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USA Handball Talk (Episode 5): Handball Tryout… or Try Out Handball?

On this week’s episode we discuss handball tryouts and the complications that result from two very different cohorts: Stateside and and Overseas athletes. The catalyst for the discussion was this USA Team Handball Tweet and the reply it elicited from former USA Jr National Team athlete, Aaron Hamm:

Here’s a summary of the topics we discussed:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for handball. For what it’s worth my most recent Google search has the USA Team Handball website ranking 3rd for “team handball and 12th for “handball”
  • Here’s a 3 part series that John wrote in 2019 on handball dual citizens:
    • Part 1:  What is a handball American Expat and Philosophically, What is an American?:  Link
    • Part 2:  Understanding this 51st state and its handball demographics: Link
    • Part 3: Can a small, but determined handball nation be competitive against larger nations? Can they win a title?: Link (Note: this commentary contains some discussion on the Faroe Islands)
  • USA Team Handball Facebook post on the recently conducted tryout in Los Angeles: Link
  • The MLB “all comers” tryout scene from the movie, The Rookie: LInk
  • JD’s Jr National Team tryout and John’s Olympic Festival tryout in 1987
  • The lack of an intermediate stepping stone between clubs and the national team and how the good deals from the IHF might unintentionally be hindering such a development
  • How the U.S. handball development “pyramid” is actually a “tower”

And, here’s a couple of bonus commentaries on youth development

  • A commentary on the Tower/Pyramid: Link
  • Analysis of 2017 Youth and Jr teams (you’ll see some familiar names and some names that have moved on…): Link

Watch or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics, a title for our podcast or have some intro music you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


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And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link