Penny Parkes, World Champion
Penny Parkes has a long history of winning and having fun. A native of
Woodstock and a perennial member of the Woodstock Badminton Club, Penny recently
won the World Badminton Singles competition held in Australia in October of 2009
in the over 50 category.
Competing against the best players from other countries, Penny defeated players
who were former international champions and Olympic champions from countries who
normally dominate the sport such as China, England, etc. This latest achievement was not a fluke.
Penny has been playing and competing in the sport of badminton since the age of
6. She credits her father, Bill Parkes, a notable national badminton
player in his own right, as her early coach and mentor and for helping to foster
her competitive spirit.
Being a world champion may represent the highpoint of Penny's badminton
career but she is by no means new to winning. A list of her achievements
below attest to this fact:
| 1970-1975: Junior Championships |
Canadian Junior Mixed Doubles Gold Medalist |
| |
Canadian Junior Singles Bronze Medalist |
| |
Ontario Junior Singles Champion (2 years) |
| |
Ontario Mixed Doubles Champion |
| |
OFFSAA Doubles Champion (5 years with partners Roberta and Sharon
Parkes) |
| 1988-1992: College Championships |
OCAA* Singles Gold Medalist (2 years) |
| |
CCAA** Singles Silver Medalist (1988) |
| |
CCAA Singles Bronze Medalist (1992) |
| 1995-present: Senior and Masters Championships |
Canadian Doubles Gold Medalist (1995 - partner Sharon Rice) |
| |
Canadian Singles Gold Medalist (1997) |
| |
Canadian Singles Gold Medalist (1998) |
| |
Canadian Doubles Gold Medalist (1998) |
| |
Canadian Singles Gold Medalist (2002) |
| |
Canadian Doubles Gold Medalist (2002) |
| Other notables: |
Ontario Singles, Doubles and Mixed Gold Medalist (8 years) |
| |
Western Ontario Singles, Doubles and Mixed Gold Medalist
(1970-present) |
| |
Woodstock Badminton Club Singles, Doubles and Mixed Champion
(1975-present) |
* Ontario College Athletic Association
** Canadian College Athletic Association
For more on the incredible career of Penny Parkes check back soon to download
a transcript of a recent interview.
