Action packed counties

Justin Seward

Times Reporter

 

The Holy Cross Collegiate Hawks badminton teams played some very entertaining matches at counties hosted by them and Strathmore High School (SHS) on April 22.
Head coach Daniel Patterson saw some impressive badminton from both levels.
“At junior high level, I think counties is a great learning experience for many of the Grade 7 players as this was their first time playing at this level. Many of the Grade 8’s were very surprised at their success and enjoyed playing against new players and having fun,” said Patterson. “Considering we did not have many Grade 9 teams this season, the fact that 50 per cent of them played in the zones tournament (May 2) is a great plus, including an awesome come-from-behind victory for our boy’s doubles. We only participated in three categories (boy’s singles, boy’s doubles and mixed doubles) and won gold in two of them.”
The senior high teams faced much stiffer competition and were able to beat all the odds.
“We knew we had some stiff competition coming from an experienced and well-coached team from SHS,” said Patterson. “With our short practice schedule we managed to send four teams to zones. Though they did not win at zones, there were some milestones reached for our players, and hopefully they can use that experience as motivation for next season.”
He emphasized from the first practice with the younger group that he wanted to work on the basics of the game. Since then the team has improved a lot in all areas.
“We wanted to work on the basics in these grades so the players can take them and improve on them for the next season,” said Patterson. “Things such as serving, drops, clears and smashes became more consistent as the season concluded.”
The senior level showed more consistency in their games.
“Players were not afraid of making shots, that in previous years, (they) would not have tried at all. This allowed them to play a match with more strategy and improved their mental game as well,” said Patterson. “When you’re not worried about missing a shot, and just go out and do it, it really invokes a positive attitude and confidence that will improve their game.”