Hall of Fame

Our newest rising star literally followed in the footsteps of Canada's top singles players. Joseph grew up in South Keys, only a few streets away from Andrew Dabeka and Stephan Wojcikiewicz. With an aggressive and deceptive singles game, he captured his first Canadian title at the 2006 Junior Nationals Championships in Montreal. His career goals include besting Andrew's record of five Canadian Singles titles.

Stephan's sporting aspirations began on the pitcher's mound at age 6. By 18, as a lefty with an 85 mph fastball, he had numerous scouts from top American universities such as Harvard and Penn State showing interest. However, Stephan also showed promise in badminton, having won nine provincial and two national championships, and one Canada Games medal. At 19, he chose badminton and in 2004 won his first National Singles championship.

Born and raised in Buckingham, Quebec, Sophie began competing at an early age. She joined the RA Badminton Club in 1997 to train under Mike Bitten and Doris Piché, the same year she won the Canadian Junvenile Singles title. Sophie played a patient and consistent game, and over the course of her junior career she won two national and 10 provincial championships, and three Canada Games medals. In 2004 she graduated from York University with a degree in International Studies and Political Science.

The youngest of six children, Mike grew up on a tabacco farm just outside of Brantford, Ontario. After competing in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he and mixed partner Kara Solmundson moved to Ottawa. With a hard-hitting and deceptive style, Mike is one of the few players in Canada to compete in all three events, as illustrated by his 21 international titles. In 2005, he earned a degree in commerce from the University of Ottawa.

Canada Winter Games Gold Medalist (2003) Canadian Juvenile Doubles Champion (1999) Pan American Junior Gold Medalist (1999) Canadian U14 Trip[le Crown Winner (1998)

Valérie first came to the RA Centre as a high school student in the Sport-Études program. A native of Gatineau, Quebec, she found success early, winning the triple crown at the U14 Canadian Championships in 1998, and Junvenile Doubles the following year. With a singles style of precision and deception, Valérie has already won 13 provincial titles, and represented Canada at the 2003 Uber Cup in Indonesia.

Canada Winter Games Silver Medalist (1999) Canadian Junior Singles Champion (1994) Canadian Junior Doubles Champion (1994)

Known for his smooth strokes and steely-eyed Québecois determination, Jean-François grew up in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. At 15, he moved to Ottawa to train under Badminton Pro Mike Bitten, John Czich and Doris Piché. His game progressed quickly and, by 1994, he had won a number of provincial and national titles, including the Canadian Junior Singles title. The following year, at only 19 years old, his national singles ranking was in the top five. After back injuries forced him into early retirement, he set his eyes on a career in medicine and was accepted to Medical School at the University of Laval.

A singles psecialist known for his fitness, speed and determination, Andrew has dominated Canadian men's singles since he won his first title at only 20 years old. The son of two chemists, he was born and raised in Ottawa, and attended nearby schools (Alta Vista, Hillcrest, Ridgemont). His dedication to the game and long hours of training have made him a familiar face in the halls of the RA.

Canadian Singles Champion (2002) Irish Open Singles Champion (2001) Olympic Games Top 16 Mixed Doubles (2000)

An all-round athlete in high school, Kara didn't choose badminton as a full-time career until after her first year of university. She moved to Ottawa after competing in the 2000 Olympics. Known for her fitness and unwavering determination, Kara improved dramatically under the guidance of RA Pro Mike Bitten. Within two years she had won 13 international titles and went undefeated in Canada in singles during the 2001-02 season. After the 2002 Commonwealth Games she returned to her home in Winnipeg to pursue a career in medicine.

Olympic Games Top 16 Singles (1992) Canadian Singles Champion (1992) French Open Singles Champion (1991, 1992) Canadian Doubles Champion (1990, 1992) Canadian Open Doubles Champion (1990) Canadian Open Mixed Doubles Champion (1989)

A native of Lasarre, Quebec, Doris comes from a region of Canada with a history of producing the country's top players. The highlight of her international career came when she defeated the 9th and 12th ranked singles players in the world to win the 1992 French Open. Doris overcame many serious injuries over the course of her career and her reputation as one of the fittest players on the world tour was a testament to her years of hard work.

Canadian Juvenile Doubles Champion (1976) Canadian Juvenile Mixed Doubles Champion (1976)

Born and raised in Ottawa, Colin excelled at many sports, but his passion was badminton. He was coached by Alan Baird, an active RA Badminton Club volunteer at the time (and unofficial head coach). Colin also attended practices at the National Training Centre hosted by the University of Ottawa. The hard work and exposure to high caliber play paid off: he won the 1976 Canadian Juvenile doubles and mixed doubles in the Champoionship's inaugural year, becoming the RA Badminton Club's first national champion. After completing High School at Lisgar Collegiate, Colin completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and an MBA at Stanford University in California. He now lives with his wife and son in Silicon Valley.

Canadian Doubles Champion (2003) Pan American Bronze Medalist (2003) Canadian Junior Doubles Champion (1992) Canadian Juvenile Mixed Doubles Champion (1989) Canadian Juvenile Doubles Champion (1988, 1989)

A native of Paris, Ontario, Kyle won five junior national titles with four different partners. After completing a degree in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business, he returned to competitive play in 2001, joining doubles partner Mike Beres at the National High Performance Centre at the RA. In 2003, they won the Canadian men's doubles championship in Valleyfield, Quebec, in front of a large cheering section from Ottawa.

Canadian Junior Singles Champion (1987) Canadian Juvenile Singles Champion (1983)

A gifted singles player who mixed phenominal shot-making with fast-paced rallies, Suneeta played at a level well beyond her years. She was a familiar sight on the courts, often training hard with coach Dominic Soong. "What most distinguished me from my contemporaries was my young age, due to an exceptionally supportive family", she said. She also felt "the RA Badminton Club was very progressive with respect to crossing age and gender barriers, and the high calibre of club members was an inspiration". After badminton, Suneeta went to medical school at the University of Ottawa. Today, she lives with her husband and two children in Belleville, Ontario.

6-time Canadian Doubles Champion (1989-1994) Canadian Mixed Doubles Champion (1993, 1994) Olympic Games Team Member (1992) Canadian Singles Champipon (1991) Canadian Open Mixed Doubles Champion (1990) Canadian Open Doubles Champion (1989)

Smooth, powerful, and fast, Bryan excelled in all three events, at the national, and international level, with a career record of two international, nine national, five national junior, and more than 25 Canadian Grand Prix titles. After winning the Canadian doubles title in 1989, he left Calgary to join his new doubles partner Mike Bitten in Ottawa. The two dominated Canadian men's doubles for the next five years, winning an unprecedented five straight national championships. Bryan's versatility was evident in 1990 when he was ranked 12th in the world for men's doubles and 10th for mixed doubles.

Provincial U19 Singles Champion (1972) Commonwealth Games Silver Medalist (1978) Canadian Singles Champion (1979) Canadian Open Singles Champion (1979) US Open Singles Champion (1979) Mexican Open Singles Champion (1979) Scottish Open Singles Champion (1980) Scottish Open Doubles Champion (1980) PanAm Gold Medalist (1981) Canadian Doubles Champion (1981) Member of 2 Thomas Cup Teams Member of 2 World Championship Teams Member of 5 All England Teams

Born in Renfrew, Ontario, John is well known for his fitness and fierce competitiveness. Some of his peers credit these attributes to his education at the Royal Military College in Kingston, where he obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In 1976, he reached the finals of the Canadian Championships as an unseeded player, and won the title in 1979.

8-time Canadian Doubles Champion (1983, 1985, 1986, 1990-1994) Olympic Games Team Member (1992) 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Commonwealth Games medals Canadian Open Doubles & Mixed Champion (1989) Canadian Junior Doubles Champion (1980, 1981) Canadian Juvenile Doubles Champion (1978)

Canada's most accomplished doubles player first developed his skills on military bases across Canada and Europe. After spending several years at the National Training Centre in Calgary, he moved to Ottawa in 1988. Joined a year later by doubles partner Bryan Blanshard, the pair went on to become the most successfull doubles team in Canadian history, winning five straight national championships, reaching an unprecedented 12th in the world, and remaining undefeated in Canada for almost five years. In 1990, Mike became the RA Badminton Club's first Professional.