Matt Hewson
Geelong junior badminton has gone from strength to strength in the past year, with recent results reflecting the increase in participation.
The Geelong Badminton Academy (GBA) team had a strong showing at the Beyond Bank Ballarat Junior Classic on Saturday, May 25, netting a gold and two silver medals.
The results followed an excellent performance in Gippsland the weekend before, where they came away with two gold medals and a silver.
The girls singles final in Ballarat was all Geelong, with GBA’s Sophie winning over teammate Abi to take her second gold in as many weeks.
GBA boys doubles pair Ashwin and Nyi improved on their semi final performance in Gippsland to advance to the final stage in Ballarat, taking silver in a three-way shoot-out in the last round.
GBA team coach and former Indian international player Naman Bhardwaj said the recent medal tally was due to the players’ effort and focus over the past six to eight months.
“These kids have an exceptional amount of dedication,” Bhardwaj said.
“They come for training Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and apart from training they come for a lot of social badminton as well. They book the courts on Sundays and play against each other, so they’re playing five, six days a week now.
“They’ve told me that they want morning training as well, they want more sessions, so they’re loving it. And not just loving it, they’re really, really disciplined and dedicated towards what they’re doing.”
The junior classics were implemented state wide a few years ago to promote badminton for young regional players, but Bhardwaj said Badminton Victoria had significantly increased the opportunities and improved the structure of its classics events this year.
The increased energy going into the classic series, along with the creation of the GBA about 18 months ago, has seen junior badminton participation in Geelong skyrocket.
“There used to be two events in the year, but this year it’s more structured and it’s got five events,” he said.
“So (junior players) have a clear pathway to eligibility for the regional Victorian team. Because we have that clear pathway now, these kids are motivated to play in tournaments, to represent their state in national (competitions).
“When we started the academy a year and a half ago we had three or four students who were coming regularly. Now we have almost 50 students who are coming consistently, week after week.
“They are coming on their own, they want to play. It’s a massive growth in just over one year.”
The team now has its sights set on the next junior classic event in Shepparton on June 22, with events later in the year in Bendigo and Geelong.
