The Varsity Blues badminton program is pleased to announce that Kirk Hansen, Kyle Thompson and Taylor Giffen have made known their commitment to play badminton and pursue an education at the University of Toronto in the fall of 2010.

The 2009-10 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) boy’s singles champion, Hansen has also competed nationally and was a semifinalist at the Montreal junior elite circuit tournament this past January. The Brantford, Ont., native also finished among the top 16 players in the country at the Canadian junior championships last month in the under-19 boy’s singles category.

“We are really excited that Kirk has selected Toronto for his studies during the next few years,” said Varsity Blues head coach Wayne King. “I am sure that he will be a leader within our team as he has steadily improved within the national rankings while performing equally as well in the academic arena.”

A recent graduate of R.A. Borden Secondary School, Hansen will begin his studies in the Faculty of Engineering starting in September.

A second-year transfer student from the University of Guelph, Thompson of Cobourg, Ont., is a natural leader on the badminton court. He was named captain of the central Ontario team that competed in the 2010 Ontario Winter Games and was also the 2009 Ontario junior B mixed doubles champion. Thompson will continue his post-secondary studies in physical education and health in the fall.

“We are looking forward to Kyle’s contributions in terms of leadership and enthusiasm,” said King. “His attitude will help within the team both at practice and during competitions. We are really excited that Kyle has chosen to transfer from Guelph.”

Giffen (Ajax, Ont.) is no stranger to the workings of the Varsity Blues badminton program, as he has been coached by Wayne King at Ajax High School for the past four years. He is a three-time OFSAA participant and was the 2007 Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (LOSSA) junior singles gold medalist.

Also an avid hockey player with the Ajax Rams, Giffen will enter the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus journalism program in September.

“From the start it was obvious that Taylor’s biggest strength was his ability to think on the court, which allows him to compete with more highly ranked players in tournaments,” commented King. “Taylor will now have the opportunity to train with more skilled players and will be able to help our other players understand the concept of being a team player in an individual sport.”

Students who sign a letter of intent and commit to Varsity Blues intercollegiate teams will be eligible to play at the University of Toronto provided they are academically admissible and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities Application Centre.

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