Badminton club begins 2008-09 season

The Stephenville Junior Badminton Club has started a new season at the West Coast Training Centre in Stephenville and has space available for any youth ages 8-17 wanting to try out the sport.

The club offers both a beginner/ recreational stream and a competitive stream aimed for athletes who want to train for competition on provincial, Atlantic and national levels.

The beginner/ recreational sessions are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and youth interested are welcome to try it out for a couple of weeks before joining. On the competitive side, the Stephenville Junior Club has a long track record of producing provincial and Atlantic champions, as well as sending many players to the Canada Games.

Players such as Matthew Alexander, Jessica Murphy, Tana Situ, Bryan Downey, Krista Hogan and Dillon Pearce have all received Provincial Players of the Year honors in the past and many more rising stars are set to make their mark this season. Last season also saw the Stephenville Club bring home both the provincial Under-14 banner and the provincial Under-16 banner, adding to the growing collection of provincial banners.

The first big competition on this seasons calendar will be the Atlantic Junior Elite (National Series) tournament, which is being held in Moncton, NB, from Nov. 28 to 30. This competition will feature Under-14, Under-16 and Under-19 divisions as well as an Open Senior Competition where the best adult players in the country compete for prize money. Just after Christmas, the weekend of Jan. 10 to be exact, the Stephenville Junior Club will be hosting the Provincial Atlantic Qualifier.

This tournament is held each season to help select athletes and designate funding support for athletes to compete in the Atlantic Junior Championships. For teens/ adults not interested in instruction, the Senior Club is also available for recreational and competitive play. The Senior Club sessions are held every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

It is a drop in format, so individuals can come and play at their leisure any time during the session times. Everyone is welcome to come out and play and to give prospective players the opportunity to find out if theyll like it the first three sessions are free. It is a great form of fun and exercise and Coach Mike Alexander encourages everyone to come out and try it.