Personal Best: Bach helps badminton soar to new heights
By: David Liepman
Special to The Examiner
June 28, 2009
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| San Francisco native Howard Bach has represented the U.S. in badminton at the past two Olympics. (Getty Images) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The second Bay Badminton Championships provides Howard Bach with the opportunity for a rare trip home.
Bach was a 16-year-old student at Galileo High School when he decided to dedicate himself to the sport of badminton.
He first picked up a racket at the age of 5 when his father taught him the game at San Francisco’s YMCA on Golden Gate Avenue. Bach moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., to finish high school and devote himself to a newly formed intensive badminton program at the Olympic Training Center.
A successful career in doubles badminton ensued, as Bach found that singles was not conducive to his 5-foot-6 frame. He represented the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Bach and partner Bob Malaythong made it to the top eight before losing in the third round.
Tony Gunawan was Bach’s partner when the duo, seeded 13th, won the World Championship in 2005 at the Arrowhead Pond Arena in Southern California, Bach’s home since 1999. The doubles victory had historical impact, as it represented the first medal for the United States in an Olympic or World Championship badminton event.
Opportunities began rolling in for Bach after the championship. He played badminton on the set with late-night talk-show host Conan O’Brien and filmed a Vitamin Water commercial with NFL star Brian Urlacher and baseball slugger David Ortiz.
“They were the American team, and I was the Chinese team,” Bach said.
Badminton is a sport dominated by Asian countries, and Bach is dedicated to increasing its popularity in the U.S. The 30-year-old is encouraged to see as many as 10 badminton clubs in the Bay Area.
“There is a concentration of badminton [here],” Bach said. “Players can start training competitively at a very young age. With good grass roots players, the Bay Area is doing a good job producing future Olympians.”
Spectators at the tournament held at the Bay Badminton Center in Burlingame, which runs Friday-Sunday, will see the shuttlecock fired at speeds of up to 190 miles per hour as Bach reunites with Gunawan, who fell to Bach in last year’s doubles final. Bach will also be competing in mixed doubles with partner Eva Lee.
Recently married to Penelope, who he met on the badminton court, Bach looks forward to a break from the international professional circuit while playing on his home turf in front of the other women in his life: his mom and four sisters, one who was also a competitive badminton player, and two who were San Francisco city tennis champions and earned partial scholarships to USF.
“It’s just a great feeling to go back and play,” the veteran said. “It’s not a job. Any time I get a chance to do something that I love, it is very uplifting. It liberates me. It’s like dancing on the court. It’s my way of having fun. Winning is great, but at first you have to love what you do. Winning is just secondary.”
Badminton tourney
What: Bay Badminton Championships
Where: Bay Badminton Center, 1611 Adrian Rd., Burlingame
When: Friday-Sunday
Total purse: $26,000
Info: www.baybadminton.com, (650) 692-1611
