Member Association News: Canada Announces Badminton Team for Bangkok
July 18th, 2007
Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced the athletes and coaching staff that will represent Canada in the inaugural badminton competition at the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand (August 8-18). The University of Western Ontario’s Jennifer Lam (Toronto) and Concordia University College of Alberta’s Jon Vandervet (Brantford, Ont.) lead the eight-athlete Canadian contingent. “The Canadian team will be comprised of five athletes from Quebec, one from Ontario and two from Western Canada,” said Étienne Couture, Canada’s team leader. “Lam and Vandervet stand out among the other athletes selected during the recent Canadian National University/College Badminton Championships. They are the highest ranked athletes as they both possess superior technical skills and athletic abilities.”
Jennifer Lam
Majoring in Science, Lam has enjoyed a successful badminton career with the Mustangs. She finished the 2006 season with a perfect 10-0 individual record and was named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) MVP for the fourth straight year. Lam’s 2006 undefeated season was a major factor in Western capturing its third OUA title in four years. At the 2007 Yonex Canadian under-23 and under-19 badminton championships, Lam won the women’s singles event. Vandervet, a business student, had a strong season with the Thunder. The reigning Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) champions, he and partner Michael Chong won silver in men’s doubles at the 2007 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) badminton championships. Finishing the season ranked ninth in Canada in men’s doubles, Vandervet and partner Keith Chan were semi-finalists at the 2007 Yonex Canadian national badminton championships.
University of Alberta’s Mark Docksteader (Calgary) will compete in men’s doubles with Vandervet. Docksteader finished second with partner Keith Chan at the 2007 Yonex Alberta championship series. Studying Mechanical Engineering at Laval, Rémy Lemay (Pont-Rouge, Que.) had a successful 2006-07 campaign. Lemay was a finalist in men’s singles and men’s doubles with partner Louis-Laurent Trudel (St-Augustin, Que.) at the 2007 Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF) badminton championships. Trudel and Lemay won gold in the same event in 2006. Finalists at the 2007 provincial badminton championships, Lemay and Trudel were members of the Canadian team that participated in the 2006 World University Badminton Championships. Ranked among the top 10 players in Quebec, Trudel has also enjoyed an excellent season. He captured the 2007 QSSF championship in mixed doubles with partner Chantal Gagné and will compete at the 2007 Summer Universiade with partner Audrey Bonneville (Montréal) in the same event. Université de Montréal’s Bonneville, Isabelle Mercier-Delphond (Montréal) and Florence Lavoie (Montréal) round out the women’s side. A strong and versatile competitor, Bonneville is currently ranked seventh and 11th in Canada in mixed doubles and women’s doubles, respectively. She was a quarterfinalist and semi-finalist in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles at events such as the 2007 Yonex Canadian under-23 and under-19 badminton championships, the 2007 Yonex Toronto Open and the 2006-07 Yonex Alberta Open.
Competing in women’s doubles, Mercier-Dalphond finished the 2006-07 season undefeated. She won a silver medal with partner Isabelle Lavoie at the 2007 Yonex Canadian under-23 and under-19 badminton championships and another with Bonneville at the 2007 provincial badminton championships. Ranked third in Canada in women’s singles, Mercier-Dalphond is also a strong competitor individually as she won the 2007 QSSF individual title. She also captured bronze in both women’s singles and women’s doubles at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse. Ranked sixth in Canada in women’s singles, Lavoie won her fifth title in women’s singles as well as a gold medal in women’s doubles with her sister (Isabelle) at this year’s provincial badminton championships. She also won the women’s doubles title with partner Amélie Félix in 2005 and 2006. Lavoie and Félix were finalists in women’s doubles at the 2007 Yonex Canadian national badminton championships. Internationally, Lavoie is ranked 77th in women’s doubles. “Trudel and Mercier-Delphond dominated the Quebec university league this past season, said Couture. “Louis-Laurent is a strong player with solid technical ability and tactical knowledge, while Isabelle is a warrior on the court. Lavoie brings great physical strength and commitment to this team. Lesser-known athletes Mark Docksteader and Audrey Bonneville were selected because of their versatility and ability to adapt their style of play to their team mates.” The 2007 Canadian staff is comprised of team leader Étienne Couture and head coach Alf McGuire. Couture has been Laval’s head coach since 2006, but was involved in Laval’s varsity and club badminton programs since the late 1990s. He was Badminton Quebec’s Coach of the Year in 2000-01. McGuire retired as head coach of the Malaspina University College badminton team after 28 years. During his tenure, Malaspina won six national medals and seven provincial titles. He is a four-time British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association (BCCAA) and CCAA Coach of the Year. McGuire is currently involved with the PacificSport Badminton Centre and Badminton BC. While there have been nine World University Badminton Championships, this is the first time the sport has been added to the Summer Universiade. The badminton competition begins August 9 with the mixed team preliminary round. The singles and doubles events are scheduled for August 12. The team selection was finalized following the inaugural 2007 Yonex Canadian National University/College Badminton Championships hosted by the University of Waterloo, May 18-20, 2007.
