By: Tara Hebert, STS Faculty
The Spartans took a strong team to the ASAA Badminton Provincials on May 6-7, 2022 in Medicine Hat, A.B. We had three boys singles and one girls doubles team competing after qualifying from the South Central Zones on April 30, 2022.
Avinash M. ’24 was playing in the Junior Boys Singles at Crescent Heights High School. At Notre Dame Academy, Jacob G. ’23 and Yash P. ‘23 competed in the Intermediate Boys Singles along with Ava C. ’23 and Ella B. ’23 in Intermediate Girls Doubles. All of our athletes played tough matches in the Round Robin and successfully made their way to the A Playoffs. I was very proud of all of our athletes for their hard work, tough play and sportsmanship.
Before games began on Saturday morning, May 7, Ava C. ’23 and Ella B. ’23 were awarded with an ASAA Provincial Sportsmanship Award for their integrity during a match on Friday, May 6, 2022. They both received ASAA pins!
Avinash M. ’24 had a very difficult match up for his quarter final match. He had a positive mindset going into the game and played very well. The rallies were exciting to watch. He lost this match, but with true Spartan spirit, he headed over to the Intermediate gym to watch his teammates in their games.
Due to a random draw created prior to the tournament, which I tried to contest, Yash P. ’23 and Jacob G. ’23 had to face each other in their quarter final - instantly knocking out a Spartan. It was a good match and a difficult one for the boys, knowing what the win meant. In the end, Jacob G. ’23 came out with more points and moved onto the semis.
Ava C. ’23 and Ella B. ’23 had a good warm-up, but then had to wait around for their first match. These girls were so fun to watch throughout the tournament. Always smiling and supporting each other after points for or against.
The semi-final match for Jacob G. ’23 was a tight one! He took the match to three games, but comfortably won the third game. Now we move over to the third venue of the tournament where Jacob G. ’23 was to play his Gold Medal Game. Jacob G. ’23 knew early in the tournament who he would have to face and he knew this guy was good! And yes, he was very good. The two athletes went head to head with many long and intense rallies. In the end, his opponent won and Jacob G. ’23 was exhausted. It was really fantastic to see Jacob G. ’23 have to extend himself and dig deep to play his best. It was a pleasure to watch and the opponent’s coach congratulated him on a well-played match. Jacob G. ’23 finished with a silver medal at Provincials!
It was a ton of fun hanging out with these athletes and I’m so proud of all of them for their excellent performance and true Spartan spirit. I also truly appreciated how Jacob G. ’23 was helping the other Spartans between games and providing them with excellent coaching points and team support.
I chose to stick around and watch the remainder of the games, High School Badminton at its best! Please congratulate the Spartans for winning the 2A Provincial Banner! I stuck around for over two hours to accept all of our hardware. These athletes deserved it. I take no credit for their excellence; I was purely logistical support and team spirit! It was a long tournament and I’m exhausted, but it was definitely worth it.
