FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 9, 1996 NATION'S FINEST ATHLETES TO CONVERGE ON ATLANTA FOR THE 1996 YONEX U.S. ADULT AND JUNIOR NATIONAL BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS = (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) -- More than 225 of the country's greatest badminton athletes will travel to Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga. to do battle at the 1996 Yonex U.S. Adult and Junior National Badminton Championships. The 56th Adult National Championships will be contested March 27-31, while the 50th Junior Nationals will take place on April 4-7. = The 1996 Yonex U.S. National Badminton Championships celebrates the 60th anniversary of the United States Badminton Association (known as the American Badminton Association until 1978), founded by Donald Wilbur (Boston, Mass.) in 1936. It also marks the 3rd year Yonex Corporation has served as the event's title sponsor, and the inaugural year Eastman Kodak has served as the event's presenting sponsor. = The event announcement was made by USBA President Diane Cornell (Washington, DC), USBA Executive Director Cliff McPeak (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Steve Kearney (Dunwoody, Ga.) of the Atlanta Committee of the Olympic Games (ACOG). "This is a time of unprecedented excitement for the sport of badminton in the U.S.," said Cornell. "With the USBA's 60th Anniversary, Yonex U.S. Nationals, and Centennial Olympic Games all upon us, it is truly a time celebrate." = Players at the 1996 Adult National Championships will compete for national titles in five events: men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. Several players contending for national titles are coming off the year international qualifying process for the 1996 Olympic Games, which will conclude March 31, 1996. KEVIN HAN (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and TOM REIDY (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had the biggest victory for the U.S. on the Olympic Qualifying Circuit, winning the 1995 Bulgarian Open in October. The victory marked the first time a U.S. individual or team has won an IBF World Grand Prix event (established in the late 1980's). Han and Reidy have been ranked as high as 25th in the world in men's doubles, and currently sit at 31st (as of February 2, 1996). Other 1996 Olympic Hopefuls in the competition include 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival triple gold medalist KATHY ZIMMERMAN (Denver, Colo.), and Pikes Peak Classic runners-up MIKE EDSTROM (Denver, Colo.), and CHRIS HALES (Wooster, Ohio). The Adult National's competition will also feature several members of the USBA's resident athlete program from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs; including ANDREA ANDERSSON (Colorado Springs, Colo.), HOWARD BACH (S. San Francisco, Calif.), EDSTROM, HALES, ANDREW IBRAHIM (Westchester, Calif.), NGOC TRAN (El Sobrante, Calif.), STANLEY WO (Daly City, Calif.), and ZIMMERMAN. 1992 Olympian and eight-time national doubles champion BEN LEE (San Jose, Calif.), men's singles powerhouses ANDY CHONG (Miami Lakes, Fla.) and STEVE BUTLER (Miller Place, N.Y.), and queen of the USBA Classic Series TANG YEPING (Gaithersburg, Md.) round out a rock solid field. = The 1996 Yonex U.S. Adult National Championships will be the final tune-up for U.S. athletes prior to the Olympic Badminton competition (July 24-August 1, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga.). The Olympic badminton competition will consist of at most 192 players: 36 chosen for men's singles, 36 for women's singles; 20 men's doubles pairs, 20 women's doubles pairs, and 20 mixed doubles pairs. The list of eligible players for the Olympic competition will be published by the International Badminton Federation (IBF) and notified to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and IBF member nations no later than April 15, 1996. As host country, the U.S. is guaranteed two spots in the Olympic Field. ---------------- WHAT: 1996 Yonex U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships WHEN: March 27-31, 1996 WHERE: Georgia State University Sports Center SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: Wednesday, March 27 1st round - MS & WS 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Thursday, March 28 Play Continues 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Friday, March 29 Play Continues 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Saturday, April 1 Play Continues 9:00 a.m.-Noon = Semifinals 1:00-6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 31 Finals 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. EVENTS: Men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles. ADMISSION: $6 General Admission ---------------- WHO TO WATCH IN EACH EVENT (With Hometown in Parenthesis): MEN'S SINGLES Two-time men's singles champion KEVIN HAN (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will shoot for his third consecutive U.S. men's singles championship in 1996. The road to the championship will not be an easy one however, as 1991 U.S. Open Champion and former elite English player STEVE BUTLER (Miller Place, N.Y.) will be a major hurdle to overcome. Butler, who is head coach of the Miller Place Badminton Club, holds four World Grand Prix titles and was ranked as high as 13th in the world during the late 1980's. 1996 marks his first ever appearance at the Yonex U.S. Nationals. A second obstacle for Han will be long time rival ANDY CHONG (Miami Lakes, Fla.). Chong was the 1993 U.S. men's singles champion and runner-up to Han in 1994. 1992 Olympian TOM REIDY (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has five U.S. men's doubles and one mixed doubles title to his credit, but has yet to capture the elusive men's singles crown. Reidy lost to Han in last years final, but gained sweet revenge at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival by blasting him 18-14, 15-7. Other players to watch include 1992 Olympian and eight time men's doubles national champion BEN LEE (San Jose, Calif.), and rising star MARK MANHA (Miller Place, N.Y.), who finished fifth at last years championships. WOMEN'S SINGLES In women's singles, look for TANG YEPING "formerly Zhao Yeping" (Gaithersburg, Md.) to steal the show in her inaugural appearance at the Yonex U.S. Nationals. Tang failed to lose a single game on the USBA Classic Circuit this year, winning an unprecedented five triple crowns (women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles). She's smashed all challengers in her path, including last year's National singles champion ANDREA ANDERSSON (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Andersson will likely meet Tang in the final, but in order to get there, she will have to get by last year's runner-up and U.S. Olympic Festival champion KATHY ZIMMERMAN. = Other players in contention will be: LIZ ARONSOHN (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 1991 singles and two time women's doubles National Champion; MEILING OKUNO (Sunnyvale, Calif.), who finished second in 1993 and at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival; and NGOC TRAN (El Sobrante, Calif.), who gave Andersson a good battle at the 1995 Dave Freeman Classic. = MEN'S DOUBLES There will be a changing of the guard in men's doubles this year, as 4-time reigning champions BEN LEE (San Jose, Calif.) and TOM REIDY (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will part company and play with different partners. Reidy, a five-time national doubles champion, will pair with current Olympic qualifying partner KEVIN HAN (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Han finished second in doubles the past three years with partner ANDY CHONG, who will now pair with Lee. Lee and Chong have rolled through this year's USBA Classic Circuit, winning a total of three titles. Lee, who is currently fourth on the all-time men's doubles winners list with eight titles, will move into a three way tie for second with a victory this year. The record for most U.S. men's doubles titles is 10, won by Wynn Rogers between 1948-1964. Other men's doubles contenders include 1996 Olympic Hopefuls MIKE EDSTROM (Denver, Colo.) and CHRIS HALES (Wooster, Ohio), and Mid-Atlantic Classic champions RONNIE OETOMO (Marina Del Rey, Calif.) and ERWIN SUYANTO (South Pasadena, Calif.). = WOMEN'S DOUBLES A new women's doubles champion will also be crowned this year, as defending champions ANDREA ANDERSSON (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and LIZ ARONSOHN (Scottsdale, Ariz.) have selected new partners. Andersson, a three time U.S. National doubles champion, will now join forces with TANG YEPING (Gaithersburg, Md.). The duo has been invincible on this year's USBA Classic Circuit, winning five out of five titles. Andersson and Tang's main competition will not compete, as 1992 Olympians and 1996 Olympic Hopefuls LINDA FRENCH (Elmhurst, Ill.) and ERIKA VON HEILAND (Anaheim, Calif.) are competing in their final Olympic qualifying event, the Polish Open (Spala, March 28-31); 1995 Pan Am Games bronze medalists ANN FRENCH (La Jolla, Calif.) and KATHY ZIMMERMAN (Denver, Colo.) should be the only real challenge for Andersson and Tang; Other teams to watch include two-time U.S. National women's doubles champion LIZ ARONSOHN and partner NGOC TRAN (El Sobrante, Calif.); and 1996 Pikes Peak Classic runners-up SHANNON HSU (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and EILEEN TANG (Chino, Calif.) = MIXED DOUBLES With seven-time mixed doubles champion Linda French out of the competition, ANDY CHONG (Miami Lakes, Fla.) and new partner TANG YEPING should waltz through the competition. Chong and Tang failed to lose a match on this year's USBA Classic Circuit, and look virtually unbeatable heading into the competition. Look for MIKE EDSTROM (Denver, Colo.) and ANDREA ANDERSSON (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and TRISNA GUNADI (Alhambra, Calif.) and EILEEN TANG (Chino, Calif.) to also challenge for the mixed doubles title. ---------- 1995 YONEX U.S. ADULT NATIONAL BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS COMPETITORS BY STATE (82 Total) (With Current Residence in Parenthesis) ARIZONA (3) Liz Aronsohn (Scottsdale) = Denise Jones (Phoenix) = Stacey Murty (Tempe) CALIFORNIA (17) Lily Chen (Stanford) Ann French (La Jolla) Trisna Gunadi (Alhambra) Shannon Hsu (Costa Mesa) Denise Huynh (Davis) Alan Kakinami (San Jose) Sunny Kim (Cardiff by the Sea) Narith Lao (Rosemead) Ben Lee (San Jose) Hoang Ly (Costa Mesa) Ronny Oetomo (Marina del Rey) Meiling Okuno (Sunnyvale) Budy Sumarli (Rowland Heights) Erwin Suyanto (South Pasadena, Calif.) Eileen Tang (Chino) Angela Teng (South Pasadena) Michael Walker (Cardiff by the Sea) COLORADO (12) Andrea Andersson (Colorado Springs) Howard Bach (Colorado Springs) Pascal Bouvier (Boulder) Michael Edstrom (Colorado Springs) Chris Hales (Colorado Springs) Kevin Han (Colorado Springs) Allan Hundhausen (Boulder) Andrew Ibrahim (Colorado Springs) Tom Reidy (Colorado Springs) Ngoc Tran (Colorado Springs) Stanley Wo (Colorado Springs) Kathy Zimmerman (Colorado Springs) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (1) Diane Cornell FLORIDA (16) Carl Chen (Miami) Dudley Chen (Miami) Andy Chong (Miami Lakes) Cosmin Ioan (Miami) Paul Lai (Miami) Rose Lee Fatt (Miami) John Lorray (Miami) Sidney Lu-Shing (Miami) Gilbert Lyew (Miami) Lotti Meier (Coral Gables) Keiron Ng (Miami) Kenneth Ng (Miami) Raj Patel (Miami) Asa Strindlund (Key West) Edwin Woon (Miami) GEORGIA (6) Anna Chien (Duluth) Kamal Kamal (Atlanta) Cindy Lee (Atlanta) Jay Naik (Atlanta) Sue Wieloch (Decatur) = Felix Wooitak Tan (Marietta) ILLINOIS (5) Donna Beach (Naperville) Shari Mau (Aurora) Steve Meister (Orland Park) Kampol Surapiboonchai (Palos Heights) Cathy Urwin (Palos Park) INDIANA (2) Bharat Patel (Martinsville) Dawn Patel (Martinsville) KENTUCKY (1) Mark Hecquet (Lexington) MARYLAND (3) Nancy Lanzarone (Chevy Chase) Phyllis Lyght (Fort Washington) Tang Yeping (Gaithersburg) NEW HAMPSHIRE (2) Ganesh Balasubramanium (Nashua) Ashok Raman (Nashua) NEW YORK (7) Stephen Butler (Miller Place) Jon Frisch (Miller Place) Jonathan Gargiulo (Miller Place) Carl Khan (Brooklyn) Keisha Kuharski (Miller Place) Mark Manha (Miller Place) Mike Read (Miller Place) PENNSYLVANIA (2) Peng Hoong Chung (Narberth) David Fehm (Philadelphia) TEXAS (1) Jane Berdan (Irving) = VIRGINIA (1) Don Paup (Vienna) WASHINGTON (2) Garrett Jetton (Richland) Guobo Wang (Seattle) WISCONSIN (1) Sandro Rossi (Madison) ---------------- Following the Adult Nationals, more than 145 of the nation's brightest young badminton athletes from nineteen states will battle for the honor of being named "Junior National Champion" at the 1996 Yonex U.S. Junior National Badminton Championships (April 4-7, 1996). Championships will be awarded in five events (boy's singles, girl's singles, boy's doubles, girl's doubles, and mixed doubles), spread over five age categories (Under-21, Under-19, Under-16, Under-14, and Under-12). ---------------- WHAT: 1996 Yonex U.S. Junior National Badminton Championships WHEN: April 4-7, 1996 WHERE: Georgia State University Sports Center SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: Thursday, April 4 Opening Rounds 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Friday, April 5 Play Continues 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Saturday, April 6 Quarter/Semifinals 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday, April 7 Finals 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EVENTS: Men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles. AGE CATEGORIES: Under-21, Under-18, Under-16, Under-14, Under-12 ADMISSION: Free and open to the public. ---------------- WHO TO WATCH IN UNDER-21 (With Hometown in Parenthesis): UNDER-21: Boy's Singles - Look for 1995 U-21 boy's singles champion MARK MANHA (Miller Place, N.Y.) to battle JON FRISCH (Miller Place, N.Y.) in a rematch of last year's final. They will be challenged by 1996 Olympic Training Center athletes CHRIS HALES (Wooster, Ohio), STANLEY WO (Daly City, Calif.), ANDREW IBRAHIM (Westchester, Calif.), and last year's U-18 champion HOWARD BACH (S. San Francisco, Calif.). = Girl's Singles - The door will be wide open, as last year's triple crown winner STEPHANIE WO (Daly City, Calif.) will not compete due to a knee surgery she underwent last fall. = Also gone is last year's runner-up NGOC TRAN (El Sobrante, Calif.), who moved out of the age division this year. 1995 third place finisher LILY CHEN (Stanford, Calif.), and 5th place finisher ANGELA TENG (Pasadena, Calif.) should meet in the final. Also look for U-18 girls runner-up KATIE MALONEY (Miller Place, N.Y.) and KEISHA KUHARSKI (Miller Place, N.Y.) to challenge for the title. Boy's Doubles - Youthful 1995 champions HOWARD BACH and STANLEY WO will have a tough road to the finals, as they will be challenged by Miller Place, New York's JON FRISCH and MARK MANHA, and fellow Olympic Training Center residents ANDREW IBRAHIM and CHRIS HALES. = Girl's doubles - ANGELA TENG and LILY CHEN have to be considered favorites, but look for youngsters TIFFANY TAN (S. San Francisco, Calif.) and HUA HUYUH (San Jose, Calif.) to turn some heads. Mixed Doubles - STANLEY WO and ANGELA TENG should breeze through the competition, but may run into a challenge from newcomers MATT NICHOLAS (Palo Alto, Calif.) and JODIE MERTENS (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). Local Athletes of Interest RAJU RAI (Lawrenceville, Ga.); 1995 U-12 boy's doubles champion with partner RAYMOND WONG (Alameda, Calif.), mixed doubles runner-up with CHRISTY DAVIDS (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), and third place finisher in boy's singles will move up to the U-14 division this year. There he will face stern competition from the likes of last year's champion SEAN RUKTOUME (Buena Park, Calif.) and new partner MITCHELL GUNDMUNDSON (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) in boy's doubles, 1995 runners-up RUKTOUME and CASEY PETERS (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) in mixed doubles, and RUKTOUME in singles. ---------------- 1996 YONEX U.S. JUNIOR NATIONAL BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS - COMPETITORS BY STATE (144 TOTAL) = (With Current Residence in Parenthesis) ARIZONA (1) Janae Bennett (Phoenix) CALIFORNIA (46) Jaymie Britton (Manhattan Beach) Lily Chen (Stanford) Wilson Chow (Palo Alto) Christy Davids (Manhattan Beach) DeDe Davis (Manhattan Beach) Kristin Davis (Manhattan Beach) Thanh Do (Santa Clara) Danny Gibbs (San Francisco) Eric Go (San Francisco) Dan Goldberg (Palo Alto) Mitchell Gundmundsson (Manhattan Beach) Jia Hu (Palo Alto) Hua Huyuh (Redwood City) Ann Kim (San Jose) Si Le (San Jose) Phung Minh Le (San Jose) Janae Mertens (Manhattan Beach) Jodie Mertens (Manhattan Beach) Ryan Miglin (Manhattan Beach) Kelly Mothner (Manhattan Beach) Michael Mothner (Manhattan Beach) Thai Nguyen (San Jose) Theresa Nguyen (San Jose) Yenlinh Nguyen (Sunnyvale) Andrew Nichols (Palo Alto) John Nichols (Palo Alto) Matthew Nichols (Palo Alto) Jonathan Noda (Manhattan Beach) Yee Siang Ong (Albany) Casey Peters (Manhattan Beach) Michael Pfyl (Palo Alto) Sean Ruktoume (Buena Park) Penelope Salac (Rolling Hills Estates) Ari Schneiderman (Palo Alto) Allyson Scholl (Manhattan Beach) Ashlie Schoppe (Manhattan Beach) PJ Shakstad (Manhattan Beach) Tiffany Tan (S. San Francisco) Angela Teng (South Pasadena) Tim Trinh (Fremont) Liza Trinidad (Sunnyvale) Thuy Van (San Jose) Bonnie Wong (Alameda) Raymond Wong (Alameda) Julian Wu (San Mateo) James Young (Palo Alto) COLORADO (7) Howard Bach (Colorado Springs) Chris Hales (Colorado Springs) Andrew Ibrahim (Colorado Springs) Dustin Jones (Aurora) Ryan McGinley (Lakewood) Andrew Mitchell (Golden) Stanley Wo (Colorado Springs) CONNECTICUT (10) Aditi Ashra (Greenwich) Devesh Ashra (Greenwich) Nikil Ashra (Greenwich) Elizabeth Kominami (Greenwich) Cindy Lopez (Greenwich) Claudio Rivera (Greenwich) Miguel Rivera (Greenwich) Kokow Tanaka (Cos Cob) Zuki Tanaka (Cos Cob) Yohei Yasukawa (Greenwich) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (1) Julianna Omelagah FLORIDA (2) Paul Lai (Miami) Raj Patel (Miami) GEORGIA (1) = Raju Rai (Lawrenceville) ILLINOIS (13) Sandra Anselmini (Park Ridge) Lisa Chen (Warrenville) Karen Chou (Lisle) Julie Falkenberg (Villa Park) Caryn Griffith (Lombard) Erin Hois (Downers Grove) Christina Ladd (Wheaton) Andy Lovell (Chicago) Kevin Mau (Aurora) Amy Rauch (Downers Grove) Kimberly Anne Repsold (Evanston) Sarah Schmidt (Downers Grove) Lesley Seeger (Evanston) MASSACHUSETTS (16) Rachel Bacon (Marblehead) Andrew Busse (Marblehead) Benjamin Darling (Marblehead) Eli Gardner (Marblehead) Sam Gardner (Marblehead) Will Gardner (Marblehead) Trevor Lai (Dover) Kylynn McKinley (Marblehead) Ryan McManus (Marblehead) Chapman Miller (Marblehead) Emily Noyes (Marblehead) Oliver Schwab (Marblehead) Meg Shear (Marblehead) Ted Shear (Marblehead) Madeleine Soule (Marblehead) David Welch (Marblehead) MARYLAND (3) Bob Malaythong (Rockville) Amy Nguy (Silver Spring) Vincent Nguy (Silver Spring) MISSOURI (2) Deborah Artman (Fenton) Kristin Artman (Fenton) NORTH CAROLINA (1) Rohit Prakash (Concord) NEW YORK (27) Robert Baglio (Miller Place) Mike Bergmann (Sound Beach) Richard Bonesteel (Sound Beach) Alison Brown (Miller Place) Ken Claffie (Miller Place) Matthew Dreyfus (Miller Place) Jon Frisch (Miller Place) Eric Geisbusch (Miller Place) Marc Graiser (Miller Place) John Huysman (Miller Place) Richard Kanowsky (Miller Place) Adam Kuemmel (Sound Beach) Keisha Kuharski (Miller Place) Keri LaSalla (Sound Beach) Nicholas Maccarrone (Miller Place) Katie Maloney (Miller Place) Mark Manha (Miller Place) Dawn McNamera (Miller Place) Michael Mignano (Miller Place) Kathleen Murphy (Miller Place) Matt Rosica (Miller Place) Kristen Schierwagen (Miller Place) Kevin Sioss (Miller Place) Christopher Stanek (Miller Place) Steven Tanaka (Miller Place) Sean Wachter (Miller Place) Lauren Wolf (Miller Place) OHIO (1) Isaac Alwine (Wooster) OREGON (3) Dwight Bussman (Lake Oswego) Andrew Ellmaker (Lake Oswego) Jason Lee (Eugene) PENNSYLVANIA (4) Gray Calhoun (Bryn Mawr) Thanh Hoang (Swarthmore) Mihoko Ikura (Overbrook) Jennifer Payne (Reading) TEXAS (3) Suanne Au (Austin) Robin Herlin (Grapevine) Rusli Lie (Austin) WASHINGTON (2) Peter Collins (Tacoma) Scott Seguin (Sumner) WISCONSIN (1) Kathryn Byrne (Madison) Jennifer Coleman (Madison) ### (FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAUL PAWLACZYK, USBA COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT 719-578-4808, OR VIA E-MAIL AT USBA1996@aol.com)