The badminton season for Elmira District Secondary School was a short one, but it nevertheless yielded some renown for several players.
Though none of the teams moved on to the Waterloo County Secondary School Athletic Association (WCSSAA) finals on April 10, nor qualified for the provincial competitions, coach Marc Carlin says, the last games on April 7 (for juniors) and April 8 (for seniors) ended a good year for busy students.
“Overall, I think the season went well, given the other activities that compete for our EDSS students’ time after school,” Carlin said.
Last week’s final games did have silver lining for some of the Lancers who managed to make an impression fighting back against some tough competition in spite of earlier injuries.
EDSS seniors double team Adrian Gilles and Jordan Frey had three-match wins against three other schools this season.
“They are all around athletes that put a lot of focus into their badminton this season with very good results, they are both returning next year,” said Carlin.
Alex MacLean (senior boys’ singles) won three matches despite being hampered by a concussion injury that severely limited his training, Carlin said. “He did very well against tough opposition.”
Carlin hopes players will create stronger team relationships and become more comfortable in their roles.
“Next year I think I will establish the players in their specific event and make partners earlier in the season to maximize their practice time together.”
He’s also anticipating a strong showing from the juniors. At that level, two rookie players showed their mettle. Jaimee MacDonald and Maddie MacLean (doubles) had three wins this year showing skills which might make for a more favourable season in 2014-2015.
“Only in Grade 9, these girls will be returning next year as juniors and will be a force to reckon with,” said Carlin.
