Amanda Tomm has her college future mapped out and all roads lead to the college badminton courts of Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.
Tomm, 17, is one of only a handful of Prince George high school players in recent memory whose badminton skills merit a spot on a university/college team.
As a marketing major, Tomm will join the TRU WolfPack in September to compete in PACWEST against Douglas College, Langara College, Vancouver Island University, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
"Their badminton program sounds really good, I've been talking back and forth with [TRU coach Alex Perkin] and he was telling me about the practices they do [three times a week] and the personal training he wants you to do on your own and it seems like it will really help me grow as a player," said Tomm, a Grade 12 student at Kelly Road secondary school.
"I'm going to learn so much. I think the coach is really going to push me. I feel I don't do enough of that on my own and I'm totally willing to accept whatever he has to say."
Tomm started thinking about a college badminton future when she had a breakthrough season last spring as captain of the young 10-player Kelly Road team. Kelly Road placed 13th out of 16 teams at the B.C. high school championship in Richmond, the Roadrunners' best provincial showing in two decades. Individually, it was the high point of Tomm's career so far.
"Me and my partner [her stepsister Courtney Anderson] won a lot of games at provincials and I played against some really high-ranked players and did really well," said Tomm. "Before that I wasn't as high on the team roster and I was more there to fill in spots where they needed me, so I didn't play as much."
The 2014 high school provincial tournament is set for Richmond, May 29-31 and Kelly Road will have to win the zone tournament to qualify. At the high school level athletes are eligible only for team medals, but in the college ranks Tomm will be competing in team and individual categories.
Her love of badminton started when she was Grade 6 student at Heather Park middle school. Tomm started swinging a racquet playing backyard games with her stepsister Courtney and decided to sign up to play with the Shuttlesport North Central Badminton Academy, where she met Lisa Davison, who was at the time the varsity team coach at the College of New Caledonia.
Davison was also her high school coach at Kelly Road secondary school and at age 13 Tomm won the consolation round and placed fourth overall at the 2010 B.C. Winter Games in Terrace.
She is the first Prince George high school player to be recruited to a college badminton program since Julian Li of D.P. Todd joined the CNC team in 2007. The CNC program was chopped from the college budget after three seasons, in 2008.
Davison said Tomm loves challenges and predicts she will thrive at TRU.
"When you see greatness in an athlete you push them pretty hard and I've done that with Amanda and I hope that's inspired her," said Davison. "She's been with me since Grade 6 or 7 so it will be an adjustment for her to get coached by someone else but I think she's going to flourish.
"She's very fast, very flexible and very determined. She has great shots and you can't underestimate her when she's playing. I see nothing but improvement for her going to TRU."
Tomm and Anderson are both entered in the under-19 women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles events at this weekend's North Central Junior, Open & Masters tournament which starts tonight at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre. The three-day tournament will serve as a test event for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
Tomm won't be part of the Team B.C.'s five women, five-men badminton squad at the Games next year and will be too old to meet the 21-and-under women's age restriction for the 2019 Canada Winter Games in either Red Deer or Lethbridge.
Tomm's first match is at 6:30 p.m. tonight against her Kelly Road teammate Katie Timms. Tomm will be paired in the adult doubles events with Rea Barber of Prince George and Jeremy Cote of Fort St. John. Competing in three categories, Tomm expects to play at least 15 matches this weekend.
