Amanda Flasch is ready to go from city hall to the hall of fame. Flasch, who currently serves as Meadow Lake’s city manager, was recently announced as a 2026 inductee into the Waterloo Warriors Hall of Fame at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, ON. “I was so thrilled when I received a call about this a few months ago,” Flasch told Northern Pride. “I received the initial call some time in February and was very surprised. I hadn’t realized they had reopened and were doing inductions again for the hall of fame. It’s very exciting. My name was put forward by the organization – I wasn’t nominated by anyone at all – but it’s all super exciting.”
Flasch, then known as Amanda Carruthers, began playing badminton at school when she was about 10 years old and quickly fell in love with there sport. She soon became a member of the Erindale Junior Badminton Club in Mississauga, ON and never looked back. “My twin sister, Jody, started playing badminton in gym class, and this was at a point where we did everything together,” Flasch explained. “It was soccer in the summertime and badminton over the winter school season. It started off through school, but we immediately joined club badminton as well… I had an automatic likeness for the sport, and we picked it up pretty quickly.” As the years went by, Flasch competed throughout the Badminton Ontario circuit in singles events, doubles and mixed doubles. “During high school, my sister and I won bronze in Grade 9 and then gold for the following three years at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSSA) provincial high school championships,” she continued. “During the latter part of high school and university, I played in the Badminton Ontario circuit, and several Badminton Canada events.”
Flasch began at the University of Waterloo in the fall of 2006 in the Health Studies program before transitioning into the Recreation and Business program in her second year. She earned a BA in recreation and business from 2006-2010 and then moved into a masters of recreation and leisure studies from 2010-2013. “I tried out for the varsity badminton team in the fall of 2006 and successfully made the 2006-2007 team,” Flasch noted. “We won silver at the championships that season. I was the female captain starting the 2007-2008 season until I became the head coach in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons.”
During her time as team captain, the Warriors would go on to capture three more Ontario University Athletics (OUA) silver medals, as well as a gold medal in 2010. She was named an OUA all-star for four consecutive years from 2008-2011. “Amanda Carruthers was the picture of consistency in her time as a Warrior,” reads a recent news release issued by the University of Waterloo. “A team captain, she led the Warriors to an OUA bronze medal in 2013, four OUA silver medals (2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011), and one OUA gold medal in 2010. She was also a member of the Interuniversity Council, and a member of the team coaching staff in 2012 and 2013.” Flasch was also among the very first class of Warriors Shield of Excellence winners in 2011. The Warriors Shield of Excellence is an award that recognizes outstanding contributions by upper-year student athletes.
In 2013, Flasch moved west to Biggar, SK to take on the job of recreation director. Although she isn’t currently active in the sport, after moving west, she managed and coached the Rivers West badminton team in 2014, 2018 and 2023. “I helped coach at a couple Saskatchewan Winter Games and, when I lived in Biggar, I would travel to Saskatoon and play with a couple friends at the Riverside Badminton Club, but I haven’t payed recently,” she said. She did, however, share her thoughts on why she believes badminton is a great sport for young people to become involved in if given the opportunity. “It’s a sport for all ages, all skill levels and you can take it as far as you want to go,” she said.
Flasch will be one of six athletes inducted into the Waterloo Warriors Hall of Fame this year. Also being inducted will be the 1985-1991 era of Warriors men’s volleyball. “I’ll be travelling back to Waterloo for the induction ceremony being held Sept. 18,” she said.