Fort Richmond Collegiate badminton teams shine at provincials

Winning a provincial championship is hard. Winning five in a row? That’s elite.

Fort Richmond Collegiate’s (FRC) varsity badminton team did exactly that, capturing its fifth consecutive Manitoba High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) provincial championship from April 30 to May 2. With the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons cancelled due to COVID, FRC has now won every varsity badminton title since 2018–19, setting the standard in Manitoba high school badminton.

The team’s dominance was matched by standout individual performances. FRC athletes claimed the girls singles provincial title and added a bronze medal in mixed doubles, further underscoring the program’s depth and talent.

And the winning didn’t stop there.

Fort Richmond’s junior varsity team also captured the provincial championship, highlighted by gold medals in boys singles, plus gold and bronze in girls singles.

For coaches Kevin Mason and Nicola Dirks, the titles reflect countless hours of preparation and perseverance.

“Each of our singles champions took a different path to success,” said Mason. “One beat an opponent she’d never defeated before, one continued his dominance by not dropping a single game and repeating as provincial champion, and another earned redemption by overcoming a familiar rival for the first time at provincials.”

While individual medals shine, Mason says the real victory is shared.

“These experiences give them a sense of team pride in competing for a team banner when normally badminton is more of an individual sport.”