How to Increase Badminton in Minnesota

#1 posting 6.3.2006

HOW TO INCREASE TEAMS IN MINNESOTA
With just 16 teams, badminton is a small sport. It definitely has the potential to be bigger. It is relatively inexpensive. Most schoools have PE equipment for badminton. There are no referee costs. How to increase to increase the schools that play?
1. An effort needs to reach out to the parents from neighboring school districts, and those districts with a large Asian population to get their parents to request teams. It is always more persuasive if the people making the request are from and vote in the school district. I am sure the Asian populations in Minneapolis and St. Paul have a network of people that would be willing to lobby on the sports behalf.
2. The coaches need to do outreach to the athletic community professionals in other districts--education, exhibition matches, maybe even some ad hoc scrimmages with club type teams.

Communities that may have a base of support would be schools in Apple Valley, North St. Paul, Woodbury, Roseville, Park Center, Brooklyn Center, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Bloomington, and Richfield for starters. Perhaps a private school or two could join the ranks.

With only two suburban schools on the court the time has come to get proactive. The big push now is for lacrosse, but badminton serves an underserved population.

Sorry I haven't been posting for a while.
I will try to keep a better schedule, even if it is a snippet.

Next: tomorrow late in the day.