Toutz Named Olympic Coach in Badminton

Vicki Toutz, the badminton coach at Garden Grove High School, said Wednesday she has been appointed coach of the U.S. Olympic badminton team for the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

“This is by far the highlight of my entire athletic career,” Toutz said.

Toutz, 52, has coached at Garden Grove for 31 years. She was the national seniors women’s doubles champion from 1982-84 and the seniors mixed doubles champion from 1983-85.

In 1971 and 1981, Toutz represented the U.S. in the Uber Cup, the sport’s equivalent to the Davis Cup in tennis. She was the U.S. women’s coach from 1984-86.

Toutz, who is the chairman of the International Competition Committee of the U.S. Badminton Assn., said there are three men and two women on the five-member Olympic team, including singles player Erika Von Heiland of Anaheim. Toutz said the U.S. players advanced to the Olympic tournament after playing in several qualifying tournaments throughout the world the past 18 months.

The Olympic competition will feature 192 players--96 men and 96 women. It’s the first time badminton will be a medal sport in the Olympics.

Pat O’Hern, who coached the Kennedy girls’ basketball team the past two seasons, said he has resigned from that post.

O’Hern, who will remain at Kennedy as a special education teacher, said he will devote the next basketball season to helping the Cypress College men’s team.

“I’m just going over to help and because I want to learn some more (about basketball),” O’Hern said. “It’s an internship kind of thing.”

In his two seasons at Kennedy, O’Hern guided the Fighting Irish to a 36-15 record and consecutive second-place finishes behind Rancho Alamitos. He will continue as an assistant football and track coach at the school.