At the upcoming city badminton championships on April 8, the
Lo-Ellen Park Knights are the team to beat as they compete for
their eighth straight city title.
Should the Knights prevail locally, they'll play for their
sixth consecutive NOSSA title.
"I don't think too many other sports, anywhere in Northern
Ontario, have won five straight NOSSA championships," said
coach Bob Pilon, attributing the success of his program to the
fun, social atmosphere of the team that attracts students, only
to discover they have a knack for the sport.
"It's the social aspects…that's the success," said Pilon.
"They come out and have fun and they're part of a team and they
enjoy coming out to play."
That's exactly how Allison Tyndall, 19, a Grade 12 student
got involved in the sport.
"My best friend played it and she brought me out to practice
one day and I just loved it so I started up," said Tyndall.
She's enjoyed the badminton experience so much she's advanced
to NOSSA every year since Grade 9 by placing either first or
second at the city championships.
Another student achieving success under Pilon's tutelage is
Michael Stanford, 17. The Grade 11 student displays amazing
hand-eye co-ordination on the court, smashing birdie's off a
brick wall in Lo-Ellen's gym with blistering speed.
The three-time NOSSA champion goes on for a couple of minutes without missing a beat.
Now that he's old enough to compete at OFSSA, he's looking
forward to seeing how he matches up with the best in the
province.
"I think I've got a pretty good chance," said Pilon. "You have to be focused, you can't let up.
If you get arrogant in a game you can let somebody back
in…you've got to keep your concentration."
Both Tyndall and Stanford have nothing but praise for their
coach.
Stanford said the students at Lo-Ellen are lucky because not
many schools have the luxury of a full-time coach who runs the
team from September to May.
"He puts so much time and effort and commitment into the
team and we all see that and feed off of it," said Tyndall.
Pilon, who has played with the Canadian national junior team
and is a past OFSSA singles champion, has been coaching for 30
years but admits that because of his impending retirement, this
may be his last.
"When I retire it may be the last I coach because at the
high school level you almost have to be in the high school
system…when you're dealing with that many kids, you've go to be
with them everyday," said Pilon.
"I enjoy working with the students, and that's the key to being a coach."
