INUVIK
A badminton tournament last week wasn't so much about the competition for Wanda Tobin.

Taylor Giffin, left, and Alex Desroches compete in the mixed doubles category at a badminton tournament Saturday, March 18. The pair came out on top. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"I got to hone some of my skills that I'd lost since probably high school and have a bit of fun," she said just over midway through the event.

"No pressure, we all just played and did our best, had a few laughs and got a good workout today."

She said she enjoys the sport because of its supportive environment and lack of pressure, though she was still happy with her performance on the scoreboard.

Taylor Giffin, who organized the tournament and is trying to grow the local scene, said he was happy with the turnout.

"We had a big group of women play this tournament, which was nice to see," he said. "Some new faces came out to play as well, which is important as we continue to try and grow badminton in Inuvik. We're seeing some success with that."

The tournament was up against a lot of other sports going on, including the recent Northern and Dene Games Summit, which Giffin thought might have impacted the numbers as school communities wouldn't want to travel back and forth too often in such a short timeframe.

He and partner Alex Desroches won the mixed doubles category.

"I think we play well together," said Giffin. "It does become a team sport with two of you on there. We supported each other, we served really well, we moved the birdie around the court and saw the court well. That definitely contributed to our win."

Giffin said he plays a more defensive style in doubles, while singles is more of an attacking game.

"I play off the opponent's smash rather than utilizing my own smash," he said.

Badminton players meet on Tuesday nights at East Three School for $5 drop-in games. Giffin said the numbers per week have stayed consistent, but the faces change.

"It's kind of a rotation of who does come, so every week it's new faces that you didn't see the week before," said Giffin. "Numbers-wise there are probably a lot more people in town playing badminton, but for specific events our numbers are always kind of similar."

He hopes to eventually grow the competitive scene but for now it's just a good recreational opportunity.

"There are quite a few strong players in town, both adult and youth," said Giffin.

It would be nice to see some teams from Inuvik head out to territorial competitions in the future, he added.

Tobin also encourages people to come out and play, and not just badminton.

"I think that more people should participate in the sports that are available," she said. "It seems like we have the same people all the time and a lot of people don't come out to participate. It would be nice if more people came out and joined the teams and took advantage of all the activities that we have in Inuvik."

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