Jennie Copland, Badminton Sport Chair, was in for an unpleasant surprise Friday morning. The badminton competitions were starting that morning and eight teams from eight zones were awaiting their BC Winter Games shirts.
They opened the boxes of shirts they had received from the shipping company that morning. Seven were accounted for, but there were no red shirts for Zone 2, Thompson-Okanagan. The shirts went missing in transit and were not expected to arrive until Monday morning, well after the athletes left on Sunday night.
Ever resourceful, Jennie found temporary T-shirts for the team photos that morning. Meanwhile, Cathy McPherson, one of the parents of the Zone 8 – Cariboo North East, took matters into her own hands. She phoned the post office and found out that the box of shirts was in Fort St. John, but it was waiting to be processed for delivery.
Without skipping a beat, Jennie was on her way to the post office. By the time the skilled competition began, Zone 2 had their official Games red shirts! The community came together to make sure the athletes had everything they needed to have an enjoyable Games.
Some locals are taking on the role of cheerleaders for the athletes that travelled from further south. We chatted with parents Cathy and John McPhreson and Kim and Kelly Clement. Both have their 14-year old daughters, Page and Rilyn, competing in the Games. The girls are on a team representing Zone 8, Caribou North and live locally in Fort St. John and Charlie Lake.
“It’s really great to see them play,” says John. “It’s also extremely convenient, since we are always travelling south for competitions.”
Repping one of the southern regions, Chenia Weng is the only badminton athlete representing Zone 1 – Kootenays. With a goal of developing her skills, Weng has had plenty of time on the court as she played all the one-on-one ladies matches, plus played alongside a Zone 2 player in a mixed-doubles match. The badminton community has rallied behind Weng, and she received coaching from both the Zone 2 – Thompson Okanagan and Zone 8 – Cariboo North East coaches saying, “I learned to long-serve better.”
Weng’s favourite experience is playing lots of badminton with the other athletes. She wants to improve, keep playing, and attend more competitions if the opportunity arises. She might be the only one representing Zone 1, but she’s one to watch!