Team BC-1
Wenjun Ouyang (Ace Badminton Centre)
Nik Cruz (Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club)
Victor Huang (ClearOne Badminton Centre)
Annie Chow (Ace Badminton Centre)
Stephenie Ho (Ace Badminton Centre)
Valeena van Heukelom (Vancouver Racquets Club)
Konrad Van Heukelom (Vancouver Racquets Club)
Daryl Yang (Shuttlesport Badminton Academy)
Jonah Lee (Vancouver Racquets Club)
Yoko Ujike (ClearOne Badminton Centre)
Michelle Yeung (Ace Badminton Centre)
Sarah Chan (Shuttlesport Badminton Academy)
Coaches:
Morgan Van Heukelom (Vancouver Racquets Club)
James Ho (Ace Badminton Centre)
Team BC-2
Nathaniel Franco (Clearone Badminton Centre)
Mandinu De Silva (Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club)
Nestor Lin (ClearOne Badminton Centre)
Stella Seo (Hollyburn Country Club)
Jacqueline Fei (Ace Badminton Club)
Juliet Emlyn (Hollyburn Country Club)
Steven Lu (ClearOne Badminton Centre)
Clarence Liu (Shuttlesport Badminton Academy)
Dannison Liao (Ace Badminton Centre)
Jessica Yuen (RichmondPro Badminton Centre)
Ina Huang (Shuttlesport Badminton Academy)
Rachelle Yau (Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club)
Coaches:
Lisa Davison (Shuttlesport North Central Badminton Academy)
Hossein Fargahdani
The tournament, which will see BC’s two teams pitted against U15 and U17 teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, will be held at the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver this weekend. Spectators are expected to pack in the stands at the exclusive venue to watch Western Canada’s best young athletes smash their way to victory in what will prove to me an emotionally charged weekend. When not practicing or playing, much of the athletes’ downtime will be spent cheering their teammates on from the sidelines.
Lisa Davison, President of Badminton BC, is returning to coach Team BC after her last stint at the helm in 2009. “I am looking forward to working with a new group of excited and energetic athletes at the Western Canadian Team Championships,” says Davison. “This tournament has always been a special event for our province’s young badminton players, and they take the outcome of this competition quite seriously.”
Last year’s Western Canadian Team Championships in Calgary saw a close competition between British Columbia and Alberta that eventually ended in a silver medal for BC. This year, however, the BC Teams are looking to reverse that result and take gold in front of the home crowd.
Provincial rivalries aside, the tournament promises to be a fun experience for all the athletes. “Badminton BC is excited to play host to our neighbouring provinces for the Western Canadian Team Championships,” says Penny Gardner, Executive Director of Badminton BC. “The team event format really brings the athletes together in a unique team experience similar to what they will see further along the high performance pathway.”
Spectators are welcome to watch the matches, which are expected to begin at 2:00pm on Friday, January 9. For more information and updates on the tournament schedule, click here.