12 December 2023 at 06:30 Badminton
ZEIST Badminton club Zeist is on the rise. José Huisman, an enthusiastic badminton player with Colombian roots, is one of the 54 members.
Contagiously enthusiastic; That’s the best way to describe José Huisman. Colombian by birth, but an Italian mother and a Dutch father. In 1994, José, now 43, moved to the Netherlands with his parents. He feels like a Zeister through and through, especially after he discovered badminton. “I was looking for a sport, then I saw that there was an association here,” says José, who lives in assisted living in Kerckebosch. “First badminton club Zeist was located in De Clomp, then they moved to Dijnselburg.”
That’s where José tells his story. In daily life he is a chef, but in his free time he enjoys exercise and sports. By his arrival he also made five other people members, one of whom has since died. His best friend Fabian also plays at the badminton club Zeist. Wednesday is the regular training evening in the Dijnselburg sports hall.
That conviviality, enjoying sports and chatting really appeals to José. He enjoys the tournaments, as well as working on his fitness. What is the secret of a good badminton player? “You have to be fast and pay close attention to where the shuttle ends up.” José immediately adds that he likes to advertise the badminton club to recruit new members. “I’ve seen people come and go. Unfortunately, some have also died.”
One of those people is Niek Boot, a member of badminton club Zeist for many years. He died last June after a short illness. It is a tradition at the association that new shirts are ordered for every lustrum. This also happens now, because from Boot’s legacy all 54 members receive a shirt with their name on it, so that everyone knows the other’s name.
Badminton Club Zeist was founded on September 13, 1956, when the founding meeting took place. The association used various locations, such as the left wing of Slot Zeist, various gymnasiums and the hall of tennis club Shot from Zeist. Because the enthusiasm for badminton was so great, the decision was made to set up an association. The badminton club eventually ended up in Dijnselburg via the De Clomp sports hall. In those years, badminton grew so fast that the number of members grew towards a thousand.
CONTRAST
It was then decided to establish a second and later a third badminton club. This is in stark contrast to the situation today. It is difficult for the Zeister badminton clubs to maintain membership numbers, although badminton club Zeist is not doing too badly. The membership increased from 40 to 54 in just over a year.
José is involved in the Facebook page of badminton club Zeist. Every year there is a promotion from the association to take ten lessons for 25 euros, but you are always welcome to participate a few times. Tournaments are regularly scheduled, such as the champagne tournament in the second week of January. And while badminton is suspended for two months in the summer, everyone can continue playing sports based on registration. And, José adds: “Everyone can take their child with them during school holidays.”
2023-12-12 05:35:19
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