Local athletes continue to excel on the NOBA (Northern Ontario Badminton Association) circuit, as recent stops included events staged in both Elliot Lake and North Bay.
Gillian Obradovich came up just one step short of the U16 triple crown in Elliot Lake, teaming up with Dominic Brunette-Royer to capture top spot in mixed doubles play, and doing likewise with North Bay native Victoria Gadomski in the girls doubles competition.
Singles action would see Obradovich settle for second place. Sudbury Junior Badminton Club teammate Cameron Duff duplicated that effort, capturing the U19 men's singles bracket, and also the mixed doubles with Ellie Perry of North Bay.
Partnered with Josh Robinson (Timmins) in boys doubles' play, the tandem finished second. Following is a complete breakdown of the remaining results for Sudbury athletes from the Elliot Lake Junior tournament:
U16 Age DivisionBoys Doubles - 1st - Cooper Levesque (Sudbury)/Joel Giroux (Hearst)
Mixed Doubles - 2nd - Kaitlyn Bertrand (KTP - NB)/Cooper Levesque (Sudbury)
Boys Singles - 2nd - Dominic Brunette-Royer (Sudbury)
U19 Age Division
Girls Doubles - 2nd - Kalie Rheault (Sudbury)/Jessie Zhou (North Bay)
Mixed Doubles - 3rd - Kalie Rheault (Sudbury)/Fred Houle (Blind River)
Mixed Doubles - 4th - Keileigh Gauthier (Sudbury)/Dillon Laberge (KTP - NB)
Girls Singles - 4th - Kalie Rheault (Sudbury)
Girls Singles - 5th - Keileigh Gauthier (Sudbury)
Kalie Rheault was right back in action the following weekend, joined by four Sudbury athletes making their first ever appearance at a provincial level "B" tournament, this one in North Bay.
Joining entries from Ottawa, Bracebridge and the host city, the group served notice of the potential to come. Rheault showed the way, earning a gold medal in U19 girls doubles ("A" flight with Jessie Zhou), U19 mixed doubles (consolation flight with Fred Houle) and U19 singles division, consolation draw.
Taking first in the U17 girls singles consolation flight, Cierra St Germain was a consolation finalist in mixed doubles with Dominic Brunette-Royer, and finished fourth in U17 girls doubles "A" flight, paired up with Amelina Itturegui of Sudbury.
Ethan Rogers claimed gold in the U17 boys singles consolation group, teamed up with Itturegui in advancing to the "A" flight quarter-finals (U17 mixed doubles) and closed off with a consolation semi-final appearance in boys doubles with Brunette-Royer.
No longer eligible to compete in junior "B" events, Cameron Duff made his way to the Kim Ng Open Invitational at George Brown College. After losing his opening match to the eventual "A" flight champion (Ace Zeng), Duff proceeded to run the table, claiming top spot in the consolation round.
Both Rheault and St Germain received an early Christmas present, with both players named to the Northern Ontario team that will compete at the Ontario Winter Games in March. Joining the tandem, along with coach Jim Duff of Sudbury and manager Janet Parfitt (North Bay) are:
Girls TeamEllie Perry - North Bay
Jessie Zhou - North Bay
Tess Hausenblas - Elliot Lake
Bryanna Bielek - Timmins
Boys Team
Nick Babich - North Bay
Dillon Laberge - North Bay
Brady Fougere - North Bay
Fred Houle - Blind River
Ben Houle - Blind River
Aaron Bujold - Fort Francis
