École Heritage in Falher home to badminton champs

Senior High badminton bronze medal winner Marina Sanchez.

Junior High badminton champions Dalyn Lauze, Janelle Dentinger, Deven Dion, Emilie Laroche, Samuel Jean, Eric Belley, Heidie Mayrand, Leslie Boissonneault pose with their championship plaque. (Not pictured, Daniel Belley).

Susan Thompson
Express staff

École Heritage badminton players smashed their way to big wins last month, and made a little local sports history along the way.

The Falher school’s Junior High team took home the title of Aggregate Champion on April 25, winning a large number of individual events at the North West Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association zone tournament in Valleyview.



“It’s the first time in 20 years of history at our school that we have the plate,” says coach Dominic Jean.

Players Janelle Dentinger and Daniel Belley won gold playing in junior mixed doubles. Heidi Mayrand and Leslie Boissonneault won gold playing in intermediate girls’ doubles, and Eric Belley and Deven Dion also won gold playing in intermediate boys’ doubles.

In singles, Emilie Laroche won gold in junior girls, while Samuel Jean and Dalyn Lauze won silver and bronze respectively in junior boys.

“We have a group of dedicated players, very interested, skilled, and talented,” says Jean, who saw the athletic potential in most of his players at the elementary level and recruited them to the team.

It wasn’t only Jr. High players who won medals for the school.

Marina Sanchez won bronze at the Senior High zone badminton tournament in Spirit River on April 25, playing as a girls’ single.

“She’s a very talented athlete in all sports,” Jean says. Sanchez is coached by Patrick Simon.

Tournament badminton is a highly aerobic sport requiring quick reflexes and excellent conditioning. The École Heritage teams practice twice a week for an hour and a half at a time, working on both drills and games, and Jean says this regular practice was a big part of the their success at zones.

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