It will be girls’ day out for the Muskies at the NorWOSSA badminton championships being held today in Kenora.
Three female doubles teams and one singles entrant compose the Fort High contingent which will try to finish in the top two of their respective divisions to advance to the NWOSSAA showdown next Wednesday in Thunder Bay.
The Muskies will be well-represented in senior girls’ doubles action, with the pairings of Simone and Natalie Desjardins, along with Jen Lawson and Sarah Paterson, both making the trip to Kenora.
“I think we’ve done really well this season, even with both of us working and not getting as much practice time as we would like,” Lawson said at practice Monday afternoon about herself and Paterson, who will be looking to better their performance of last year which saw them come within a point of advancing to the all-Ontarios.
“It will be a big disappointment if we don’t get past NorWOSSA. If we got that far last year, we certainly feel that we should be there again this year.
“I know from experience that Kenora will be tougher than what Atikokan and Rainy River were [at the NorWOSSA qualifier last week in Atikokan],” added Lawson.
“It’s going to be a challenge, especially against [St. Thomas Aquinas].”
Lawson also has assumed some of the coaching duties from regular senior coach Manami Alexander and junior coach Brian Church—a move the players under her tutelage say they have benefited from.
“Jen’s been great at helping us make adjustments during practice,” said senior singles player Tracy Treflin, who also is in Kenora today after going undefeated at last Wednesday’s qualifier in Atikokan.
“She lets us work and learn at our own pace.”
The junior doubles team of Jacqie Hart and Kayla Shine, who finished second at the qualifier in Atikokan to punch their ticket to Kenora, agreed.
“Jen’s been an excellent coach and has helped get the most out of us,” said Hart, who battled through a bout of tendinitis in her forearm that she acquired during last week’s qualifier.
“We know we can be better than we were in Atikokan because having Jacqie’s arm being hurt didn’t help us play our best,” added Shine.
Lawson likes how the younger duo has come along as the season progressed. “They’ve improved so much on their smashes and their rotation has come along a little better, as well,” she noted.
Meanwhile, unfortunate circumstances came into play for the Muskie junior mixed doubles team of Megan Darvell and Roland Roy, who were unsuccessful in their bid to reach the NorWOSSA playoffs.
When Darvell’s regular playing partner, Mathew Danielson, was switched to boys’ doubles for the qualifier, Darvell was paired up with Roy at the last minute.
“We probably only had two hours of practice the day before the qualifier to learn about each other’s tendencies on the court, and that was it,” said Darvell.
“But we did win one game at the qualifier, at least, and the other games were close,” she noted.
One representative in each division will advance from next week’s NWOSSAA final in Thunder Bay to the all-Ontarios slated May 1-3 in Milton.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
