FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 12, 1996 FEATURE STORY IDEAS - 1996 BADMINTON OLYMPIC HOPEFULS (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo) -- The following are feature story ideas for America's top Olympic Badminton Hopefuls. The one year international Olympic qualifying process for badminton will conclude March 31, 1996, and the Olympic field will be named by the International Badminton Federation no later than April 15, 1996. The Olympic badminton competition will be contested July 24th through August 1st at the Georgia State University Sports Center in downtown Atlanta. As host country, the U.S. is guaranteed at least two spots in the Olympic badminton field. MIKE EDSTROM DENVER, COLORADO Height: 6-2 Weight: 185 Birthdate: 2/22/73 (Denver, Colo.) Hometown: Denver, Colo. Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo. Event(s): Men's Doubles (partner: Chris Hales) Mixed Doubles (partner: Linda French) Mike began his badminton career at Manual High School in Denver, where he also played baseball and soccer. "Badminton kept me in shape during the off-season," Mike said. That off-season sport soon became his passion, as and he studied Indonesian champions to improve his footwork and strokes. Edstrom received a full- ride badminton scholarship to Arizona Sate University (ASU) in 1991, and became a Collegiate All-American in 1992 and 1993. Mike's goal is to qualify for the 1996 Olympics, but doing so will not be an easy task, as he and partner Chris Hales (Wooster, Ohio) must move from 54th to the top twenty in order to qualify. "Atlanta is a long shot, but the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, are a more realistic goal," Mike said. If he makes it, he will be the second in the family to go to the Olympics. His father, David, was a decathlon athlete at the 1960 Games in Rome, but withdrew from the competition due to injury. Edstrom recently got engaged to fellow badminton athlete Andrea Andersson (Mariestad, Sweden). The couple met in college while competing on the badminton courts of ASU. The wedding is set for June 16, 1996, and Andrea hopes to play for the U.S. at the 2000 Olympics as Mrs. Edstrom. CHRIS HALES WOOSTER, OHIO Height: 5-11 Weight: 138 Birthdate: 9/29/76 (Pomona, Calif.) Hometown: Wooster, Ohio Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo. Event(s): Men's Singles, Doubles (partner: Mike Edstrom) Chris excelled at several sports in high school, including baseball, soccer, and badminton. He was even selected to participate in a tryout camp for the Kansas City Royals. But, when he finally had to narrow it down to one sport, he landed on the badminton court. "Badminton is more demanding than any other sport I've ever played. It is the one sport that requires everything out of your entire body," Chris said. He started playing badminton at age 2, mainly because both of his parents were former national badminton champions. Chris is not only a badminton genius, but an academic one as well. He is a member of the National Honor Society, graduated from Wooster High School with a 4.0 GPA, and was a finalist for the prestigious Dial Award in 1994 for his athletic and scholastic achievements. And to top it all off, he plays electric and acoustic guitar in a band. Chris is currently ranked 54th in the world in men's doubles with partner Mike Edstrom. They have an outside shot of qualifying for the 1996 Olympics. The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia is Hales' major goal. KEVIN HAN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Height: 6-2 Weight: 180 Birthdate: 11/25/72 (Shanghai, China) Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo. Current Residence: Malmo, Sweden Event(s): Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (partner: Tom Reidy) Kevin Han came to the United States in 1989 from his native Shanghai, China with the dream of someday competing for the U.S. as an Olympic badminton player. With no money or education however, Han was forced to put the badminton racquet away for more than a year-and-a-half, as he worked as a bus/delivery boy for different Chinese restaurants to make ends meet. "I made deliveries to some dark neighborhoods by bike that were pretty far away. I couldn't speak English very well, and in the big city it was all very hard for me." As things began to settle financially however, Han found more time for badminton. He won a few minor tournaments in New York, and was eventually noticed by current U.S. Badminton Association President Diane Cornell. The rest, as they say, was history, as Cornell in 1991 introduced Han to the USBA's training program at the U.S Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Mich. After leaving Marquette for training stints in Chicago and New York, Han's skills grew strong enough to earn him a spot on the USBA's Resident Athlete Training team in Colorado Springs in January 1995. With a consistent training and coaching schedule, Han's rise to success has been extraordinary. His world ranking in singles has skyrocketed from 82nd in May 1995, to 36th as of January 1996. He is also currently ranked 30th in the world in men's doubles with partner Tom Reidy (Brooklyn, NY). He and Reidy made U.S. badminton history in October 1995 by winning the Bulgarian Open. This marked the first time a U.S. team had ever won an IBF World Grand Prix event. In August, Han moved to Sweden to train with some of Europe's best at the Aura Badminton Club in Malmo. His ultimate goal is to medal at the 1996 Olympics. "I've got a shot. There are no guarantees, but I have the confidence to do it. It may be another 20-30 years before U.S. badminton medals in the Olympics, but anything is possible," Kevin said. TOM REIDY BROOKLYN, N.Y. Height: 6-0 Weight: 170 Born: 11/26/68 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. Current Residence: Gothenburg, Sweden Events: Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (partner: Kevin Han) Tom grew up in the working-class town of Limerick City, Ireland, where he played elite-level soccer and badminton as a youth. With a very high unemployment rate in his home country, Reidy traveled to the U.S. in 1986 at age 17 with the dream of playing professional soccer or badminton. In 1988, Reidy found himself in Manhattan Beach, California, jobless and without a high school diploma. Most of his time was spent working part-time jobs and playing badminton. Then Reidy was fortunate enough to meet then USBA President, Martin French, who thought the Irishman had a future with U.S. badminton. "I stayed with Marty, and he never charged me a penny. He really put me on the right track. All I did for the year at Marty's was study for my GED so I could get into Arizona State University," Tom said. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native's work paid off in the fall of 1989 when ASU granted him a badminton scholarship. Reidy's efforts in badminton also paid off with a trip to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where he and doubles partner Ben Lee (San Jose, Calif.) were defeated in the second round by the eventual silver medalists. Now Reidy's goal is to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Games with new partner Kevin Han (Colorado Springs, Colo.). The duo made U.S. badminton history by winning the 1995 Bulgarian Open in October, and are currently ranked 30th in the world in men's doubles. Reidy moved to Sweden in August 1995 to train and compete with the Askim Badminton Club in Gothenburg, Sweden. LINDA FRENCH ELMHURST, ILL. Height: 5-4 Weight: 120 Born: 3/4/64 (Oak Park, Ill.) Hometown: Elmhurst, Ill. Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo. Event(s): Women's Doubles (partner: Erika Von Heiland) Mixed Doubles (partner: Mike Edstrom) The sport of badminton is synonymous with the French family, as siblings Linda, Ann, and Marty are all elite players. Although Ann and Marty have accomplished a great deal in the sport, neither has come close to matching Linda's accomplishments. She began her illustrious career in Elmhurst, Ill., winning 3 Illinois State High School badminton titles in the late seventies and early eighties. Since then, the badminton titles have been more than plentiful, as she has won a total of 12 national badminton titles since 1986. Her career hit its pinnacle in 1992 when she and partner Joy Kitzmiller (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) competed at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. After losing in the first round to the eventual silver medalists, Linda planned on taking a few months off from badminton to re-evaluate her future plans. Her love for the sport was just too strong to hang up the racquet however, and four years later, she is again a top Olympic Hopeful for the 1996 Olympic Games. French is currently ranked 30th in the world in women's doubles with partner Erika Von Heiland (Anaheim, Calif.), and 52nd in mixed doubles with Mike Edstrom (Denver, Colo.). ERIKA VON HEILAND ANAHEIM, CALIF. Height: 5-3 Weight: 123 Born: 12/24/65 (Angeles City, Philippines) Hometown: Anaheim, Calif. Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo. Event(s): Women's singles, Women's Doubles (partner: Linda French) In 1983, the seventeen year old Erika Von Heiland was a frustrated member of the Philippine junior national tennis team. "I was ranked 10th in the country in tennis and wasn't good enough to cut it," said Von Heiland. Then one day Von Heiland decided to give badminton a try, just to kill time. The sport has been her true love ever since. She made the Philippine National badminton team, and represented the country internationally from 1983-1985. Then disaster struck when Von Heiland suffered two serious knee injuries before her migration to the U.S. in 1985. She laid off the sport for three years, and got seriously involved in bodybuilding, which greatly strengthened her knees. A trip back to the Philippines in 1988 rekindled Von Heiland's badminton career, as she stepped back onto the court free of pain. From that point on, Von Heiland's fortunes have taken an upswing. In 1989, she made the U.S. National Team, and shortly thereafter received a scholarship to play at Arizona State University. Then Von Heiland made the very difficult decision in 1991 to forgo the final year of her scholarship to persue her Olympic Dreams. In January 1992, it appeared those dreams had little chance of being realized, as the USBA cut her funding for qualifying. But instead of quitting, Von Heiland took out a loan and finished the Olympic qualifying process. "I was 99.9% sure I didn't make it," noted Von Heiland. But on May 1, 1992, the impossible happened as she qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. After a first round singles loss in Barcelona, Von Heiland is going to give the Olympics another try, only this time in doubles with partner Linda French (Elmhurst, Ill.). Currently ranked at 29th in the world, it looks as if Von Heiland will indeed get a second shot at Olympic glory. (FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAUL PAWLACZYK AT 719-578- 4808)