Howard Shu’s brother called the badminton player’s freshman year “a toss-up.”
On the one hand, he was starting down the path to a degree in business economics from UCLA. But on the other hand was badminton, his lifelong passion that had allowed him to travel the world for international tournaments, and to earn a bronze medal in the single’s competition at the 2012 national championships.
With the time commitment growing for each avenue, Shu had to choose between finishing four years of college and pursuing a career in business or taking a break from school to pursue his Olympic aspirations.
“He had a tough time when he got into UCLA,” said his brother, Jack Shu. “Whether he should be pursuing his career or finishing four years consecutively, that was a hard decision for him.”
Now a fourth-year business economics student, Shu’s badminton aspirations have been growing since he was nine, a product of direction from his parents – both former players from Taiwan. He traveled the world, playing in countries as widespread as Guatemala, Barbados, Brazil, Japan and Turkey, among many others.
Even his choice of UCLA was based on badminton. After he was admitted to several schools, Shu chose UCLA not only because it was a competitive school but also because it was close to his training center. But even the closeness didn’t allow him to balance the commitments.
Shu made a decision – after freshman year, he took off half a year from school and started practicing six or seven hours per day on the U.S. national team as they trained for different tournaments. It soon became apparent to him, however, that this was the wrong decision.
“On the tour, I was playing bad and I think it was because I had lost the balance of my life,” Shu said. “You know, you’re not with your friends; you are always pursuing your goal. So I decided to come back to school and play out the rest of the Olympic playing period.”
For the last few years, he has balanced his responsibilities as a student with training for the 2016 Olympics. Over the years, he has played in tournaments around the world to face challengers of many different styles.
But these competitive experiences didn’t get Shu as high in the rankings as he hoped. He was still ranked 10 to 15 spots away from qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.
Shu’s coach, Tony Gunawan, isn’t worried about the challenges ahead as they look towards the next opportunity. Gunawan said Shu’s rapid reflexes and coordination make him a contender, but even more important is Shu’s attitude.
“Mentally and personally, he has a strong will to win and he also knows what it takes to be an Olympian,” Gunawan said.
“He is very skilled and he has quick adaptation for any situation. I believe that he will push himself a lot harder when it counts for the Olympics.”
As 2016 looms, Shu is getting ready by competing in his third world team mixed championship at the Sudirman Cup in Malaysia. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the United States and No. 108 in the world.
After graduating, he plans to become fully dedicated to badminton – at least through the Olympic season.
Although Shu said school is important to him, and that he plans on putting his degree to use in the future, he knows now is the time to pursue his dream as far as he can. And no matter where he ends up, those closest to Shu suspect the sport will always be important to him.
“Badminton is the glue that keeps all these things (in his life) together,” Jack Shu said. “Even if he wanted to let go, then he would be letting go of a part of his life.”