Well, the voters have spoken. I’d like to say “if nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve,” but I haven’t been given that option. So badminton it is for me.
Here’s the reason I expressed some interest in it. I don’t run fast, I can’t lift anything heavy. Swimming? Forget about it. And growing up in Queens I never did equestrian or fencing. So that pretty much leaves badminton. And I saw some of the tape from the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. It was doubles badminton. And those guys were good! Since I’ve played a little ping pong, tennis and squash, why not try another racquet sport?
At the 1996 Olympics the only U.S. men’s badminton participant was named Kevin Han. We did stories on him in Atlanta. He didn’t win, but he was “our guy!” He was from Manhattan, and in his real life he was a Chinese food delivery guy. Hey I eat Chinese food! There you have it. That’s why I’m “playing” badminton in my Olympic dream. I still haven’t figured out if that’s proper terminology. Do you “play” badminton? You don’t “play” fencing do you? As you’ve figured out I have a lot to learn.
Len Berman’s Badminton Coach:
Len Berman will go into the swing of Badminton under the direction of Coach Chibing Wu. The National Champion is no stranger to Olympic circles. He coached the U.S. Olympic team in 1997 and the Spain Olympic team in 1996. Along with the Olympics, Wu has coached multiple National teams all over the world. Currently, Wu is the head coach of the Queens Badminton Club and the NYC Badminton Club.
