Hello Everyone, I wish to announce the opening of a new badminton club in NJ. The club was started in mid April and is located at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The facility consists of 4 wooden courts with permanent markings and very good lighting. For the summer we are open on Monday and Wednesday from 5:00pm - 8:00pm (school is doing cost cutting). During regular semester we are open 3 days a week (2 weekdays and 1 weekend) usually from 7:00pm - 11:00pm. Non NJIT members can try out the gym with a one day pass of $5. The school also offers a four month and an yearly pass. One can find more details about the club at http://groups.google.com/group/njit-badminton-club If you have any questions, you can always ask me. Hope to see some of you at the courts
that's very good news keeprocking! btw, is it crowded? can people play singles? or is it always doubles? i wouldn't be able to make it for your summer schedule (5-8) but i can probably join you guys during the start of the fall semester. $250/year is pretty reasonable. do you mind posting the exact address of the gym so i can just enter it in my gps. just don't want to get lost in newark . also, how far is it from the Newark Penn Station?
Hello Shreky, The amount of crowd varies a lot. There are days when only 2 out of the 4 courts are occupied. I would say 75% of the time you have the oppurtunity to play singles. We generally play doubles. The summer schedule is actually a bit sad. We also wish there were extended hours. I could not find an exact addr. for you. The gym is at the intersection of Lock St and New St. If you are coming from Penn Station by car, keep following Raymond Blvd till you corss the light at the intersection of Warren St and Raymond Blvd. After that light Raymond Blvd becomes Lock St and the gym is just a few secs from that light. So you can park immediately after you cross that light. You can also take the light rail from Penn station and get off at the Warren St. station. The gym is just a few steps away from the subway station. Hope this helps
Hey LazyBuddy, The gym provides the Yonex Mavis 350 nylon shuttles. So sometimes we play with those when our feather ones are over. One can always bring their own shuttles. I will try and get some more pics of the gym and courts.
Thanks for the information. How's the overall level of the regulars? Where can I park, on the street or some visitor parking?
Currently there are about 7-10 regular players. Most of us have been playing for years now. Some have even received professional training in their home country. So I would say the level is from intermediate to advanced. Near the gym there is metered street parking. But after 6 its free. Nowdays its very easy to find parking. But during regular semester one might get parking a block away Also want to mention that there are no walk-ins like the other clubs. One needs to purchase the 1-day pass before they come to the gym So if you are planning to come, send me an email and I will purchase the pass on your behalf.
Thanks for the information. I would love to stop by 1 day, if I get a chance. However, I think everyone there might be able to kick my butt around.
hey keeprocking. i didn't know there's even a light rail in newark. can we use the monthly NJT rail ticket in the light rail? i know it is valid in the hudson-bergen light rail but not sure with the newark light rail. btw, where do we pay if we decide to join your club? i think the yearly membership is a steal! also, you mentioned that during the regular semester parking is a block or two away. is parking safe within the gym? we all know newark isn't the safest place in NJ. are there shower rooms available as well? thanks again!
I am not sure about the light rail pass. But I guess it should be valid since its NJT. But do check and confirm from the NJT website. You would need to pay to the school. I would suggest you trying out the club once before you go in for one of the memberships. If you do like it, you can give me the check and fill the form and I will get the card for you. Let me know if you want to try it one day. Parking in campus boundaries is safe. There is a police post right next to the gym. But rule of thumb, always park within campus boundaries. yes Hope to see you at the courts sometime.
cool! i like all the answers. i'll stop by one of these days .... maybe during the regular semester. the summer schedule of 5-8 is just to tight for my schedule. thanks again.
