On the Sideline: Speedmitten

Move over, Ultimate Frisbee – there is a new sport in town. Speedminton is sweeping college campuses all around the world.

Speedminton is a combination of tennis, racquetball and badminton. The game is played with racquets and a shuttlecock called a speeder.

The speeder is designed to go faster than a typical badminton shuttlecock, with the ability to reach speeds up to 175 mph.

A net is not required for the game so it can be played virtually anywhere. Each player stands in an 18-foot square. The squares are placed 42 feet apart.

In a doubles match, each team uses two squares. The object of the game is to get the speeder to land on the ground in the opponent’s square.

The players alternate serving after every three serves. The server can choose to serve from the middle or the back line of their square. Overhead and jumping serves can only be done from the back line. If a serve is faulty, a point is given to the opposite player or team.

Points are scored each time the speeder hits the ground. If the same player hits the speeder twice in a row, points are awarded to the opposing player or team. If an out of bounds speeder is returned to the playing field, the play continues.

The first player or team to reach 16 points with a lead of two or more points wins the game. A speedminton match is made up of three wins. The players switch sides after each game.

Nightminton is a variation of speedminton. It is played in the dark using a night speeder which has a glow stick in the center of it. The players often use black lights and wear iridescent clothing and body paint.

Now that the Eastern community has been introduced to the phenomenon of speedminton, perhaps it will be added to the intramural program.