OVER THE NET..
Bracebridge badminton player Adam Ager, 16, plays for the Georgian Bay District Badminton Association in a game against the Northern Ontario Badminton Association during the Ontario Winter Games on March 6. Badminton was held at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School.
Photo by Karen Longwell
ONTARIO WINTER GAMES
MUSKOKA — Despite some great play and tremendous effort, the Georgian Bay District Badminton Association (GBDBA) team did not perform as well as they had hoped during the Ontario Winter Games this past weekend.
Competing against six other teams from across the province, the team played 68 matches at Bracebridge Sportsplex. They won 15 matches and ended up in seventh place, confirmed head coach David Wesley.
Team member McLean Brownlee, 18, said spirits lifted briefly Saturday when the GBDBA girls won a doubles match.
The team comprised mainly players from the Muskoka and Barrie areas, said Brownlee, including five girls and five boys, plus one additional female and male alternate.
Though gold, silver or bronze was out of the cards for them this weekend the experience itself was still priceless, he said.
“It was a blast,” said Brownlee. “There was a ton of cheering going on and people were blowing horns, which you don’t normally see in a local badminton game.”
The GBDBA team stayed with other teams at Muskoka Woods in Rosseau, an experience that afforded them the opportunity to network and form friendships with players from across the province, he added.
Of the competition, Brownlee said GBDBA players had been optimistic.
“On Friday, we started really good, were well rested and full of energy,” said Brownlee. “By Sunday we were sore and stiff.”
The Friday matches were held between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., he said.
On Sunday, the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place teams faced off, but unfortunately, GBDBA finished in last place, accruing just 12 points throughout Friday and Saturday.
East Toronto District Badminton Association (TDBA) took gold with 47 points. The team played the gold medal match against the Western Ontario Badminton Association (WOBA) team.
WOBA took silver and the Ottawa District Badminton Association (ODBA) team took bronze.
“They were great games,” said Brownlee.