With the bulk of winter sports now winding down and soccer season still a few weeks away, there appears to be a bit of a window of opportunity for some athletic activities that might not be quite as high profile to garner a little extra attention.

With more than 800 entries split between the junior and senior divisions – yes, athletes can compete in multiple divisions – and some 24 schools from across the north taking part, the Sudbury Badminton Invitational hosted on the weekend at both St Benedict CSS and ES Macdonald-Cartier appears to have filled a shoulder season void.

Hard to argue with the trend here.

Organizer Troy Brushett offered just a seniors bracket last year in his first post-Covid crack at the tournament, attracting 321 entries, a number that jumped to 392 this time around (along with 419 juniors in the initial 2024 offering).

The field is a true cross-section of a relatively small group of high-schoolers who pursue the sport in both a scholastic and club environment, combined with a whole slew of very athletic kids who simply have the time to give it a shot between other interests.

Lillian Li of Lo-Ellen definitely falls into the former category.

The 15 year old grade ten student earned gold in both Girls Singles and Girls Doubles play (along with partner Manu Patil) and combined with cross-country runner Nolan Kuhlberg to garner bronze in the Mixed Doubles event.

“Doubles and mixed doubles are really fun because I haven’t had a set partner – but I do now,” said the teen who first picked up a racquet some five years ago at the urging of her father. “I started off in singles and am probably stronger in singles.”

As is the case for many badminton competitions, athletes are allowed to take part in all three facets of play, with Li and countless others taking full advantage to experience a little more court time over the course of the two-day gathering.

“It is a small adjustment because you have to keep in mind that you do have a partner and you have to help each other out,” said Li.

With an eye on advancing to OFSAA this year, Li has bolstered her training regimen with regular journeys to North Bay, joining forces with Kurt Tempelmans Plat and company – in addition to targeting a very specific area of potential improvement locally.

“More stamina,” she stressed. “I need to be able to run and catch up with the birds before they hit the ground. I need to work on that a lot. So far, I’ve just been trying to play more – but every now and then, I am trying to do thirty minute runs. I’ve got to try and keep on that; I’m not doing really well at that.”

That, of course, is not an issue whatsoever for Kuhlberg, a regular with both the Knights' cross-country and track & field contingent that dominates the north. That said, there is a special enjoyment that comes from seeing the other side of that coin.

“Her skill is crazy to watch,” noted Kuhlberg of his mixed partner. “She’s in grade 10 and dominating the senior tournaments. It’s been awesome to play with someone that good and learn from her, how she does certain things at such a high level.”

Really showing an interest in badminton only since grade 10, Kuhlberg acknowledged that there is an non-physical element of the game that very much draws him in, especially in singles play.

“It’s very strategic,” he said. “The deception that comes with having the skill to hit different shots and your opponent not knowing what you are doing – I kind of like that aspect of it.”

Another youngster who eased his way into badminton largely in the doubles game, Lockerby Composite junior Thomas Berardelli tackled singles play for the very first time, ceding way only to three-division champion Noah Fortin from Rivière-des-Francais in Noelveille.

Also a member of the Vikings junior boys team which claimed a SDSSAA banner in volleyball, Berardelli has grown fond of the court sport as well.

"A big part of badminton is having the ability to see the court, knowing where you can drop the bird, knowing the right play to make at certain times," he said.

Yet despite his success in his solo debut, Berardelli is leaning towards tackling the city tournament with partner Dax Rolston, the tandem having finished second in SDSSAA Novice Boys play last year but following that up with a gold medal performance at NOSSA.

"After we came in second at cities last year, I thought we were going to get killed at NOSSA," admitted Berardelli. But we just kept winning. This year, we would like to take city gold for badminton."

Following are the finalists from every division of play:

Senior Division
Boys Singles A
1st – Grayson Whiteway (Manitouwadge)
2nd – Nolan Kuhlberg (Lo-Ellen)

Boys Singles B
1st – Anthony Niro (St Mary’s)
2nd – Will Mackey (Lasalle)

Girls Singles A
1st – Lillian Li (Lo-Ellen)
2nd – Emily Proulx (Manitouwadge)

Girls Singles B
1st – Elizabeth Gavey (St Mary’s)
2nd – Alicia Atwell (St Mary’s)

Boys Doubles A
1st – Grayson Whiteway / Lucas Moysey (Manitouwadge)
2nd – Vedant Ugpaghada / Anthony Niro (St Mary’s)

Boys Doubles B
1st – Jonah Gibson / Matti Jouppi (Lo-Ellen)
2nd – Kurtis Bondar – Daikaden Gauthier (Superior Heights)

Girls Doubles A
1st – Lillian Li / Manu Patil (Lo-Ellen)
2nd – Chelsea Kennedy / Delaney Elliott (Korah)

Girls Doubles B
1st – Elizabeth Gavey / Althea Alberto (St Mary’s)
2nd – Emma Young / Ava Young (Elliot Lake)

Mixed Doubles A
1st – Daniel Guzzo / Alecia Atwell (St Mary’s)
2nd – Vedant Ugpaghada / Elizabeth Gavey (St Mary’s)

Mixed Doubles B
1st – Anthony Niro / Cassie Grenier (St Mary’s)
2nd – Divine Love / Claire Gould (Superior Heights)

Junior Division
Boys Singles A
1st – Noah Fortin (RDF*)
2nd – Thomas Berardelli (Lockerby)
* Riviere-des-Francais

Boys Singles B
1st – Aaron Vallée (Champlain)
2nd – Carver Fournier-Demchuk (Macdonald-Cartier)

Girls Singles A
1st – Manu Patil (Lo-Ellen)
2nd – Ashley Rancourt (RDF)

Girls Singles B
1st – Mackenzie Lambert (Korah)
2nd – Josée Gascon (Horizon)

Boys Doubles A
1st – Noah Fortin / Mathieu Hébert (RDF)
2nd – Kier Kalalo / John Rosales (St Mary’s)

Boys Doubles B
1st – Jacob Beaudet / Ryerson Johnston (Horizon)
2nd – Lucas Watson / Alazar Stevens (Lasalle)

Girls Doubles A
1st – Audrey Pitre / Ashley Rancourt (RDF)
2nd – Lexi Briscoe / Emma Merigioli (Horizon)

Girls Doubles B
1st – Amelia Tanninen / Addison Gauthier (Korah)
2nd – Amore Maree / Grace Campbell (Superior Heights)

Mixed Doubles A
1st – Noah Fortin / Audrey Pitre (RDF)
2nd – Persan Umrigar (St Mary’s) / Charlee Kennedy (Korah)

Mixed Doubles B
1st – Nicolas Leduc / Emma Merigioli (Horizon)
2nd – Addison Denommé / Scarlett Parri (Horizon)