Muskies snare top eight finish at OFSAA

Evaluating one’s own success comes down to the height of one’s expectations.
“No one we knew thought we’d make it that far,” said Natalie Desjardins, who teamed with older sister, Simone, to make a stirring run to the quarter-final round in girls’ doubles action at the all-Ontario badminton championships in Milton last week.
The Muskie duo has stared down the odds all season, starting with the fact they were thrown together at the last minute after Natalie’s planned mixed doubles partner, Jason Pattison, broke his wrist just before the high school season began while competing in a Fort Frances Badminton Club tourney.
Throw into the mix that Simone had made her mark in singles’ play last year, going to the all-Ontarios where she finished third in the ‘C’ division, as well as that Simone (Grade 10) and Natalie (Grade 9) both were junior-aged players facing senior competition, and it makes their feat all the more compelling.
“The girls played really well, and the experience the girls got from this will be important for next year,” said Muskie senior coach Manami Alexander.
“Their performance this year means that they will be one of the seeded teams next year if they make all-Ontarios again,” she added.
The Desjardins had gone undefeated through the NorWOSSA exhibition and qualifying tournaments, as well as at the NorWOSSA finals and then the NWOSSAA championships—losing just one out of 43 games played over that stretch.
And they remained unscathed in their first two matches at Milton last Thursday, first with a thrashing against Lynne Flegel and Brooke Gardhouse (Barrie Central High School) by scores of 15-3/15-3.
“We were expecting a little more of a challenge from them,” said Simone. “But we beat them really easily, even though they were a bit older than us.”
Then in their next outing, the Desjardins ousted Alex Harden and Kiera O’Shea of Ashbury College (Ottawa) in another two-game sweep, this time by scores of 15-12 and 15-5.
“I have a feeling the other team was more interested in losing and moving down to the ‘B’ division so they wouldn’t have to face the top teams,” guessed Natalie.
“The first game was pretty intense, with lots of long rallies and the two teams looking like they were on the same level,” added Alexander.
“But after the first game, Simone and Natalie realized they had some weaknesses on [their opposition’s] backhand and down low, and that if they kept hitting it back to them, the other team was going to be the first to make mistakes,” she added.
The victory earned the Muskies a date Friday morning with the province’s No. 2-ranked team of Jennifer and Lorraine Lepere of St. Paul’s High School (Toronto), who eventually went on to win the silver medal.
The St. Paul’s sisters used their speed and experience to overpower the Desjardins in two-straight games by scores of 15-2 and 15-6.
“They found our weaknesses really easily,” said Simone. “They were really fast, and you had to keep the bird down at all times.”
That loss meant dropping into the ‘A’ division double-elimination pool, where the Desjardins had to then win four-consecutive matches to reach the medal podium.
They received some outside assistance for their next match Friday afternoon against the No. 3-ranked team of Bonnie Lam and Janica Chan from Riverdale Collegiate Institute (Toronto).
“We watched [Amanda and Jody Carruthers of Lorne Park Secondary School in Mississauga] beat Lam and Chan in the quarter-finals, and [the Carruthers] gave us some tips after the match on how to beat them,” said Simone.
The pointers almost paid off, as the Desjardins pushed Lam and Chan to the limit before falling 17-16 in the first game. The favourites responded to the challenge, though, and handed the Muskies a 15-1 loss in the second to end their tournament.
“They had much more experience than us, and they came out much more aggressive in the second game,” recounted Simone.
In practice earlier last week, the Desjardins had expressed a desire for a change of pace next season, with Simone wanting to return to singles’ play while Natalie hoped to rejoin Pattison for mixed doubles.
But while Simone has adopted a wait-and-see mentality when it comes to the sister act delivering an encore performance next year, Natalie’s enthusiasm of a return engagement was heightened after last week’s remarkable run.
“For me, coming back as a team is much more of a consideration after what we managed to do,” she remarked. “Next year, half of the girls that were at all-Ontarios this time will be [graduated], and that will definitely give us a better chance to do well.”