November 12, 1998
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

The following is being distributed at the request of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador:

Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador Pepsi Atlantic Qualifiers/1999 Canada Winter Games Badminton test event November 13 - 15, Corner Brook

This weekend over 230 badminton enthusiasts, including over 190 junior athletes, will converge in Corner Brook, bringing a bustle of economic activity with them. The reason? Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador and the 1999 Canada Winter Games Host Society's Badminton Committee are jointly hosting the Pepsi Atlantic Qualifiers/1999 Canada Winter Games Badminton Test Event. This is truly a provincial competition, with badminton players from 22 communities across the island and Labrador entered. The test event is bigger than the Black Knight/Pepsi Atlantic Junior/Juvenile/Under 14 Atlantic Badminton Championships in Stephenville, which had a significant economic impact on that town this past February.

For athletes, there is a great deal riding on the outcome of these Pepsi Atlantic Qualifiers. Results will be used to select the Newfoundland team for the 1999 Junior Atlantic Badminton Championships in Prince Edward Island in February. Pepsi Atlantic Qualifier results will also be considered when the final team selection for Newfoundland's Canada Winter Games Badminton Team is made after the final 1999 CWG Training Camp in St. John's in December.

Volunteers are the backbone of this event. Mike Alexander, Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador's Vice President and Canada Cames Coach, and Charles Sharpe, the 1999 Canada Winter Games Host Society Badminton Committee Chair, have been co-operatively planning this event for months. Coaches and volunteers from Cox's Cove, Dover, Eastport, Foxtrap, Gillams, Glovertown, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Kelligrews, King's Cove (Bonavista Bay), Lark Harbour, Mainland, Makkovik, Manuels, North West River, Paradise, Plum Point (Northern Peninsula), Robert's Arm, Seal Cove (CBS), Stephenville, St. John's, Trout River, and Upper Gullies are all bringing competitors to the Pepsi Atlantic Qualifiers. 1999 Canada Winter Games Host Society Badminton Committee volunteers will coordinate all three competitions. The Host Society Awards Committee and Athlete's Village volunteers will also provide support during the weekend.

The public is invited to attend all competitions. The Under 14 competition will be held at Regina High School, with the Juvenile (U16) and Junior (U19) competitions at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Play will run from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. All finals will be called at 9 a.m. Sunday morning at the college gymnasium. Awards presentations will immediately follow the conclusion of final matches.

Out of town athletes, coaches and chaperons will be housed in Hibernia Bunkhouses in the 1999 Canada Winter Games Athletes' Village during the competition. Participants will enjoy a badminton swim at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre Pool and a pizza social at the Canada Games Civic Centre on Saturday evening, where Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador 1997-1998 Junior Player of the Year Awards will be announced.

For more information, please contact:

Mike Alexander - (709) 643-9435

Charles Sharpe        - (709) 688-2512

Janice Reid Boland - (709) 576-7606

1998 11 12       3:30 p.m.