Five Barrhead badminton players will be heading off to Grimshaw May 4-5 after qualifying for the provincial tournament at the Zone meet April 24 at Barrhead Composite High School.
Tim Tuininga and Connor Tiemstra in senior boys’ doubles, Jaclyn Fischer and Joel Johnson in senior mixed doubles, and Haley Gottschalk in senior girls’ singles all won their events to book a spot at provincials this weekend.
On top of those results, coach Kyle Becker also said the school’s overall results – seven total medals – allowed BCHS to claim the 3A banner for the North Central Zone.
“As far as us winning the banner, we as an athletics program and a school are very proud of our student athletes for their accomplishments,” Becker said. “It just shows how strong our kids are as far as athletics is concerned.”
In addition to the efforts of the five students heading to provincials, the school won the banner on the strength of Justin Koch and Nate Meinema (silver, intermediate boys doubles), Brandon Whiting (bronze, senior boys singles), Hannah Schuring and Stephanie Leonard (silver, junior girls doubles) and Brett Bujold and Niko Koberstein (silver, junior boys doubles).
Becker said he’s sure the students look at their medals as both personal and school-wide successes.
“I think the students here at BCHS take a lot of pride in winning the banners and enjoy seeing them hanging from our walls,” he said.
Of course, the school on the whole is also supportive of all the students do on the court and in the classroom, Becker added.
“Our school is just very happy that we can offer great opportunities for our kids, and we hope that we are helping them build future skills and fond memories,” he said.
In all, close to 120 students flocked to Barrhead for the zone championship, which covered the 1A, 2A and 3A divisions. Students came from such places at Westlock, Athabasca and Grassland, all to compete for a coveted spot at the provincial tournament.
