The Paul Kane Blues and the Bellerose Bulldogs badminton teams went head-to-head on Monday in a high-spirited matchup for the coveted Golden Birdie Cup. The annual event, held this year at Paul Kane High School, showcased the talent and sportsmanship of student-athletes from both schools while fostering camaraderie between the crosstown rivals.
"The coaches of both schools work equally to put the event together," said Bellerose coach Geoffrey Howard, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the competition.
"Every year, the event venue alternates so each school has an equal opportunity to host."
The tournament format allowed student-athletes to engage in both friendly and competitive matches. In the friendly format, students connected with others in their community who share their passion for the sport, often resulting in mixed teams from both schools. The competitive format mirrored the Metro Athletic High School Badminton structure, where each team competes in men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles for a total of five events.
"The difference this year is that names were drawn to determine the event the players competed in rather than having the coach assign the matches," said Howard.
"Really, the only difference between this tournament and league play is it allows players to compete in events they may not have during league play. For example, if you have a player that has primarily competed as a singles player, they will probably play a few matches as a member of a doubles or mixed team."
As for the impact of the Golden Birdie Cup on high school badminton in St. Albert, Howard said the students really look forward to it.
"It has always been really cool to see the veteran players try and explain it to the new players each year. It is a neat legacy that the players get to pass down to each other, and it has been fun to be a part of as a coach."
In this year's tournament, Paul Kane emerged victorious in the competitive event, winning the Golden Birdie Cup with a score of four matches to three. Bellerose won men's and women's singles and a mixed doubles match. Paul Kane won two men's doubles matches, one women's doubles, and one mixed doubles match, said Howard.
On an individual level, several athletes won awards for their performances. The Taking Flight Award for best newcomer was given to Ethan Poeckens (Bellerose) and Aidyn Horak (Paul Kane), the Greasy Bird Award for best individual shot of the tournament was given to Caden Sweet (Bellerose) and Charlotte Tombs (Paul Kane), and the Golden Crispy Award for underappreciated contributions was given to Lauryn Taylor and Natalia Cesarz (Belle) and Joshua Mah and Olivia Hwang (PK).
This year's tournament featured an additional twist, with each match randomly assigned to compete with either a standard or specialized tournament-modified racquet.
With this year's win, Paul Kane takes an overall series lead of 4-3, marking the seventh year of the tournament.
Despite the intense competition, the event fostered camaraderie and an undeniable spirit of goodwill amongst the student-athletes.
"The Paul Kane coaching staff is excellent, their badminton athletes have tremendous sportsmanship, and it is just a really enjoyable day where people get to share a sport they are passionate about," Howard said.
