FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 22, 1996 
 
TEAM USA BADMINTON PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES 

Kevin Han - men's singles
Erika Von Heiland - women's singles, women's doubles
Linda French, women's doubles
Ann French, team leader
Goran Sterner, head coach

Han - on where he'd be if he had remained in China:  "I might be on the 
Chinese Olympic Team.  Then again, I might not.  I try not to look back 
on what I could have done.  Instead I look forward to what I still can 
do."

Han - on the difficulty of finding badminton in the U.S.:  "I have 
always wanted to play badminton.  I never thought I would quit.  
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a place to play when I moved to New York 
City.  I didn't have too many friends so I didn't know who to ask.  
Finally I found a club in Queens to play at, and then another at 
Columbia University.  I was the best player there and there really 
wasn't much competition."

Han - on life in China versus life in the U.S.:  "I had a nice life in 
China, and it was very tough when I first moved to the U.S.  But here in 
the U.S. you can always get what you want if you work hard - if you set 
your goals and go after them.  China will always be my home and I'll 
miss it.  But I like the U.S. and the opportunities and challenges it 
has."

Von Heiland - on making her second Olympic team:  "It's different from 
1992.  1992 was a childhood dream come true.  1996 is great because it's 
on our home turf and we'll be with family and friends.  We're looking 
for an extra boost to come from the American fans."

Von Heiland - on how she started in badminton:  "I grew up in the 
Philippines playing tennis.  I didn't pick up on badminton until after 
high school.  At the time I was waiting for a tennis court to play on.  
While I was waiting I wandered over to a badminton court.  I was hooked 
right from the start."

Von Heiland - on the lack of badminton popularity in the U.S.:  It's 
weird when you come to the U.S. from another country.  You just assume 
that people here will know about badminton.  I was on a plane to a 
tournament in Boston and a guy asked me 'How do you play in the snow?'"

Von Heiland - on the perception of the U.S. team in the rest of the 
world:  "Everyone just assumes that because we're from the U.S., our 
team has lots of money.  Sometimes we get overcharged for 
accommodations.  But we're not a wealthy team.  It varies from sport to 
sport."

Von Heiland - on the winning mentality of the men's basketball team:  
"For a sport to get to that level you have to start at the bottom and 
work up.  We will get there eventually.  My part may only be five 
percent, but I have to do what I can to promote the sport."

Linda French - on taking badminton challenges:  I used to play against 
Arizona State University football an basketball players who thought they 
could beat me.  We played for a keg.  I've never had bigger targets to 
hit in my life.  After Erika and I beat them, they spread the word that 
we were badminton sharks."

Linda French - on promoting the sport verses competing:  "We'd love to 
do well here, but it's difficult and the draw really doesn't help.  We 
drew the number three team in the world.  But the competition is still 
the main thing.  We'll worry about promoting the sport after we're done 
competing."

Ann French - on Southern California badminton:  "They have 
interscholastic badminton in Southern California, with several schools 
competing in it.  It's also popular at gyms, mostly with people of Asian 
backgrounds.  We're trying to encourage diversity in the sport and more 
hotbeds like the San Diego area."

Ann French - on the popularity of badminton in Asia:  "It's part of 
their culture, like baseball and softball are for us.  Everyone plays it 
there."

Ann French - on the multicultural aspect of badminton:  "I've been in 
gyms where I'm the only Caucasian player.  You learn what it's like to 
me in the minority.  It's a good lesson in diversity."

Sterner - on the age of Asian and European players:  "Asian players are 
young when they peak.  Europeans are considerably older.  Most of the 
members of the Swedish team are around 28 to 29 years old."

Sterner - on the ideal badminton athlete:  "You can't find one.  There 
are different events, with different styles.  An ideal doubles player 
would be taller, so they can cover angles and don't need to jump as 
much.  Overall though, you need to be strong and quick and have well-
rounded training."

Sterner - on the importance of strategy:  "There is a great deal of 
strategy.  When I was in Sweden we talked a great deal about beating the 
Asians through strategy, because we were older and more experienced."

Sterner - on Kevin Han:  "He just needs experience and strength.  Kevin 
is still young by international standards.  He has everything.  He just 
needs to be able to do it for an hour to an hour-and -half-straight.

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