Develop Young Talent Thru a Love for Badminton from an Early Age

Badminton enthusiasm among elementary school students continues. After successful events in Kudus and Solo, the SenengMinton Festival is now coming to Purwokerto to instill a love for badminton from an early age. Saturday (November 8), the Multipurpose Building of the Satria Purwokerto Sports Hall witnessed the joy of 480 elementary school students from grades 1-3 from 16 schools, who participated in the SenengMinton Purwokerto 2025 event initiated by the Djarum Foundation Sports Service and the Central Java Provincial Badminton Association (PBSI).

Yoppy Rosimin, Program Director of Djarum Foundation's Sports Bakti, stated that the SenengMinton Festival originated from a simple intention to cultivate a love for badminton from a young age thru a light and enjoyable approach. Yoppy explained that the fun games format was chosen so that students could enjoy playing while learning. He hopes this activity will be the beginning of a continuous development process, so that it will eventually produce a new generation of successful badminton players for Indonesia.

"Through the SenengMinton Festival, we want to instill the spirit of sportsmanship and a love for badminton from an early age." We believe that creating great athletes starts with fostering a sense of joy in sports. With a fun and inclusive approach, we hope this activity will not only be a playground but also a starting point for the emergence of a resilient and high-achieving generation of Indonesian badminton successors," said Yoppy.

The Deputy General Chair of the Central Java PBSI Provincial Committee, Yuni Kartika, warmly welcomed the enthusiasm of the participants at the 2025 Purwokerto SenengMinton Festival. The selection of Purwokerto as the host this time is based on the high enthusiasm and activity surrounding badminton. He believes the enthusiasm shown by the students and teachers is a positive sign for the development of badminton in the Purwokerto area.

We chose Purwokerto because we saw that the spirit of badminton in this city is so vibrant, among both students and teachers. Thru the SenengMinton Festival, we want to build a strong grassroots pathway so that children can get to know and love badminton from an early age. This activity is not just a competition; it's also an effort to cultivate interest within the school environment so that a badminton extracurricular activity can be established. "By doing so, participants can progress to clubs and become part of a tiered coaching system," said Yuni.

Yuni added that although the seedling process at the club level in Central Java has been running quite well, the grassroots introduction stage still needs to be strengthened so that athlete regeneration can proceed comprehensively, structurally, and sustainably.

"Through the SenengMinton Festival, we want to provide wider access for students to experience playing badminton for the first time in a fun and energetic way." We are confident that from cities like Purwokerto, badminton talents with character and resilience will emerge, who will one day be able to bring glory to Indonesia on the world stage. "We want to ensure that Indonesia's badminton achievements will continue to be maintained and developed in the future," he concluded.

The SenengMinton Purwokerto Festival 2025 will implement an individual system with winners judged based on the fastest recorded times. For third-grade participants, there are five types of obstacles: Service to Target, Shuttle Run, Pyramid Shuttlecock, Throwing The Shuttlecock, and Zig Zag Run. Meanwhile, for first and second-grade participants, the Service to Target competition is omitted from the five events.

In the Service to Target event, participants perform a straight serve by hitting the shuttlecock into the designated colored target area. The Shuttle Run involves running from the center point, picking up a shuttlecock, and then moving it to the opposite side. The student who successfully moves all the shuttlecocks wins the obstacle course. Pyramid Shuttlecock involves arranging shuttlecocks in a pyramid shape according to a predetermined number.

While Throwing The Shuttlecock involves throwing the shuttlecock into a target hole. Zig Zag Run involves running thru obstacles in a zig-zag pattern. After completing all the races, participants must press the finish timer button. Each game is designed to train motor skills, coordination, and introduce the fundamentals of badminton techniques in a fun and engaging way.

Each school sends 6 first-grade students, consisting of 4 boys and 2 girls. For the second grade, there are 10 participants per school, with a composition of 6 boys and 4 girls. In the third-grade category, each school sends 14 students, consisting of 8 boys and 6 girls.

Following Kudus, Solo, and Purwokerto, the SenengMinton Festival 2025 will also be held in Semarang on November 20th and Magelang on December 11th.

Race for Speed, Achieve the Best Results

Not only the participants, but also the enthusiasm and burning spirit at the SenengMinton Festival in Purwokerto came from the schools, including SDN Pangebatan, which sent 30 students to participate. Not without reason, Nely Fajrijah, the physical education teacher at SDN Pangebatan, admitted that the school had opened a badminton extracurricular activity for students in grades 1 thru 5. Nely, who also loves the world of badminton, patiently introduces everything about badminton to her students at least once a week.

"Coincidentally, our school uses the Pangebatan Village Hall for badminton practice, and the students' response has been very enthusiastic." They learned how to hold the racket, how to throw the shuttlecock over the net, and even how to serve. "I hope the students participating in the SenengMinton Festival don't stop here, but can continue to join clubs, especially seeing the full support from their parents, so I'm sure they can achieve their dreams of becoming badminton athletes," said Nely.

On the other hand, Naufal Cahya Ramadhan from SDN 1 Jurangbahas Wangon recorded his best time of 00:59.89 seconds and became the champion of the 2025 Purwokerto SenengMinton Festival in the Class 3 category. Naufal admitted he prepared for this competition because he wanted to delve deeper into the world of badminton. "I've liked badminton since second grade, and I often played with friends at the sports hall, just for fun. Because playing badminton is really fun. I also wanted to practice at the sports hall myself because my dream is to become a badminton athlete," said Naufal.

The winners of the SenengMinton Festival in each competition received trophies, prize money, and gifts from sponsors including MilkLife, Dua Kelinci, Aice, Hundred, and Savoria products. Additionally, all participants received goodie bags from MilkLife, Dua Kelinci, Savoria products, and Aice.

Here is the list of winners for the SenengMinton Purwokerto Festival (participant's name - school name - time record):

1st Grade Boys
Champion: Hafizh Zikri Ramadhan - SDN 1 Karangpucung - 00:44.43
Runner-up: Mika Mustafa Bakri - SDN Patikraja - 00:44.66
Semifinalist: Praga Sagan Pratama - MI Ma’arif NU 1 Pageraji - 00:44.83

Girls' Class 1
Champion: Adzkiya Khansa Pramita - SDN 1 Jurangbahas Wangon - 00:47.72
Runner-up: Sucita Airin Aninda - SDN 1 Karangtalun Kidul - 00:49.30
Semifinalist: Aysha Salsabila Julianggita - SDN Pangebatan - 00:49.47

2nd Grade Boys
Champion: Abdurrahman Fawwaz Kurniadi - SDI Darul Falah Tambak - 00:55.17
Runner-up: Arsenio Abrard - SDN 1 Jurangbahas Wangon - 00:55.78
Semifinalist: Muhammad Gibran Ramadhan - SDN 1 Patikraja - 00:56.09

2nd Grade Girls
Champion: Attaya Sabira Fajrin - SDN 1 Karangpucung - 00:57.87
Runner-up: Melodi Prima Briesha - SDN 1 Purwokerto Wetan - 00:58.77
Semifinalist: Noura Putri Salsabila - MIN 1 Banyumas - 01:01.78

3rd Grade Boys
Champion: Naufal Cahya Ramadhan - SDN 1 Jurangbahas Wangon - 00:59.89
Runner-up: Sharga Alfarizi Azzam - SDN Pangebatan - 01:00.97
Semifinalist: Alfarizki Albarkah - SDN 1 Karangtalun Kidul - 01:03.82

3rd Grade Girls
Champion: Alika Naila Putri - Pangebatan Elementary School - 01:08.96
Runner-up: Anindita Shakila Afsheen M - Kranji 1 Elementary School - 01:10.94
Semifinalist: Gita Felicia - Karangpucung 1 Elementary School - 01:10.99