Rylee Normand is a Grade 12 student at J. H. Bruns. She has played Badminton since the 2018-2019 season when an amazing teacher and coach introduced her to the sport Mr. G.   

After retiring from competitive artistic gymnastics in 2021, she started committing more time to Badminton. Since then, she has placed in the top three in her last two school provincial tournaments.  

Rylee tried out for and made Team Manitoba for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) held July 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

The NAIG brings together more than 5,000 athletes, coaches and team staff from 756+ Indigenous Nations celebrating, sharing and reconnecting through sport and culture with the help of 3,000 volunteers.  

In January 2023, Rylee suffered a grade 3 ankle sprain which landed her in a cast and crutches for six weeks. There were days when she was unsure if she would be able to participate in NAIG. She worked hard at physiotherapy and on the rehabilitation of both her mind and body.   

After meeting with the surgeon, they agreed that she could play with ankle braces and be mindful of how it feels day to day. Rylee is scheduled for an MRI with the possibility of surgery later. Rylee was determined that this injury would not hold her back and participated in NAIG for U19 girls' singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. She played hard-fought matches to win gold in singles and girls' doubles! She took home silver for mixed doubles.   

This experience was amazing. The people of Halifax opened their hearts and arms to the athletes. Rylee is looking forward to a great Grade 12 year and, hopefully, back on the courts playing the game she loves.