It was a tough weekend for the R.F. Staples badminton team at the provincial tournament May 2-3 in Lethbridge.
The school sent three athletes to the event — Honey Tkachyk in Senior Girls Singles, and Emily Clark and Kaitlyn Comeau in Junior Girls Doubles — but were unable to record a single victory.
“The girls had a really hard time there,” said coach Jon Radke.
Tkachyk played four matches during the tournament, starting off with a qualifier to place her in the proper pool. Clark and Comeau only played three matches during the tournament.
“They did their best, but I think it’s a little bit of an eye-opener in terms of the talent level that’s at provincials,” Radke said.
He added the girls had the talent to pull out a few wins, but it seemed their nerves might have got the better of them.
“I know they could have played better,” he said. “I have seen them play better when they weren’t maybe under as much pressure.”
Clark and Comeau played their opponents tough in their final match, Radke said, but it was a series of missed serves that ultimately doomed them.
“We definitely could have had them on a different day.”
Despite the results, Radke said the girls should be proud to have advanced out of zones.
“I’m proud of them for at least being able to go to provincials,” he said. “Even if you don’t win at provincials, it’s always something to brag about afterwards.”
Attending provincials is something other people will recognize going forward, he added, as it takes a certain level of play to qualify.
Tkachyk’s high-school badminton career is over, as she’s graduating in June. But Clark and Comeau are in Grade 10 and have two years left to play, if they choose to return.
Radke said he hopes they’ll come back as a team next year to build on the work and results they had this season.
