 114 turns left, and it turns right a block later. Then take this street to the end, where there is a T intersection, and Route 114 turns right again.
  
• Stay on Route 114, proceeding through Salem center. You will be making turns: left, right, left as you go through the center. On the other side of the center you will merge with Route 1A.
  
• As you pass by Salem State College, Route 1A turns off, but you should remain on Route 114. You will soon leave Salem and enter Marblehead. As you do this you go up a hill and the road curves to the left. You are on Pleasant Street.
  
• There is a signal 0.6 miles from the town line. You are seeking the second signal 0.9 miles from the town line. At that corner, Humphrey Street comes in from the right, and there is the Marblehead Savings Bank on the right. At that intersection, go straight across and into the access to the high school. Take an immediate right into the Community Center parking lot.

The Gut 'N Feathers private club is also in Marblehead, but it is not affiliated with this public club.