July 16, 2007

HELLO THERE ...Howard Bach, U.S. badminton star

Age: 28

What he does: First American to make an impact in international badminton.

Details: In 2005, Bach won the world championship with then-partner Tony Gunawan. More important in the U.S., however, may be the current VitaminWater commercial he stars in with Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Bach is the one flinching in fear as Urlacher dives toward the net.

Impact: "A lot of people love it, a lot of people hate it," Bach says before practice for a match with current partner Bob Malaythong at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "I love it. It grabbed my attention. Now people know what badminton is, that it's not a pastime, not a sissy sport you play only when you're drinking beer."

Definitions: Real badminton, Bach says, is the fast-paced, powerful indoor game so popular in much of Asia. It's not that backyard game on summer afternoons during picnics.

Routine: Bach trains five hours a day around a part-time job. He also balances a heavy workout schedule with pursuing a bachelor's degree in finance, which he received earlier this year from Cal State-Fullerton near his home in Orange, Calif.

Background: Bach was born in Vietnam, and came to the U.S. at the age of 2, when his father emigrated with his family in 1982.

Ambition: —Getting the world championships and Olympics on TV would be a start," he says. "Then, hopefully if we win a medal, it gets things rolling. It's a constant struggle. I don't expect us to be like basketball, or even to get halfway to tennis' popularity. But if sponsors are not in the sport, we have no chance."

Sources: The Associated Press, Wikipedia