Bedi’s ‘old-fashioned’ singles title leads Huskies to TVRA junior badminton championship

The Huron Park Huskies junior badminton team made it a senior/junior TVRA South East sweep Tuesday, April 22nd at St. Thomas Parkside. Pictured are co-coach Sara Tomlinson, Aislyn Geerts, Ava Radue, Fyfer MacDonald, Charles Thompson and co-coach Karen Lam. (Jeff Tribe photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

Woodstock Huron Park’s Navjet Bedi earned his Thames Valley Regional Athletics junior boys’ badminton singles title the old-fashioned way.

He put in the hard work.

Last year in Grade 9, Bedi did not qualify for the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA) draw. Turning his disappointment into determination, Bedi looked to up his game by joining the Woodstock Badminton Club.

“Those guys are great,” he said of early experience that featured him losing a lot. But by persevering and competing for at least two hours every other day, he progressed toward balanced 50/50 results.

“And now I've started to win a lot.”

Bedi did just that at the TVRA South East championship draw Tuesday, April 22 at St. Thomas Parkside, capturing the boys’ singles title with a perfect 4-0 record. The result gave him the top TVRA South East seed heading into a WOSSAA draw also expected to feature ‘great’ players including Huskies teammate Liam Fallowfield. The latter lost his first match before battling back with consecutive victories to earn a fourth-place finish and the final available regional berth. Bedi will rely on experience and his smash at WOSSAA, as well as strategically figuring out his opponents’ differing approaches, striving to break down their game.

“I think that’s the fun part.”

Woodstock CI’s Lily Melanson and Greydon Brewer captured the other Oxford-based gold medal, defeating Central Elgin’s Zoe Klassen and Keal Theil in a lengthy three-game final. The WCI Red Devils pairing dropped an extended game two in a 30-28 marathon, rebounding for a 21-18 win in the third.

“Mental, all mental,” said Brewer of their ability to rebound from a tough loss. “Believe in each other, know what we do and keep our heads up.”

The tandem went to WOSSAA last year and ‘got smoked’ admitted Brewer, who along with Melanson is looking to carry the momentum from winning the TVRA South East draw forward to better results.

“We’re going to keep it on our side and do the best we can,” she summed up.

Melanson and Brewers’ 4-0 run to the title included a victory over Woodstock College Avenue (CASS) Knights Owen Procenko and Emily Pye, who had prevailed the previous week during TVRA East competition.

“We definitely could have done better in the last set,” said Procenko.

Starting with two wins at TVRA South East finals, they dropped their third match to Brewer and Melanson before exiting against Klassen and Theil. Finishing third, the Knights duo will be looking for both redemption and a Knights’ coaching staff’s incentive program involving honey-dipped and powdered, filled confections.

“I want those Timbits,” Pye concluded with a smile.

Pye and Procenko qualified for semi-finals with a win over WCI’s Dezmond McCarthy and Eliot McCarthy who in finishing fourth, also qualified for WOSSAA.

Ingersoll DCI’s Bryer Fleming and Hannah Law chronologically kicked off a series of ‘friendly fire’ matches, in which there was but one unfortunate WOSSAA casualty. Facing each other with third and fourth on the line, both knew they had already qualified for the regional draw, a primary goal at the TVRA South East event.

“It’s exciting to watch,” said IDCI co-coach Hillary Poyntz of a ‘very friendly’ rivalry which regularly hits the court during Blue Bombers practice. “They have fun playing each other, so it's fun to watch.”

“It didn’t matter,” said Fleming, who hung around after losing to cheer her Blue Bombers teammate on during her next match. Ultimately finishing third and fourth, both advanced, still very much as friends.

“I like it,” said Law, who appreciates the competitive boost their friendly competition provides. “In practice we both make each other better.”

Huron Park’s Charles Thompson and Fyfer MacDonald opened with two straight match victories before dropping their third against Parkside’s Damon Fish and Ty Titchner. Under the draw’s double knockout format, they then faced Huskies teammates Grayden McRoberts and Connor Harper for the right for a rematch against the eventual champions from the host school.

“I think it was the highlight,” said Thompson of the all-Huron Park semi-final.

“We’ve played them so many times it’s kind of a fun thing,” agreed Harper.

A Thompson/MacDonald win elevated them into second, Harper and McRoberts third, all four heading onward.

“We’re doing our best to get first,” said Thompson.

“Same,” echoed MacDonald. “Always trying to get first.”

“Just do well in WOSSAA,” McRoberts summed up.

“And see how far we can go with that competition,” Harper concluded.

Combined results, 10, seven, five, three and one points for finishes first through fifth respectively, earned Huron Park the TVRA South East team title by a narrow margin over Parkside. The junior title completed a sweep for Huron Park, the senior team having locked up their title the week previous.

“Everyone was ready to play and have fun,” said Huskies co-coach Karen Lam.

“Big day, big day,” added co-coach Sara Tomlinson with a smile, noting team members are very supportive of each other, while also pushing each other. “Which is good, that’s how you get better.”

The Red Devils were also in the mix for the team title, recording second, third and fourth place finishes in girls’ doubles.

“Another strong showing,” said coach Jeff Melanson. “And everyone had fun.”

The charge was led by Avery Molinaro and Jillian Trepanier, finishing second with a 3-1 record that included a semi-final win over teammates Emma Holm and Ivy Caskanette.

“We hope to do well, but there are very strong teams at WOSSAA,” said Molinaro.

“Just hang in there and see how it goes,” added Trepanier.

Caskanette and Holm advanced to the semis by defeating WCI’s Eden Fraser and Lilli Taylor, finishing third and fourth respectively. Due to the fact only two individuals or teams from one school can advance to WOSSAA, the former qualified, the final berth and fourth seed shifting to fifth-placed Ellie Doyle and Claire Crow.