The Muskies badminton team got some unexpected good news Monday ahead of the all-Ontario championships being held tomorrow through Saturday in Timmins.
Akira Kikkawa, who had finished third in the senior boys’ singles event at the NWOSSAA showdown last month in Thunder Bay, now will be joining teammate Natalie Desjardins in Timmins after the second-place qualifier withdrew late last week.
The unexpected opportunity is a just reward for the Japanese exchange student who battled through painful cramps in his calf to win the three-way tiebreaker for third place at NWOSSAA.
Muskie badminton coach Manami Alexander was delighted by the news Kikkawa would be competing at the provincials.
“I thought he was going to give up on the playoffs [at NWOSSAA] because he couldn’t go to OFSAA anyway in third place, but he kept playing,” Alexander said. “Now he’s got the ticket to OFSAA so it’s great that he kept going even with his injury.”
Alexander has high hopes for both her athletes at the all-Ontarios, but she also knows they’ll have to bring their best games if they hope to capture a medal in Timmins.
“The competition at OFSAA badminton is very hard because the people from Toronto have really good clubs for badminton and they practice seven days a week sometimes,” she noted.
“If we could get a medal at any level, it’ll be great to bring home.”
The Muskies’ best chance at winning a medal rests with Desjardins, who’ll be making her third appearance at the all-Ontarios.
Although she went undefeated this season en route to NWOSSAA gold in the senior girls’ singles division, Desjardins knows she’ll be facing much tougher competition in Timmins.
She hopes the experience she’s gained at OFSAA in years past will help her reach her goal of winning a medal this time around.
“It [OFSAA] is way more competitive than NWOSSAA and knowing that helps you to train harder,” Desjardins said of what she’s learned competing at the provincial level previously.
Alexander believes the strength of Desjardins’ game lies in playing the bird above her head. In addition to having an extremely powerful overhand smash, Desjardins also sports an impressive array of drop shots.
As such, her opponents cannot anticipate any particular shot and often are a little late in reacting.
“Usually if she gets a shot over her head, she can kill the shot,” Alexander said.
Kikkawa, meanwhile, will need to have a near flawless tournament if he’s to capture a medal in the ultra-competitive senior boys’ singles event. Alexander said he is at his best placing the bird in the corners of the court—forcing his opponents to run from sideline to sideline.
Once he has his opponents running, Kikkawa can make use of either his deceiving drop shot or powerful overhand to win the point.
For his part, Kikkawa is just happy to have the opportunity to compete at the next level.
“I want to have fun,” he remarked. “If I can win a medal that’s better, but I just want to play badminton.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
