The NAIT Ooks badminton team is coming into the 2022-23 season on a high note. Last season they reigned victorious at the ACAC Championship, bringing home gold in both the men's doubles and mixed doubles. Due to their ranking at championships, seven of the ten badminton players earned their right to compete at the CCAA Nationals hosted by NAIT. All seven players played their hearts out, with men's singles player Smit Patel going all the way to be crowned the CCAA Men's Singles National Champion. The team, led by second-year Head Coach Alan Chow is ready to compete at the highest level again this season.

"Last season, we were fortunate to have two mixed teams, a men's double and our men's singles team representing NAIT at nationals. I am confident we should be able to have just as many go to nationals this year," said Chow.

A handful of new names have been added to the badminton roster this season. The new student-athletes are Sylvie Bibeau, Marie Francsico, Vishw Patel, Anirudh Sharma, and Emil Wong.

"We have a great mix of returning athletes and new. The new athletes have been a good addition to the positive culture, and the team's depth is stronger as a whole," said Chow.

Last season, due to the return-to-play protocol, the conference only played badminton during the winter semester. This season has gone back to normal, with tournaments being held in both the fall and winter. The Olds College Broncos are no longer competing in badminton this season, but the league has a new addition as SAIT makes its badminton debut.

"This will be a tough season with the other colleges being strong, but I believe we should still be very competitive and hopefully see it in the results. This is going to be an exciting season," said Chow.

The NAIT Ooks kick off their season on Sunday, November 20th, at Concordia University. After a relaxing Christmas break, they start the second semester with home-court advantage for the second tournament of the season on Sunday, January 22nd, at NAIT, before heading down the road to The King's University for the final tournament on February 5th. The ACAC Championships will be hosted by Concordia University starting Saturday, February 18th. The badminton season will come to a close at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Truro, Nova Scotia, from March 8-11, 2023, for the CCAA National Championships.