Meet the new trainer, Nasim
Hello good day,
I am from Iran and currently first year student in Netherlands.
I’ve been playing professionally 15 years and I’ve been Iran top player and national team for 9 solid years and also I’m among top players in Netherlands I’ve participated in many international tournaments and won many titles.
I am not interested in keeping pets with me. I usually read books and hang out with friends in my spare time. Also I really enjoy playing piano.
I expect fun time together and learn how to play badminton better and enjoy playing badminton.
I’ve became first in international tournaments once and also 2 weeks ago I became first in Netherlands.
Upcoming activities
May 29-31: Training Weekend: Registrations closed
The training weekend is when Panachers go to Drenthe to receive training from a different trainer than usual. From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, we will be eating together, doing fun activities together, and, most importantly, playing lots of badminton!
This year’s theme is TO THE MOON, so Panachers will have an exciting adventure and play badminton in outer space!
June 13: Club Championships
Calling all Panachers! If you think you are the best player in this entire association (very humble of you) or maybe you want to test how well you have been improving at badminton, join this Panache-only tournament. Expect some intense matches, complete with the usual fun Panache atmosphere. You can already register on toernooi.nl at https://www.toernooi.nl/tournament/79C97501-C3BF-43EF-A8FE-82946972DBAB!!!
More information will follow on the Panache WhatsApp community.
July 3: Cultural picnic
Do you want to explore the cuisine of different cultures? Do you also want to show off your amazing cooking skills? Then join this picnic, where we each bring a dish to share and enjoy (hopefully) good weather and good company.
More information will follow on the Panache WhatsApp community.
September/October: Paintball
Bring out your inner artist by throwing paint at fellow Panchers. Or, use this activity to get revenge on someone who beat you at singles. Either way, join this activity for a fun day of Paintball!
More information will follow on the Panache WhatsApp community.
Tournaments:
Registrations are still open for the following tournaments:
Veghel: 20-21 June
VBSC: 27-28 June
Beer-Best: 3v3 10 July
If you want to join a tournament but don’t have anybody to go with, check out the SToMP group chat on the Panache WhatsApp community!
Training rules
From now on, the feather shuttle box will be used only for training and may not be used for free play. Please bring your own feather shuttles for free-play. The nylon shuttles may still be used. The feather shuttles used during training should be handled with care and returned to the box in neat rows to prolong their lives.
Open / beginner training with trainer Nasim is with nylon shuttles, and everyone can join.
Advanced training with trainer Eli is for feather competition players and high-level players. The level of training does not matter for the quality of training, and more important to split the training group in half. You’ll get the most out of training if you join the one that fits your level best, not the highest one. You can ask Eli if you are unsure if you can join the advanced, and he can give you advice.
Promotions
There are still some grey, white, and black hoodies available (these will be available until stock lasts, so be quick!) Additionally, we have something new in the works, our very own Panache over grips. After thorough testing of a bunch of over grips by the ProCo (and some other volunteers), we have selected the very best. These are now being customized with the Panache logo, and will be available for only €0.50/piece in about a month, so stay tuned!
Recap of past activities
Panache organises a lot of activities throughout the year, from an open tournament and attending other tournaments to pizza-cocktail parties and movie nights. If you would like to join the activities committee or any of the other committees, contact the board or any of the seasoned Panache members. For photos, you can always go to the website, where we have a collection of photos from all the major activities.
February 21/22: Panache Tournament
As most of you know, every year the biggest activity Panache organises is the Panache tournament, and this year was no different. The tournament is organised by, you guessed it, the tournament committee, which is recruited every year (if you’d like to join, talk to the board members or this year’s committee 🤗). The tournament was a great success, although some setbacks, don’t get us started on the microphone or the DJ equipment not working 😤.
February 28: German Open
This year, Panache was again present at the German Open, which is held conveniently just over the border into Germany. Some members were attracted by the prospects of the Yonex outlet/discount store 😜 and others by the high-level badminton games 🏸. We attended with over 20 members, new and seasoned Panachers.
April 17: Jump Smash Training
One of the new activities this year was the “jump smash training” at a trampoline park. Some members went into the activity a bit scared of getting injured, but fortunately, no major injuries were suffered 😮💨.
April 26: Pizza Cocktail Party
Pizza cocktail parties have become more and more a part of the yearly activities of Panache. This year, the location went back to Eli’s backyard, where one of the first parties of Panache happened. The pizzas 🍕 were hand-delivered by our master driver, Wilbur, and quickly consumed by our members. The master of cocktails, 🍸Songchai🍸, had again prepared a fantastic bunch of cocktails for us. Us leaving at a reasonable time was not an option with the after party organized at the previous standard location of Luc’s student house🏚️. Unfortunately, not many photos escaped the evening, and we will have to look back by remembering the evening from our heads 🫣.
Tournaments
This tournament season, Panache again participated in many tournaments, notable include:
May 9: Stuban Tournament
The Stuban tournament is organized by the student badminton association of Nijmegen. This year, the tournament was unfortunately only one day, which meant no party and no sleepover in the hall (which some people are, of course, happy about 😜). Panache was overwhelmingly successful with many prizes and finals, where both sides included (old) Panachers. The winners are Kabilan (MS4, 1st), Rohit (MS6, 1st), Wilbur (MS6, 2nd), Kabilan & Luc (MD4, 1st), Pim & Aditya (MD6, 1st), Rohit & Harish (MD6, 2nd), Thomas & Bradley (MD8, 1st), Tirza & Judith (WD6, 1st), Pim & Judith (XD6, 1st), and Barry & Tirza (XD6, 2nd).
May 16-18: Rijncup Tournament
The Rijncup tournament is organised by the student badminton association of Wageningen and is one of the best tournaments to join each year (according to a limited Panache sample size🤗). This year the tournament was again a great success with among the winners Kabilan (MS4, 1st), Gideon (MS4, 2nd), Thomas (MS8, 2nd), Milou (MS6, 1st), Michelle (MS6, 2nd), Kabilan & Luc (MD4, 1st), Harish & Justin (MD6, 2nd), and Gideon & Eloise (MX4, 2nd). This year, the party was in the same location with similar shenanigans😜.
Puzzle
- When your shot goes to the other half of the court
- A thing people do at a restaurant and at a badminton court
- The answer to this question should be clear
- A shot from backcourt to frontcourt
- How you ideally hold your racket when defending smashes
- Another word for the break at 11 points
- The name of Panache’s mascot
- What the umpire says at the start of the game
Committee of the month: Rimboe
The RiMBoE, Roaming in Mythical Belgium or Elsewhere, is a relatively new committee established in 2024. The RiMBoE is responsible for organizing the members’ weekend, which is a weekend away from the Netherlands filled with adventurous activities. In contradiction to the training weekend, we will play (almost) no badminton. The idea is not new. However, long ago in the 90s, a handful of Panachers would go on trips, but the tradition faded away.
The committee is tasked with deciding and booking the location, activities, transport, and groceries. Most of the work is carried out during the 4th quarter of the academic year, and a little bit during the summer vacation. Compared to the other bigger committees (TOK, ToKo, and PAK), the RiMBoE is a more relaxed committee to be part of.
In the previous two editions of the members’ weekend, we travelled to the Belgian Ardennes. This year, however, we will travel to the Volcanic Eiffel in Germany from the 27th to the 30th of August. So, if you want to spend a whole weekend on fun adventures with fellow Panachers, keep an eye out because sign-ups will open soon!
Panache History with Milou: Panacherette
With this new format of the P’ette, it is only appropriate to tell you a little about the history of the Panacherette.
The P’ette has been part of Panache in one form or another for almost the entire history of the association. It all started in 1968 with the Panacherette: a simple club magazine made from loose A4 sheets filled with practical information like competition info and board announcements. The name is credited to Niek Cranendonk and is based on the emergence of “wasserettes”. The name was quickly shortened to just P’ette, which we also know it by to this day.
Over the years, the P’ette became an important part of the association. Besides practical information, the P’ette gradually evolved into a place for tournament reports, member contributions, humor, and club culture. It turned into actual booklets, which are still stored in the basement if you’re interested in taking a look 😉
In 2001, the original P’ette came to an end due to a lack of editors willing to continue producing the magazine. However, soon after came the smaller Mini P’ette, a compact newsletter assembled by the board itself. Another initiative that was introduced around this time was the tournament P’ette, which is still created every year to this day!
As the digital age evolved, so did the Mini P’ette at some point. Instead of the physical booklet, Panache switched to digital newsletters sent out by email. It was usually the secretary’s task (with the help of others) to fill these newsletters with important information, promotions, and reports of past events. A downside to the newsletters was very low visibility. According to the stats, there were barely any people who opened these emails. And due to this demotivation, the last newsletter was sent out in November 2024.
And now we’ve ended up here: yet another evolution of the P’ette. From loose papers, to printed booklets, to emails, and now to blog posts. Different format, same idea: keeping members informed and connected.