Kyle Dalgarno is an all-round athlete. Not only does he participate in a number of sports throughout the school year, he also plays various sports within the city.
The Grade 12 Peacock student just finished playing basketball with the Toilers and it was a quick turnaround into the badminton season at the end of March. He has been playing badminton since Grade 7 and still enjoys the short season every year.
“I was talented with quick speed and that gave me an advantage,” explained Dalgarno. “I have quick hands and through all the sports that I’ve played, I’ve gotten the agility and the hand-eye coordination came with it and it just carried on from there.”
Throughout the years, Dalgarno has and continues to play lacrosse, hockey, cross-country, track and field and basketball. He feels being an all-round player benefits his badminton game, especially the coordination needed to succeed.
“The explosiveness in track and field and the endurance of all the other sports too, they all come with coordination and a lot of practice,” he said.
Dalgarno enjoys the quick turnaround between the basketball season to badminton and then into the track season.
“It is a good turnover, especially from basketball because of the different speeds with the off and on…it carries over to this because of how explosive you are on the court,” he explained. “That carries over to track and that helps get ready.”
For Grade 11 Central Collegiate student, Lindsay Fish, her enjoyment of badminton started in her back yard and recreation leagues and grew more when she got to school.
“I started in rec leagues just for fun,” said Fish. “When the league started at school, I played and I just kept coming back because I liked it…no refs and you are on your own.”
Fish is involved in other various sports in the community, including speed skating and enjoys the individualism of those sports.
“There isn’t the rest of the team, you can only worry about yourself,” she explained.
For more on this story and full results, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
