Last year's boys’ doubles player Caleb Schmidt who won OFSAA bronze is playing in boys’ singles in his last year of high school badminton for the Red Hawks. Although the seniors won't have a home tournament the juniors will host the Kawartha Championship on Thursday April 21. Games start close to 10 a.m. but are subject to change./DARREN LUM Staff By Darren Lum
Published April 12 2016
The past few weeks the Red Hawks have been busy working towards continuing the winning tradition of the perennially strong badminton program.
Senior coach Bob Schmidt who was last year’s junior coach is confident about the team’s chances to win a Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics championship team title.
“Obviously it comes down to players playing individually or in a pair to do well but I think we have a shot. We have some decent teams. Yeah our mixed doubles should do well. Our boys’ doubles should do well. Both possibly. The senior boys’ singles [should do well]” he said. “We probably have two or three teams that have a shot at OFSAA.”
Last year’s bronze medal winning doubles player Caleb Schmidt is moving this year to singles since doubles partner Curtis Ballantyne graduated. Schmidt and Noah Dollo are the boys’ singles players on the senior squad.
Schmidt said the Grade 11s are realistic about their goals at the senior level.
“They know maybe they don’t have a shot at OFSAA this year but if they can get to COSSA that’s a goal for them and maybe there is a shot somewhere for OFSAA” he said.
This includes the girls’ doubles team of Jamie Little and Kenndal Marsden who won gold as juniors at COSSA last year.
They were part of a team that won the COSSA team title in Brighton for the third straight year.
The seniors also have boys’ doubles team of Jaydon Wood and Ben Schmidt girls’ doubles team Brynn Meyers and Tori Hawley mixed doubles team of Hannah Klose and Dylan Smith who finished fourth at COSSA as juniors last year and Jacob Bishop and Madeline Hopkins boys’ doubles team of Andrew Hall and Mat Wilbee.
Schmidt said he and last year’s senior coach Jason Morissette made the switch of teams because he wanted to coach his sons Ben and Caleb.
Although the seniors will not be hosting any events this year the juniors with 16 players (before the Kawartha qualifier) will be welcoming competitors when it hosts the Kawartha Championship on Thursday April 21. Games are scheduled to start close to 10 a.m. Schedule is subject to change.
