OLDS — For the second time in a few weeks, Olds resident Ryder Persson is gearing up for badminton provincials.
This time, it’s high school badminton provincials, which will be held May 2-3 in Red Deer.
Persson finished first in the senior high school south central zones, held April 16 at École Olds High School (ÉOHS). He was the lone ÉOHS badminton player to advance to provincials during that tournament.
Persson won bronze during Badminton Alberta’s Provincial Gold Alberta junior series tournament, held April 11-13 in Blackfalds.
That result was good enough for the U17 player to be ranked fourth in the province, up from an earlier ranking of eighth.
Mary Marshall, who coaches the ÉOHS badminton team, says although the rest of the team didn’t make it to provincials, they came very close to doing so.
“They did better than last year, they got to zones. But none of them made it to provincials, other than Ryder,” Marshall said. “They won like over half their games, but it wasn't enough to get to provincials. They fell a little short.
“They did good, though. They did really well. And even the games they lost, It was super tight. So we've had better results than normal.”
Marshall said it’s especially tough for ÉOHS badminton players to compete in south central zones because that area includes the Edison Badminton Centre in Okotoks where youth can play badminton year-round.
“Just the fact that they get to play year ‘round makes it so they're a tough competition,” she said.
