The provincial streak is alive after a banner performance from the Edison Eagles.
Edison’s four-player contingent combined to earn the school its 10th consecutive Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association 1A Badminton Championship from the provincial finals, May 6-7 in Medicine Hat.
“Playing as a team and trying to win a banner was definitely a lot easier than playing on your own because you feel like you have people behind you instead of just playing an individual sport where you’re playing for yourself,” said Edison Grade 12 student Mattia Malmqvist-Lund. “It was good having people there for that support.
“It does make you feel fulfilled because you see all the banners on the wall and then if you don’t end up winning one it’s kind of difficult because you’re supposed to keep on winning it.
“It just feels good.”
Malmqvist-Lund advanced to the playoff round in intermediate singles, ultimately bowing out in the quarterfinal.
“It was kind of tough luck because of where we ended up in the draw,” she said. “So it was hard that way, but overall a great experience.”
Malmqvist-Lund said she wasn’t fully ready for anything entering the season, but was able to rise to the challenge of tournaments, divisions and zone qualifiers after a two-year wait to get a provincial opportunity.
High school badminton, a spring sport, was sidelined for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
“I would have been able to go the last two years but the pandemic closed it all,” Malmqvist-Lund said. “So finally getting the opportunity to go it was like, ‘Yes, I managed to do this before I graduate.’”
Grade 11 Xander Zwanepoel played up a year in the senior boys singles division and was happy to see provincial badminton back on the menu after a couple of lost seasons.
“Being back at badminton is always nice,” Zwanepoel said.
“I was just happy to go play and there were a lot of familiar faces from other schools so that was nice.
“It was definitely a lot more comfortable, I played a lot more back (in junior high) too so the experience was a little more usual to me and that probably made this year that much better just because it was back to that old routine.”
Edison’s Grade 11 boys doubles team, which featured Anupam Sahoo and Josh Stadynk, made it to the quarterfinal round before a tough draw saw them meet the eventual gold medallists.
“It was tough competition all around,” Stadnyk said. “We are a 1A school so I guess we are considered the underdogs. Looking at the draws and what happened after, we were really the only team that put up a close fight against the gold medal team.
“In that way we were a little unlucky to play them first.”
The Eagles intermediate boys partnership showcased the importance of cohesion and positive attitudes at provincials.
“When we lose points we’re not hard on each other,” said Sahoo. “We try to get each other back up, we’ve got good chemistry, we know what the other person is doing and that’s why we got so far.”
Edison badminton coach Greg Bury said the athletes managed to make the most out of the season given its hiatus and the challenges that have ensued.
“It was a bit of a weird one with how everything has played out the last couple of years,” said Bury. “A lot of the kids that were doing more badminton programs weren’t doing as much as they normally have been so the program is a little smaller.
“But these kids came out, showed up at zones and did well and got themselves to provincials.”
