Vern Burton (1912-1979) was a renowned junior badminton coach whose players won
50 U.S. Junior National titles in his 13-year coaching career.
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Stan Bischof.
The son of a Southwest Washington state coal miner, Vern was born in 1912. He was an outstanding prep athlete at Tenino High School in Southwest Washington. He was an All-State in three sports—football, basketball, and baseball. He and his wife started playing badminton in Seattle in 1935, and became active players in the 1940's. By 1955, Vern and Frances had lived in Port Angeles for fourteen years with two children, Vern, Jr. and Chris. Vern had a host of sales jobs in food, cars, and real estate.
The Port Angeles Shuttle Club had had 15-20 adults playing badminton since the 1930's. By 1955, Vern noted that there were teenagers interested in learning to play. He organized a junior club with his son's help, and within a year he had 100 juniors playing in a "badminton boom town." By 1958, Vern hosted a second tournament and drew 400 entries. By 1959, 500 juniors were playing in the local tournament, and Vern had become known as the "Pied Piper of Badminton" and "Mr. Badminton."
A family man, Vern was an infectious promoter. He thought big and had the confidence of a champion. He was known to be disciplined, principled, and enthusiastic, although some said he was rough, demanding, and loud. His junior program was a free program open to everyone, and he and his supporters raised funds for facilities, nets, rackets, shuttlecocks, and travel. Coaches were unpaid but devoted. The junior club used a high school facility with just three courts, and found another old gym for more needed courts. Training was offered five nights a week: Mondays—elementary school-aged players; Tuesdays—junior high-aged players; Wednesdays—high school-aged players; Thursdays—advanced players; and Fridays—adults and advanced players. Advanced players helped with the younger players. Vern's three goals were education, recreation, and training for tournament play.
In 1960, Vern and his wife took six junior players to their first U.S. Junior National Championships in Manhattan Beach, CA. Two of the girls, Tyna Barinaga and Cherie Simkins, won the U.S. Jr. National U16 GD title. Tyna also won the U14 GS title. This was a major turning point for the junior club, and the club grew to 500 players. Lee Kreider had come on board as an additional coach, and the club was beginning to get local news coverage. In 1961, the club raised funds to play in Boston in the Junior Nationals, and Tyna Barinaga and Caroline Jensen won their first U16GD title, becoming dominant for the next six years. The junior club became the best Junior badminton program in the country, and the Juniors traveled to the Junior Nationals for the next eleven years, taking 50 titles with 285 players total in the title quest. The Juniors began to mature, and three of the national title holders also became Junior Ken Davidson Award winners.
By 1973, Vern Burton was selected as the Man of the Year in Port Angeles, but shock hit the club when Vern suddenly announced his retirement, noting he needed to spend more time with his family. Lee Kreider took Vern's slot, and the program continued, with Hester Hill coming on board to help coach as well. Juniors continued to win national titles, with the final total of titles at 78 and three more Junior Ken Davidson Award winners named. Vern came back to the courts to work with his granddaughter in 1979, but collapsed on court with a heart attack, and died a week later. A huge funeral service was held in Port Angeles, and the tournament started by Burton, the Clallam County Junior Badminton Tournament, was renamed the Vern Burton Memorial Tournament in 1980. The original high school gym used by the club was renamed the Vern Burton Community Center.
Vern Burton left a legacy in Port Angeles unmatched by few other coaches in the annals of U.S. Junior Badminton, and many of those Junior players went on to win national, international, and world titles in their adult careers.
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