Our People
Whether they're on court coaching, behind the scenes scheduling, making sure our bills are paid, or working with new clubs, our folks are doing their best to give our community opportunities to play and compete.
Our not-for-profit club is volunteer-led and the folks you see here all play a part in growing our community and keeping our shuttlers on court. Be sure to say hi when you see them!
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Have questions? Want to get involved? Get in touch!
Co-Founders
Kevin Barkman (he/him)
Co-Founder, Head Coach, Administrator
An internationally-competitive professional athlete and high-performance coach, Kevin got his start playing badminton as a child living in the Philippines. With over 12 years of coaching experience in multiple countries and cultural settings, Kevin has designed both athlete development and coaching programs.
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Today, Kevin splits his time between Manitoba and Denmark, where he trains, coaches, and competes with Badminton Esbjerg in the Danish Division 2 league. There, he is also working on his BWF Level 1 & Level 2 certifications under the guidance of Rob Wetherell. When in Manitoba, he spends his time coaching and training at our community clubs and at the Winnipeg Winter Club.
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Whether Kevin is at home or in Europe, as Head Coach he takes the lead designing Beyond the Perimeter Badminton's lesson structure and athlete development programs.
Mélanie Curé (elle/she/her)
Co-Founder, Senior Coach, Lead Administrator
A volunteer coach for over two decades in St-Pierre-Jolys, Mel first walked on court as Coach Lionel's original test subject, demo-ing drills and waiting to age onto the school team. In the years since, she has worked primarily with beginner- and intermediate-level athletes in community-based and school programs.
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With a background in research and years spent volunteering (or working) in not-for-profit sport, Mel knows sport is a driving force for change. She remains committed to grassroots development and ensuring an inclusive and welcoming community with True Sport values front and centre.​
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Today, Mel can often be found in the consulting and education worlds, working alongside community leaders, learners, and educators. As lead admin of the club, she is responsible for most of the day-to-day operations.
Lionel Curé (il/he/him)
Co-Founder, Senior Coach, Outreach Lead
A long-time proponent of multi-sport athlete development, Lionel first stepped onto a badminton court in the mid-70s, having been inspired watching his older sister compete. Having coached other community sports in adulthood, he stepped onto a badminton court to do the same in 1995 in St-Pierre-Jolys. ​
While his career as a journeyman electrician kept him busy, Lionel co-led (or led) the school badminton programs in St-Pierre for 15 years until he took a step back; even then, he kept coaching on a casual basis, playing weekly, and consulting when needed.
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Wanting to dedicate more time to grassroots development, Lionel began coaching for the MBA's outreach initiatives in the 2010s. Today he continues to coach within our clubs and with other programs including Sports en français and the community programs at Sandy Bay and Long Plain First Nations.
Co-Leadership Team
Our Volunteers & Helping Hands
