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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, April 22, 2010 · 32 Two local champions at Halton badminton meet By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Natasha Wong knew she had a tough opponent in last week's Halton girls' badminton final. After all, when Wong was looking for a doubles partner for a tournament in the summer, she recruited Natalie Rook. Thursday at E.C. Drury in Milton, the two pushed each other but it was Rook who rallied to win after dropping the opening set. "I didn't see her play (singles) too much so it took me some time to adjust," said Rook, an Iroquois Ridge student who squared off against a former doubles partner in the final for the second year in a row. "My mom came out and gave me some strategies to follow after the first set." They obviously worked as Rook shook off the 21-9 loss to win two close sets, 21-19, 2117 to claim the Halton title. Rook and Wong may well square off again in today's (Thursday's) Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference (GHAC) tournament, where they will be looking to earn return trips to the provincial high school championships. Wong will be chasing a second straight GHAC title, after teaming up with Monica Lee to win the girls' doubles title last year. Though she had success in doubles, the Loyola student said she really missed singles competition. And her strong start in the final has given her a boost heading into GHAC. "That did give me some confidence," she said. King's Christian Collegiate's Matt Girgis will also head into GHAC with some confidence after winning a Halton title. He knocked off the defending GHAC champion in the quarter-finals and defeated Oakville Trafalgar's Jack Nenniger in the final. "I think he surprised a lot of other players," said King's coach Ron Masengi. "Listening to the other players and coaches, he surprised them with his strength, his agility and his consistency." The Grade 11 student has played for four years but has started to take the game more seriously, joining both the Erindale Badminton Club and the King's Christian club and playing four times a week. The additional court time has helped him improve his skills but he says the biggest gains were in his mental game. "In junior I used to (feel) really defeated if I fell behind," he said. "I've learned that I can come back. I've taken a different mental approach that if I strive for it, it's possible." Girgis hasn't had to rally too often. He earned the number one seed for the Halton tournament and dropped just one set in his four matches. In the second-place match, Nenniger defeated Pearson's Le Nguyen. Jamie Bonar and Monica Lee also finished HALTON FINALS: Natasha Wong of Loyola returns the birdie during last week's Halton high school badminton championships in Milton. Wong reached the final of girls' singles competition before falling to former doubles partner Natalie Rook of Iroquois Ridge. Both advanced to today's (Thursday's) Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference meet. ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER OFFICIAL NOMINATION ENTRY CARRIER OF THE YEAR! second. They fell to Notre Dame's Brandon Mackay and Agatha Kwiatkowski in the mixed doubles final but came back to beat a team from Christ the King in the secondplace game. "We were just scrambling all over the floor today. We did our best to always put it into the corners," said Bonar, a first-year doubles competitor. "I think we did really well and we'll finish in the top two at GHAC. I'm also pretty confident my partner and I will make it to OFSAA." Lee agreed with her partner's analysis of their play. She said that the key to her badminton success so far has been her ability to stay calm doing her matches. "Just hit it where they're not," joked Lee, as she used her darkened grey Loyola t-shirt to wipe away a heap of glistening sweat from her forehead. Bonar noted that his partner's finesse style of play will come in handy in future matches. Especially at GHAC, where there promises to be a strong inner-school rivalry among Loyola's top badminton players. Oakville was also well represented in the Halton tournament by 17-year-olds Cole Harris and Anna Lucic, both Grade 12 students at Oakville Trafalgar. The duo lost 2325 to the top mixed double finisher from their school. Lucic, a rookie to badminton, is learning the game much quicker than she anticipated. "I'm still learning, but I'm tried really hard to keep with my partner. He won the singles and doubles last year and he's teaching me a lot. (Last week) was my first tournament ever, but I've already improved so much." -- With files from Daniel Perry, Special to the Beaver Help needed with Canadian Tour ! The winning carrier will receive 2000 BONUS POINTS from the paper, plus a $100 Gift Certificate from Kelsey's, and his or her family will be treated to dinner by The Oakville Beaver! Back by popular demand, golf's Canadian Tour is set to swing its way back into the Oakville area this summer. It'll do so with the Jane Rogers Championship, which for a second straight year will descend on Greystone Golf Club from Aug. 9-15. Thousands of area golf fans will no doubt pack their way into the local course to see some of the country's top players in action. But that's not the only way to be part of the event. Organizers are now seeking volunteers to fill a number of positions, such as course marshals, caddies, walking scorers, standard bearers and tee announcers. Students look- ing to fulfill their high school volunteering requirements are encouraged to sign up. To continue the legacy of the event's namesake -- who while battling cancer worked tirelessly to raise funds for research and treatment programs -- all net proceeds from the week will go to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada and Mississauga's Trillium Health Centre Oncology Unit. All volunteers are invited to a post-event appreciation party. Those interested in helping out are asked to contact Landmark Sport Group Inc. at (905) 949-1910, ext. 226 or srogers@landmarksport.com.