Sarah Warren exchanged a quick look with her mixed double partner Carter Walters.
The pair from Dorset Collegiate were moments away from their final match at the table tennis provincial championships on March 7 and a bit of pressure from the moment was starting to seep in.
If they won and picked up Dorset would be handed its sixth provincial title. Lose and they would be forced to relinquish their crown to rivals Heritage Collegiate.
“It was exciting and it was nerve wracking,” said Sarah.
The match ended up going to a fifth and deciding game. With the entirety of the school looking on, the duo from Dorset picked up game point and the provincial title.
The student body responded to the win first, erupting in rowdy applause. Seconds later, it hit the players.
“It was so intense and we were so in the moment that everyone reacted before we did,” said Sarah. “We jumped on everyone. It was a great feeling.”
The overall team championship wasn’t the only provincial title the Dorset Collegiate captured in the provincial tournament. The school also won the male singles, female doubles and the mixed doubles tournaments.
For the third time, Ty Winsor won the male singles title. Karlee Warren and Laura Callahan won the female doubles championship.
Winsor and Sarah Warren were the individual mixed doubles champions.
This year’s championship isn’t the first time the school has gone one a run of titles, but it might have been the most improbably.
The team add six new players and with turnover comes questions about performing in pressure situations.
With the provincial title in tow, it is safe to say each player answered those questions. They thave a good core and are a dedicated training group.
For coach Mark Warren, who has been at the school for 27 years, he puts the victory soley on the shoulders of the players.
“It was amazing,” he said. “We have a good group of kids there.”
