The 2011 Yorkton Elementary Schools Sports Association (YESSA) badminton tournament was held Thursday night at the Gloria Hayden Community Centre and MC Knoll/St. Michael's gyms.
Over 100 matches were played out involving approximately 160 athletes.
They took part in something that both schools boards put forth a joint effort in order to co-host.
"This was certainly a showcase of talent for the GSSD (Good Spirit School Division and the CTTCS (Christ the Teacher Catholics School). Both school (boards) take pride in showcasing the talent of their students," insisted Mark Schendel, 2010-2011 YESSA vice president.
"We thank the Gloria Hayden Centre staff, too," he said.
This year's badminton finale included the Yorkton schools as well as St. Theodore and Saltcoats.Among the winners, which were determined around 7:30 p.m., Thursday, were St. Paul (Christina Mentanko and Taylor Malayney) who won in the girls doubles.
In boys' doubles, Turner Ottenbreit and Riley Kerr of MC Knoll knocked off Columbia School, while schoolmates Andrew Solonenka and Bailey Pelechat beat St. Paul's to win MC Knoll's second award of the day.
MC Knoll Knights mixed doubles team of Solonenka and Pelechat won their finals match by a little more, told Yorkton This Week that they did not expect to come out on top.
"I didn't expect to win it this year," Solonenka testified.
"I kinda thought we were going to lose," added his female teammate.
When asked what it was that made her change her mind, she started to sound like a little scientist about to reveal a big secret.
"We picked out their weakness," she said softly, adding that those weaknesses included a tendency to leave the middle part of the court wide open for attack.
It was their first gold medal in badminton for both teammates.
Ottenbreit and Kerr added to the MC Knoll collection of gold medals that night and told the paper that the calibre of play may have been even bigger then either of them had thought going into it.
"It was competitive for sure," reveals Ottenbreit. "There were some really good competitive, strong teams."
Ottenbreit and Kerr would hang on for a 21-17 win in their finals match over Columbia.
"Oh for sure," replied Ottenbreit when asked if he had fun with it, adding that Columbia got frustrated with them, he could sense. "It started to take off from there...," he continued.
MC Knoll had a "pretty good chance" going into the tournament he said.
The win was good redemption for the Knights, who lost in last year's semi-finals to Saltcoats, Ottenbreit recalled.
Both he and Kerr will be getting ready for basketball season in March.
In boys' singles, Haylen Langelier of Columbia School beat MC Knoll, while Morgan Sapara of MC Knoll won the girls' singles title with her efforts over St. Mary's.
"It was good," said Langelier over the telephone the following day from his school office. "He was really good," he said of his MC Knoll opponent. "It was a challenge to beat him."
Langelier told the media he played six matches between 4:30-7:30 p.m. He will next be seen on the motocross trails later in the year.
"We were really pleased with the turnout for the day," Schendel said the day after the dust had settled on the badminton courts that night, didn't actually leave the venue until after 8 p.m.
"We were (also) most pleased with the number of Gr. 7-8s that tried out for the team," he said of the turnout for badminton within MC Knoll.
"Fifty-one kids tried out," he claimed.
Sapara, a Gr. 8 student who won her finals match, said it "was really tough" but came out on top 23-21.She said "we were tied at 18-18 then I got skeptical".
