Over the December 12th and 13th weekend, the North Bay Badminton Team competed in the Elliot Lake Northern Ontario Badminton Association (NOBA) tournament. The tournament featured nearly 100 athletes from North Bay, Elliot Lake, Sudbury and Blind River. 18 athletes from the North Bay Badminton Team took part in the two-day competition. The North Bay team took home a grand total of 26 medals across U16 & U16 boys and girls singles, boys and girls doubles and mixed doubles, making North Bay the most successful group at the tournament.
Head coach, Kurt Tempelmans Plat was very impressed with the improvement of the team in the short month and a half since the Sudbury NOBA competition in October.
"This was a very impressive weekend for my team, not only in terms of medal count but in terms of individual performances as well,” said Tempelmans Plat.
“All of my athletes have seen growth, small or large since the first tournament this year, and it was incredible to see such development in such little time. Plain and simple, I believe that the training program that our team has developed is really paying off and our athletes are very determined to continuously raise the bar."
The athletes have seen a great improvement, not only in the last few months but also in the last few years since the team's inception.
Tempelmans Plat says that only 6 players from the North Bay team competed in the Elliot Lake competition two years ago, taking home 6 medals in the B & C divisions whereas almost every medal from this year's 24 count was from either A or B division. In addition to a great overall tournament, one of the team's players, Ellen Perry, earned the "triple crown" at the tournament. A triple crown is a term used to recognize an athlete that earned a gold medal in the A division of singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Perry took home the U19 girls singles gold, the U19 girls doubles gold (with partner Tess Hausenblas of Elliot Lake), and the U19 girls doubles mixed gold (with partner Caleb Parfitt of Widdifield Secondary School). Perry was pleased with the tournament and was glad to put her skills from practice into action for competition.
"Winning the triple crown means that the hard work and practice paid off, but that doesn't mean that I can just stop there, I have to continue to improve and give my all in the sport,” said Perry.
"I'm hoping to see North Bay players, myself included, to compete at a high level and have fun,” said Perry when asked about the expectations for the team.
The North Bay Badminton Team will be headed to a Provincial Jr B tournament in Port Hope in January, and competing in the NOBA Championships in Sudbury in February.
Elliot Lake NOBA Results:
U16 Girls' Singles
Jazlyn McGuinty - 7A
U16 Girls' Doubles
Jazlyn McGuinty/partner - 2B
U16 Boys' Singles
Tyson Periard - 1A
Nick Babich - 2A
Dillon Laberge - 4A
Isaac Gutierrez - 7A
Jared Gagné - 2B
Brady Fougère - 3B
Yanik Olivier - 3C
U16 Boys' Doubles
Dillon Laberge/Brady Fougère - 1A
Isaac Gutierrez/Yanik Olivier - 2A
Jared Gagné/Connor Coutu (Sudbury) - 4A
U16 Mixed Doubles
Tyson Periard/Jazlyn McGuinty - 1A
Isaac Gutierrez/partner - 3B
Yanik Olivier/partner - 5B
U19 Girls' Singles
Ellen Perry - 1A
Marina Sinicrope - 3A
Jewel Ng - 5A
Mai Lee Edwards - 2B
Sam Derosier - 3B
U19 Girls' Doubles
Ellen Perry/Tess Hausenblas (Elliot Lake) - 1A
Marina Sinicrope/Jewel Ng - 2A
Mai Lee Edwards/Sam Derosier - 3A
U19 Boys' Singles
Gab Pharand - 4A
Adam Wallace - 1B
Elijah Everest - 3B
Noah Goulet - 5B
Cameron Cole - 3C
U19 Boys' Doubles
Elijah Everest/Caleb Parfitt (Widdifield SS) - 4A
Gab Pharand/Nick Babich - 5A
Adam Wallace/Tyson Periard - 1B
Noah Goulet/partner - 2C
U19 Mixed Doubles
Ellen Perry/Caleb Parfitt - 1A
Jewel Ng/Gab Pharand - 2A
Adam Wallace/Tess Hausenblas - 3A
Nick Babich/Marina Sinicrope - 5A
Noah Goulet/Sam Derosier - 7A
Mai Lee Edwards/Dillon Laberge - 3C
