Lyndie Beardy and Eugene Kakewash of Grand Rapids Badminton Club won the coveted triple crown for the under-17 division at the first-ever Yonex Norman Open badminton tournament, hosted by Badminton Manitoba at Thompson’s R.D. Parker Collegiate Feb. 21-22.
The first Norman Open is part of Badminton Manitoba’s Rural Super Series, which now includes the Eastman Open, the Norman Open and the Interlake Open. Locally, the tournament was supported by Thompson KFC, which provided a boxed lunch for all participants and volunteers, and Days Inn Thompson who lowered their nightly fee to make it more accommodating for out-of-towners.
Beardy and Kakewash are a part of a thriving and extremely enthusiastic badminton club at Grand Rapids School. Head coach Charles Lahaie is a teacher at the school and says that kids are playing noon hour and after school every day of the week. Lahaie has been rewarding his enthusiastic athletes by taking them to club tournaments around Manitoba including the Yonex Eastman Open Jan. 30-Feb. 1 in Steinbach, this tournament and the upcoming Pal Chawla Manitoba Junior Open in Winnipeg March 19-22.
It just so happens that when you’ve got such a supportive teacher that a few athletes will come out on top. Beardy and Kakewash both compete in the U17 age division and have taken home hardware at both the Eastman Open and Norman Open. These two have been doing so well and the Grand Rapids School Badminton Club has been so active that the hosting committee for the Junior & U23 National Badminton Championships, which will be held in Winnipeg April 27-May 2, has decided to pay the entry fee for the pair to take part in the national championships.
“It’s extremely humbling and refreshing to see what coaches and chaperones, especially Charles Lahaie, are doing for the kids at Grand Rapids School,” said Ryan Giesbrecht, executive director of Badminton Manitoba. “It’s exciting to see the kids gain confidence with every tournament they enter.”
Grand Rapids had 26 junior athletes at the Norman Open while God’s Lake was represented by 16 athletes and will likely be bringing a team to Winnipeg in April for Badminton Manitoba’s Grade 7/8 school team championships. Also competing at the Norman Open were players from Thompson, Brandon, Winnipeg, Lac du Bonnet and Steinbach.
Thompson’s Arsalan Khawar was the tournament chair, with chief referee Janet Harrison, deputy referee Marj Niemi and umpires Ryan Giesbrecht and Rose Negrych officiating.
