The gymnasiums at the Stettler Schools complex were busy with students from Stettler, Altario, Castor, Coronation and Consort as they readied their racquets and their birdies for the annual Highway 12 Badminton tournament on Monday, April 13.
Eighty-one students from the five communities competed in three age categories – junior, intermediate and senior – and in three events – singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
As Todd Yaremcio took to the court, he ended up below a badminton banner proclaiming Stettler a provincial competitor. Yaremcio lived up to the unintentional pressure, taking first-place in his bracket.
Stettler took the most first-place finishes in the tournament with six. In Junior girls' singles, Alyssa Henderson took first over Castor's Tamara Gamroth to claim the only first place finish in the junior tier. Castor dominated the tier, taking first place in all other categories, as well as second in three of the five.
In intermediate play, Ryland Stefanik took first in boys' singles against John Langford, also from Stettler. In boys' doubles, Logan Foesier and Kyle Poapst netted the first-place win over Logan Spady and Kyle Elhard of Castor.
It was in senior action that Stettler took its most first-place finishes, with Allyssa Acera and Caela Henderson claiming first and second in girls' singles, Yaremcio first in boys' singles, and Lindsay McKinnon and Grace Chapman in girls' doubles. Eric and Adam Pitzel claimed second in boys' doubles.
Only Castor came close in finishes, taking five first-place finishes and five second-place finishes to Stettler's six and four first- and second-place finishes respectively.