RANKIN INLET - The longtime head of the Rankin Inlet badminton program has resigned over what she sees as unacceptable treatment of the program by the municipality.

Karen McLarty has been involved with Rankin badminton for 15 years.

Badminton coach and manager Karen McLarty, front row left, has helped Kivalliq badminton players to the national stage at events such as the Western Canada Summer Games. - photo courtesy of Doug McLarty

Under her direction, Kivalliq badminton players have competed at the Arctic Winter Games, the Western Canada Summer Games and the Canada Winter Games.

She also helped the first two Nunavut badminton players to ever compete at the national championship.

But all too often, she has shown up for badminton practice only to find herself and her players locked out of the gym.

"How many times can you drag 40 rackets to the school and never get to play?" said McLarty.

"We're supposed to play four times a week and we're lucky if we get to play once because we're always locked out of the school."

McLarty said she's tired of badminton being treated as an unimportant sport in her community.

She said her players put up with issues those in other sports rarely have to.

"I'm just too frustrated to continue," she said.

"All I do is come home and cry because it's the kids who might suffer with me backing away.

"I love these kids like they were my own and it breaks my heart to go, but I can't take any more."

McLarty said she doesn't know what caused such a total lack of respect in the community for badminton.

She said she's talked to everyone she can think of who might be able to help, but nothing seems to change.

"I have a great core of kids who love the sport and have the potential to play in the next Arctic Winter Games, but they're being let down by the community.

"I didn't want to quit, but my hands are tied because nobody gives a damn."

Few in the hamlet know McLarty has been taking money from her own pocket for years to pay registration fees and buy rackets, birdies and track suits.

She was instrumental this past year in landing a corporate sponsor in Black Knight.

McLarty said the badminton program began to go downhill three years ago when it moved to the gym at Simon Alaittuq school from Maani Ulujuk high school.

She said she called rec director David Clark at home many nights to say they were locked out, only to be told not to bother him at home.

"That wouldn't be the reaction if it were hockey players locked out of the arena.

"The local District Education Authority (DEA) controls the school gym and it won't authorize me to have a key - after 15 years!

"Unless those things change, nobody can run the program correctly.

"It hurts like hell to walk away, but my spirit is broken."

Mayor Lorne Kusugak said badminton is just as important as any other sport.

He said he's disappointed the problems couldn't be resolved.

"I took Karen's (McLarty) issues seriously and raised them with my recreation department," said Kusugak.

"I thought it was dealt with each time, but I don't get calls every time the gym or the arena isn't open.

"I'm sad to see her go because I appreciate the work she and all the other volunteers put into sports.

"If gym supervisors aren't there when an event is going on, that's unacceptable and shouldn't be tolerated."

Kusugak said with the end of the gym season almost here, now is the time to look at programs run at the schools and consult with the people who ran them.

He said that would give everyone a chance to see what needs to be worked on.

"Now is the time to start answering questions and deal with these frustrations.

"We can work to fix the problems the badminton club has been dealing with and ensure they don't happen again.

"It doesn't matter what sport it is, everyone should be treated the same."Clark said it's not easy to make everyone happy, but he's tried hard to resolve the badminton issues.

He said he will continue his efforts to correct any problems that exist with accessing the gym on time.

"I've got four months to review the situation before our upcoming fall program of evening gym use," said Clark.

"We will review the program and there will be changes made if we can see any way to improve upon it."

DEA chair Darrin Nichol said the DEA has a joint-use agreement with the hamlet and runs badminton under its insurance umbrella.

He said from what he's been told, badminton is the only sport unhappy with the arrangement.

"Nobody else seems to run into these problems except badminton, and that does leave me wondering why," said Nichol.

"We have to control the number of keys we have circulating in the community.

"I'm not in a position to hand out keys to every group that requests them.

"The joint-use agreement works well for the hamlet, DEA and many groups that access school facilities, but why it doesn't work well with badminton, I just don't know."