Badminton Mounties finish season with home event
For the second internal tournament of the year, the Mounties Badminton Team will return to the court this coming Saturday, April 3rd. As this year has been completely different compared to past years, Mount Allison is set to crown the team’s champions in singles, doubles and mixed events. The tournament is slated to start at 10AM and will be live streamed for the watching pleasure of the Mounties community.
This weekend’s tournament will be a special one, as the program is set to honor seven graduating senior athletes including Andrew Cundill, Selina Gaudreault, Adam Peck, Isabelle Choumiline, Will Ngo, Kelsey MacKinnon, and Azeem Munawar. A presentation will be made immediately following the tournament to recognize the contributions that each member has made to the program.
Cundill, a previous Mounties badminton rookie of the year winner, has brought immense passion to the program. He earned his greatest accomplishment at the 2019 ACAA Championships, where he was part of the winning doubles team, taking down the rival UKC team. Cundill’s can do attitude and Mountie Pride will not be forgotten in the years to come.
Gaudreault, a mature and well-rounded student athlete, has been part of the Mounties Badminton Program for a cumulative three years. After spending a year on exchange in France, Gaudreault came back in full force giving her maximum effort practices and consistently encouraged her team members to give it their all. The hometown Sackville local, will continue to make her mark in the community as she carries forward into her coaching career for the Tantramar Titans, girl’s rugby team.
Peck, an extremely talented Pianist, has been a driving force who consistently increased the competitive drive within the program. At any given practice you could easily find Peck pushing himself to his limits, improving his skills, and encouraging others to do the same. A natural leader on and off the court, Peck’s contributions will be missed greatly in the years to come.
Choumiline, competitive and caring are two of the many positive adjectives to describe her character. Always asking the right questions, learning from her mistakes, and implementing the right techniques and strategy, are merely a few examples of Choumiline’s success in improving her overall badminton game this year. Her contributions to the community off court included, but not limited to, a lead role in the Right to Play initiative.
Ngo, a fifth-year athlete, has been a consistent contributor to the program and arguably the most improved during his tenure. The competitive nature of Ngo enabled him to make large improvements to his badminton game in a short period of time. His development and determination aided him to be the second member of the ACAA Championship winning doubles team in 2019.
MacKinnon, a mature leader on and off the court. There is nothing that she wouldn’t do to help a teammate in need. Mackinnon’s time at Mount Allison has brought a lot of success to the program after winning multiple events during regular season, championships, and national qualifying tournaments. Plagued by injuries during her playing career, the Mounties co-captain continuously battled to represent the Mounties Badminton Program to her full capability.
Munawar, the driven and charismatic co-captain of the team, has given the program his full 100% through his tenure at Mount Allison. His unconditional love for the sport, the program and the university was continuously present as he represented Mount Allison with Pride, not only at regional tournaments, but also nationally. The always reliable fifth year doesn’t plan to end his contributions to the program, as he looks to become a member of the coaching staff starting the 2021-2022 campaign.
“Overall, we couldn’t be more grateful for the contributions that all of the senior athletes have provided to the Mounties community on and off the court.” said Mounties’ head coach, Michael Miller. “These senior athletes have all shown true dedication, commitment and resilience throughout the year. Maintaining the work ethic to continuously put forth a full effort at practice in a year were these athletes are unable to compete against external competition is a true demonstration of Mountie Pride.” Miller continued, “I have no doubt that after graduating from Mount Allison University, all of these senior athletes will become successful, contributing members in their perspective communities. It has been an honor to get to know each of these players and I look forward to coaching them on the court for the last time this coming weekend.”