Last fall the IOC voted to put Rugby back on the Olympic program. The 7s version of the game will make its first appearance 6 years from now in Rio. But fans won’t have to wait 6 years to see the sport on TV as this weekend as an event billed as the “Rugby 7s Collegiate Championship Invitational” is being broadcast live on NBC this Saturday and Sunday (2:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern time)
There are a few interesting data points to take away from this event as USA Team Handball strives to get coverage in the U.S. First off, this event isn’t being organized by the USA Rugby Federation. Instead, a private company, USA 7s LLC, is organizing this event and there is only a loose tie to USA Rugby. USA 7s LLC has essentially purchased the marketing rights for the 7 player game while USA Rugby focuses on the more familiar 15 player game.

Using college brands, the Olympic connection and marketing knowhow USA 7s somehow got NBC to broadcast this event. And on the very same weekend the U.S. National Team is playing one of its rare home games against Russia with the broadcast limited to Fox Sports Rocky Mtn and the internet. Ticket sales for the collegiate event are also expected to best the International match.

In terms of which event I would rather watch on TV it’s a no-brainer. I find the 15 player game to be more entertaining. The U.S. is getting better and there are several professional players now on the U.S. roster. The collegiate event is strictly a made for TV event. Rugby 7s is not played as much as Rugby 15s in college and with a college all star event taking place the same weekend many of the top players aren’t available. But it isn’t about what I want to watch. It’s about marketing and the college brand.

I did watch a little of the event today and I have to say that the production value was pretty good. With it being a quiet Saturday in June there were probably several casual fans who stumbled upon the broadcast. And surely some of those fans are now inquiring about playing the game with dreams of Olympic glory. I couldn’t also help but think about a similar Team Handball event coming to NBC at some point. College teams start gearing up. It could happen sooner than you think.

Rugby Collegiate Championship website: http://www.usasevenscci.com/
USA 7s website: http://www.usasevens.com/
Gainline Rugby Blog: Collegiate 7s Championship a marketing success: http://www.gainline.us/gainline/2010/06/collegiate-7s-championship-a-marketing-success.html
GoffonRugby: Why College 7s is Important: http://www.rugbymag.com/features/goffonrugby/goff-on-rugby-why-college-7s-is-important.aspx
USA Today (4 Jun 10): Rugby gets moment in sun: http://www.usatoday.com/SPORTS/usaedition/2010-06-04-rugby04_ST_U.htm

[b]Women from Mars (aka the Houston Firehawks): [/b]The Houston Firehawks concluded their clean sweep of the women’s competition with a 38-25 victory over defending champion, Chicago Inter. Houston won all of their games in convincing fashion with none of their matches ever being in doubt. Just who are these gals anyway?

During World War II, the U.S. project to build the Atomic bomb was a massive undertaking that required thousands of scientists and engineers. One small group of immigrants mostly from Hungary, however, played a key role in putting together the theoretical underpinnings vital to its success. One German scientist theorized that it was impossible that these geniuses were all from Hungary and that they were really Martians that wanted to stop Hitler and they were just pretending to be Hungarian as it was an obscure country with a language that few people spoke.

Sorry for the strange diatribe, but I was simply amazed with the talent, fitness and skill level of the Houston Firehawks team. I know they say there all from Mexico, but seriously they don’t handball there do they? And surely it’s impossible that a group of young Mexican girls (most of the team is either under 21 or close to it) could totally dominate an American Club Championships. I mean it really was a minor victory for Chicago Inter to cut the lead to 4 goals in the 2nd half. No, they must be from Mars or somewhere else.

Regardless, this is a dramatic wakeup call for the U.S. Federation. I’m sure the Mexicans are getting some level of Government support for this Junior National Team, but I’m guessing it’s not any more substantial than our current level of private funding. Trust me, if a young group of Americans were able to run circles around our expat laden club teams we would be trumpeting that success like there was no tomorrow. Models to copy and learn from can come from surprising places. Maybe we shouldn’t be looking eastward over the ocean to Europe, but just a few miles to the south. Perhaps we could copy what they’ve done and add in a few 6 footers to the team to one up them.

[b]LA grinds out a victory[/b]: The LA Team Handball Club played strong defense in the first half to build up a big lead. They then beat back a determined New England comeback for a 25-20 victory. New England had difficulty with LA’s 6-0 defense as they struggled to find gaps or shoot over the top. In the goal, Gabe Goodreau played outstanding earning Most Valuable Goalie honors for the tournament. Another factor to LA’s success was a deep bench that allowed key players more rest throughout the tournament.

[b]Miami wins a title[/b]: Miami won the Men’s open title and sent two teams to Las Vegas. My understanding is that the teams consisted of former Miami Sharks players as well as new recruits. Obviously, there is some development going on there. Maybe it’s time for the Handball knowledgeable people in South Florida to get on board instead of standing on the sidelines.
Miami Sharks Website Home Page: Miami Sharks is still here: http://www.miamisharksteamhandball.org/

[b]Lots of Euros[/b]: This was my first National Championship since 2004 and the bulk of my previous attendance was in the 1990’s. Memories can be hazy and biased, but I would assess that the level of play for the top men’s teams is a little lower than my “glory days.” This can be attributed to fewer American National team players being sprinkled amongst the top side. Most of the teams in Vegas were predominantly expat in composition. Such teams have always been around in U.S. club handball, but currently missing is a top notch, primarily American side like the old Sushi Masters, Condors and NYAC/Garden City clubs of my heyday. On the Women’s side it is even more striking. To be fair, however, I don’t think that there has ever been a longstanding club of American based women players. More often than not, the American clubs were temporarily put together by current and former national team players prior to the National Championships.

[b]Commentating at courtside[/b]: I enjoyed the experience of providing the color commentary for the Men’s and Women’s final. It certainly was nice to not have to do it solo as I did in Miami. I now have a healthy appreciation for those that perform such duties on a regular basis. At home, I certainly find myself yelling far less at my TV set, “you’re a know nothing idiot.”

[b]Running out of time[/b]: Sunday was a hectic day and I did not find time to sit down with USATH GM Steve Pastorino. Rest assured, however, as Steve has agreed to discuss in more detail U.S. National Team plans and development efforts. I hope to have an indepth interview in the next week or so.

[b]Men’s Semifinal Classic[/b]: The New England Freeze and the defending champions, New York City played an overtime thriller last night. The match was a see-saw affair with NYC establishing an early lead and NE rallying in the second half. NYC was able to hang on for a tie in regulation despite NE having a 6 on 4 advantage in the closing minutes. In overtime the game appeared to be headed to penalty throws with only an end of game 9 meter free throw left. The Freeze’s Marco Betsch, however, was able to find an opening in the wall to score the winning goal. New England will take on Los Angeles, which easily dispatched Houston 23-17

[b]Men’s Semifinal Classic #2[/b]: I was focused on the NE-NYC match, but right next to us on the center court, Miami and Denver needed penalty throws to decide who would advance to the Men’s Open Finals. Miami was the victor and they will face Minnesota in the finals.

[b]Women’s Final[/b]: This year’s final will feature the defending champion Chicago Inter and last year’s 3rd place side, the Houston Firehawks. It should be an interesting match with contrasting styles. Houston plays a fast paced game while Chicago Inter plays a more traditional half court game.

[b]Why crossover games are important[/b]: Today’s men’s elite finalists both placed 2nd in their respective pools. LA lost to NYC and NE lost to Houston in pool play. Both sides, however, won in the semifinals where it counted. A format without crossovers would have pitted NYC and Houston in the final.

[b]A very quiet town hall meeting[/b]: USATH GM Steve Pastorino and Board Chairman Dieter Esch spoke for about 25 minutes to around 50 members in attendance. A few details concerning U.S. National planning were revealed/confirmed. Resources are focused on 2016 Olympic qualification, but U.S. players will be allowed to self-finance an attempt for 2012 qualification. The first step in that process will be qualification matches vs. Canada later this year. It was also announced that there are preliminary plans for a USA match prior to the 17 July, Poland-Germany match in Chicago. As to why the meeting was quiet?: Only one question (where will Nationals be next year?) was asked by the audience. The answer for that question is TBD, but the plans are for May next year. I was a little surprised at the disinterest shown, but perhaps everyone is getting their questions answered offline.

[b]A chat with the AAC Rep[/b]: I sat down for a short interview with David Thompson, the men’s Athlete’s Advisory Council (AAC) Representative. As the AAC rep David also sits on the Board of Directors. We discussed his role and his position concerning the decision to not provide financial support to 2012 qualification. This interview as well as the town hall meeting will be posted later.

[b]Live Broadcasts[/b]: The men’s and women’s elite finals will be broadcast live today at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM (Pacific Time (GMT-8) today. Kenn Tomasch will do the play by play and yours truly will be providing the color commentary.

[b]The Facilities[/b]: The setup at the South Point Casino/Hotel has 3 full courts side by side allowing for easy viewing of multiple ongoing matches. Other than a few minor problems have been encountered with the behind the goal netting the tournament has run fairly smoothly.

[b]Local Club Makes Good[/b]: The Las Vegas Scorpions got off to a great start with 2 victories in pool play (28-15 against Salt Lake City and 21-19 against NYC’s 2nd team). We play Seattle early Saturday morning to decide the Group D winner. A couple of very satisfying outcomes for a group of players who’ve only practiced 5 times before. The Las Vegas Review-Journal also stopped by and did a great story on our club.
Las Vegas Review Journal (22 Mar 10): TEAM HANDBALL: New to the sport, Hartung thrives quickly in South Point event: http://www.lvrj.com/sports/new-to-the-sport–hartung-thrives-quickly-in-south-point-event-94647484.html
VIDEO: 1st ever Las Vegas Scorpions goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yn2YHtkVyQ (Trivia question answer: Fernando Bonato

[b]The Interview[/b]: I had a frank one hour exchange with USA Team Handball Chairman of the Board, Dieter Esch and Board Member Jeff Utz. In the audio interview which will be posted later on THN, Mr. Esch expresses his disappointment with the IHF leadership, highlights ongoing engagement efforts with European Handball organizations and the upcoming clash between Poland and Germany in Chicago.

[b]The Ringer from Spain[/b]: A Spanish reader of our website sent me this link to an article on Spanish player, Jokin Eransus, who is playing for the Houston Firehawks. Eranus scored over 200 goals for his club Beti Onak in the Spanish 3rd Division. According to the article, the Firehawks have paid for his airfare and accommodations in Las Vegas. The Firehawks are 2-0 and appear to be on their way to the Semifinals. This acquisition could pay off if the Firehawks win the title and collect the “prize money” for first place. Regardless, this development will certainly help U.S. Handball development. (Note: Just in case you missed the obvious, there is no prize money and the last two sentences are mocking sarcasm.)
Diariodenavarra.es (20 May 10): (To Las Vegas to play handball: http://www.diariodenavarra.es/20100520/navarra/a-vegas-jugar-balonmano.html?not=2010052001015983&idnot=2010052001015983&dia=20100520&seccion=navarra&seccion2=sociedad&chnl=10&ph=8 (Note: The Handball National Championships are not being played in the arena depicted. The games are being played in the Conference Center)

That’s all for now. Hopefully, another report either later today or tomorrow.

As the U.S. National Championships get set to take center stage here in Vegas, I’ll pause for a little reflection on my last games as a competitive player with the Condors at the 2004 National Championships. As the old guard on our team was already showing its age, even back then, I wasn’t sure if we had the goods to win it all. Then in our first game I see this young kid jump out of the gym and score a goal like a young Darrick Heath, and I say to my teammates, “Where did you find this guy?” This “guy”, of course, was Gary Hines and with this welcome addition to the roster the route to a title that year was a whole lot easier. Later, I cornered, Bjoern Brembs as to whether he could get him a club contract in Germany. Bjoern, was already hot on the case, but it took a few years for the right situation to come along and in 2008, Gary signed with DJK Waldbüttelbrunn.

I haven’t seen Gary play since then, but I’ve followed his career on paper the past few years. When the U.S. National Team got together recently for training and matches against German Clubs a few weeks ago one of the clubs, TV Korsenbroich, posted a 12 minute video highlight film on their website. The U.S. was blown out by this 2nd Div club, but Gary Hines shines with several impressive goals.

I’m not a professional talent scout, but I’m thinking there’s got to be room on the roster for this player in Germany’s 2nd or even 1st Division league (Not for Hamburg or Kiel mind you, but I could see him play for some of the teams in the lower half of the table). Certainly, it looks like he could play for TVK. With 2 years of seasoning in the 4th Division Bavarian League, he should be acclimated to Germany. Certainly, he’s proven he can score at that level with a Bavarian League record of 300 goals in 28 matches. His 10.7 goals a game were 3 a game better than the next best player. In a higher division that number is likely to drop and I also think his size/skills are more in tune with a spot on the wing. And yes, this may be a little bold and biased, but the one player that I would compare him to in terms of raw athletic ability would be France’s Luc Abalo.

I’ve commented several times about the importance of the relationships that USA Team Handball is building with European Leagues and the potential for those relationships to pay huge dividends. Critics have been skeptical, but there is now a golden opportunity for the U.S. Federation to silence them with the successful shepherding of Mr. Hines to a top club. It really shouldn’t be a tough sell. He can play and the Handball Bundesliga (HBL) should be eager to increase its global reach. What better way to do that than to give a little extra push for the best player from the sleeping handball giant that is the U.S.?

[b]Seriously, get this guy a contract! [/b]

What have you got to lose? Here’s hoping some club we'll see the light and that we’ll soon see some kids sporting a Hines jersey in the U.S., much like the Nowitzki jerseys are commonplace in Germany.

THN (27 Nov 08): Gary Hines Signs Contract with German Club: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.641
VIDEO: Team USA vs. TVK: http://www.hand-ball-herz.de/fans/hoeren_und_sehen/tvk_player
Leading Scorers Bavarian League: http://www.bliga.info/bl2_spiel/torschuetzen.php?Art=1
USATH (18 May 10): 300 Goals, the Lions Roar, Partille Cup & EHF Final Four: http://usateamhandball.org/blogs/steve-pastorino-on-handball/posts/1891-300-goals-the-lions-roar-partille-cup-ehf-final-four