Junior badminton gaining momentum in Gisborne/Eastland

Junior badminton in Tairāwhiti is on the rise with three Badminton Eastland age group rep teams from here competing in the recent New Zealand junior championships in Palmerston North.

Junior badminton continues to grow in Tairāwhiti with increasing momentum reflected in the district performance at the recent national junior championships in Palmerston North.

It was the second year running Badminton Eastland had entered three teams – Under-13, U15 and U17 age groups – in the championships.

Twenty-five Eastland juniors took part.

“This year we were excited to see several Ūawa juniors trial for the teams and earn spots in the representative squads and development team,” said Geoff Wright, Badminton Eastland’s community coordinator.

The selection of rep players began in March and was open to the wider Tairāwhiti region.

“The results from both an individual and team perspective have been outstanding,” Wright said.

“Our players have shown significant growth in confidence, both on and off the court, and a huge thanks goes to our core group of dedicated coaches and managers who work tirelessly with our juniors.

“Our Under-17 team came eighth out of 10 teams in division 2, our Under-15 team were sixth out of seven in division 3 and our Under-13 team were 12th in division 3.

“Looking ahead, we are aiming to grow our team entries even further and hope to enter an Under-19 team in next year’s event.

Wright said with the AIMS Games just around the corner, badminton was starting to pick up again across Tairāwhiti’s junior clubs.

“These clubs run on Wednesdays and are open to all players in years 4 through 13 from across the region.”

Badminton Eastland plans to run a Year 7 and Year 8 competition for four weeks after school. Inquiries to eastland.coordinator@gmail.com.

“One of the highlights of the junior calendar will be our local junior tournament scheduled for August 16 and 17,” Wright said. “Entries will open soon.

“As with most community clubs, our success relies heavily on the support of our parents, coaches and managers.

“A huge thank you to those who stepped up this year and went away with the teams.”

They were - U13s: Sacha Taumata and Nicola Wright. U15s: Colin Richardson and Kirsty Huhu. U17s: Tomomi Kato-Golding and Geoff Wright.

“We are incredibly grateful to our funders, including Grassroots Central Trust, Kiwi Gaming Foundation and the Bobby Foundation,” Wright said. “Their support helps cover essential costs like training shuttles, entry fees, van hire and accommodation.

“A special thanks also goes to Kevin Hollis Glass for allowing us to use their forecourt for our annual car wash fundraiser.”