Bogdan: You know, most of us have become circumspect of empty promises of team handball success and grass roots development. Why, or how, will the ATHF be any different?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: As you already know we do have a different approach and communication capacities, plus, the most important, CREDIBILITY. ATHF philosophy is to have the competent people in all the departments, not surrogate or want-to-bees, also to create a solid foundation where the competition, the innovation, the ground work will make the difference. I do know a lot of places in US schools with enthusiastic PE teachers, teaching kids this sport. Because of the traditional 'Ivory tower' mentality they do not have a coordinated effort to be together with some other schools, etc. That's what we will establish, through the communication factor, where it will be easy to find some other schools in your area which, in turn, encourage and help the establishment of regional amateur leagues, county schools competitions (not like others), etc. That will be the power of ATHF through Iamsport![/color]

Bogdan: How about I throw some tougher questions your way? No more softballs, as my colleague John Ryan likes to call some of my early querries. Are you ready for some fastballs? I think the US audience deserves some honest answers. How about it?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: I thought we are here for Team handball not for softball (a non Olympic sport) but bring it on! [/color]

Bogdan: How exactly can a sports federation be for profit? (and for whose profit?) (John Ryan and Bogdan Pasat)

[center][img]/docs/ATHF.jpg[/img][/center]

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: Tell you what! I will direct your questions to the President/CEO and Chairman of the ATHF, Mr. Nick VandenBrekel. After reading your questions I feel that he is better suited to directly and accurately answer them. Note that we do "allow" our President to answer direct questions. Wink, wink.[/color]

[color=#6600ff]Nick: The American Team Handball Federation is a for profit entity. A federation is defined as a union of organizations and that is exactly what the ATHF will be. The principal founder of the ATHF, The IAMSPORT Holdings Group, felt strongly about not hiding behind the banner of a non for profit organization. These days most references made to non-for profits are as misplaced as their agendas. Team Handball in the United States has had enough of that through almost 7 decades of its presences in America.[/color]

Bogdan: Mr. President, thank you. This next question has come up already and it seems to get a lot of mileage from the THN readers. Has there really been no coordination with the New Federation on this endeavor? Was there any consideration into putting a bid in for the Collegiate Nationals to be play ed in Miami at the same time? (John Ryan, Shkumbim M)

[color=#6600ff]Nick: There has been no further coordination with the New Federation on this endeavor because, quite simply, there was no middle ground to be found in regards to how Team Handball should grow in the future. The new NGB for Team Handball lacks funding, still has provisional USOC status and seems to display no innovation vis-a-vis its business plan. It lacks a profound understanding of the new century and its communication tools of choice. Amongst current teens and young adults it has been clearly determined that lives will be lived through the tools of networking and social community. That’s where you engage in a grass roots movement and build a sports organization. We don’t need more of the same and the ATHF will move aggressively towards an innovation that Team Handball has not seen in this country before.[/color]

Bogdan: Hosting this event at the AA Arena is just as big of a surprise as is bringing the LNH to Miami. However, the Ligue Cup has struggled to fill very modest sized venues in France. (e.g., 2006, Stade de Coubertin in Paris, perhaps 1,500 fans in 4,000 seat venue– I know, I was there) how will a 20,000 seat venue in the USA be anywhere near filled? (John Ryan)

[color=#6600ff]Nick: I appreciate your comments on the venue size. Having the 2009 Coupe de la Ligue event at the American Airlines Arena is not only ambitious but at the same time it makes a true statement for how serious the organizers and their partners are about re-introducing Team Handball in this country. We have the support of the Miami Heat organization, French Consulate, Fortune 500 retail support and a marketing machine that will promote this tournament not as just another Team Handball event but a historic sports event, the likes the USA has never witnessed before. It is a concerted effort between global marketing and the power of the Internet. Also do not forget that this is a cultural event as well. There are over 50,000 French expatriates in the Miami area alone. Like with any event, marketing is the key and we are well positioned to take advantage of the excitement that is being generated.[/color]

Bogdan: How about the schedule? The Friday afternoon before Easter is a less than ideal time to stage a match. Why is it scheduled for that date? (what are the times of the matches exactly?) (Jeff Smith and John Ryan)

[color=#6600ff]Nick: The scheduling before Easter is irrelevant in as much as the fact that most of the viewing will occur as a live streaming event on the Internet. The date was chosen between the availability of the Arena and the scheduling of the LNH; On Friday the matches will play at noon and 5pm. On Saturday the schedule is the same. The finals will play at noon and the All Star game will play at 5pm. Throughout the event there will be a Team Handball Championship Village outside and throughout the arena filled with cultural, retail and hospitality presence. Even the prestigious Art of the Olympians will be exhibiting a large art show during the event.[/color]

Bogdan: After checking Ticketmaster’s on line pricing for this event I have to ask: how were the ticket prices determined? Notably, it’s possible to see the French National team in Paris for 1/3 of the prices being offered. (John Ryan)

[color=#6600ff]Nick: The ticket prices were determined in conjunction with the Heat Organization, Ticket Master and local research. I understand that one may see the French National Team in Paris of 1/3 of the price but this is not Paris. This is Miami and not just any Coupe de la Ligue. We are confident that pricing will not be a deterrent for people watching the matches live in Miami. It is for that reason we have the live Coupe de la Ligue Pay-Per-View broadcast on the internet for merely $25.00. The Championship will be broadcast in Super Definition akin to High Definition.[/color]

Bogdan: Who is financially at risk for this endeavor? Is the risk mutually shared between the LNH and the New World Sports organization? (John Ryan and 4 others).

[color=#6600ff]Nick: The organizers, LNH and the main broadcast partner IAMSPORT Broadcasting Network are all at risk. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without people sticking their necks out and taking the entrepreneurial dive in the deep water. This tournament has been a long time coming and all involved believe the rewards are well worth the risks.[/color]

Bogdan: Does the LNH/ New World Sports/ATHF see this endeavor as a long term strategy? In other words, willing to lose money in the first few years, but eventually the return on investment will pay off. Note, this has been the strategy with the NBA, NHL, NFL and other American attempts (some successful) to market their sports overseas. (John Ryan, Bogdan Pasat). Sorry, to sound so negative, but we want to maintain credibility so some tough questions had to be asked.

[color=#6600ff]Nick: This endeavor is clearly part of a long term strategy. To just put on a onetime event makes for interesting promotion but does absolutely nothing for Team Handball in the United States for the long term. The ATHF will utilize the Coupe de la Ligue as its official kick off and it is more than willing to make the investments required to execute on a strategy that will accomplish a strong growth of both amateur and professional Team Handball in the United States.
I am not faulting your readers for sounding negative. I don’t see it that way. I believe you are being conservative and guarded because of what the past has shown. Credibility is what we will achieve with the ATHF and through events such as the Coupe de la Ligue. It’s long overdue that the tough questions were not only asked but also answered with fervor and optimism.
Last but not least let’s not forget which organization is truly backing the ATHF. The IAMSPORT Holdings Group is a powerful sports entity that has been involved with and responsible for the entire Olympic communication network since the mid nineties. As a principal investor in the ATHF, IAMSPORT is committing funds that are in the millions of dollars and is making available the wide breadth of its technologies to support the rapid growth of the ATHF. Currently the IAMSPORT Social Athletes Network is the fastest growing community in the world. By the end of 2009 over 50 million athletes will be part of the IAMSPORT network. It is the FaceBook/MySpace and YouTube all wrapped into one for athletes with one major twist: it is commercial and advertising free. The community is free to join, its email service is free to all users. IAMSPORT wil l create web portals for all ATHF members, including free email services. Additionally through the IAMSPORT Broadcast Network, ATHF members will have access to live streaming of games, tournaments and events. There is a lot to be excited about right now![/color]

to be continued…

[b]Following yesterday's announcement regarding the creation of a new US team handball federation, ATHF, I was able to secure an interview with someone I have been chasing for a long while. He is one of the principals behind the new Federation and the main force behind the upcoming French League Final. Ladies and gents, Coach Cristian Zaharia![/b]

Bogdan: Coach, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. You are a hard man to get a hold of!

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: Hello Bogdan. Yes it is tough to get a hold of me. As you know I am working hard on the Coupe de la Ligue, Miami 2009. I also have been working to bring together the right people for the new Federation, ATHF.[/color]

Bogdan: For those who don’t know who you are, would you mind introducing yourself as well as your achievements?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: To start with I am original from Romania but actualy I am a proud American citizen. As an Athlete I have arrived to the higest level, played more than 300 games with the Romanian National Team, played professional in 4 different countries, Sweden, Germany, France and off course Romania.
As the Head Coach of USA Men's National Team, I have won the Bronze Medal at the 2003 Pan Am Games in Dominican Republic. I have created from scratch the Miami Sharks Club here in Miami, and within 2 short years we came within few 7M shots of winning the 2004 National Title, the famous 3 day competition.
As a player, I do have a Bronze Medal at the World Championship in 1990, also I am an Olympian, 8th place at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. National Champion in Romania, and Sweden, MVP, etc, etc.
I have also been involved in the bid for the NGB with ATHA but unfortunately it didn't work out, where we could understand the exact value of each individual so we can create the best avenue for success.
The latest achievement is bringing of the first ever official proffesional competition in USA, the Final Four of the French LNH Coupe de la Ligue. The event will be played in Miami, at the American Airlines Arena, April 10-11, 2009, home of NBA’s Miami Heat. Tickets are on sale now for both the live Arena games at [link=www.ticketmaster.com]www.ticketmaster.com[/link] (search 'handball') and for the Internet Broadband access at [link=www.coupedelaligue.pro]www.coupedelaligue.pro[/link]. This is a private endeavor that will hopefully be supported by everyone so that it will turn into a huge success, which will be beneficial to all the true passiona te team handball people.[/color]

[center][img]/docs/ATHF.jpg[/img][/center]

Bogdan: There is so much to cover. With such an impressive resume, I noticed you left out your coaching qualifications.

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: Regarding my coaching qualifications, towards the end of my professional career as a player I also was the assistant player/coach, learning from the best of the best in business. Beng Johanson, Cornel Otelea, Thierry Anti, Horst Bredemayer and the list continues.
As for my US coaching career, I have taken Mark Ortega from not knowing at all about this sport, to another level where he now plays professionally in Norway’s 1st Division!
Along my one and half year as the Head Coach of the USA MNT, I have promoted a lot of young players. Among them Gary Hines. As a side note, the first time I have asked about him, the "specialists" of those times, told me that he was not good. If I remem ber correctly, the term "flaky" was used to describe him. Ironic, isn't it!
Regarding the rest of my coaching merits… it is still a developing chapter with more to come. Let's talk about some other subjects.[/color]

Bogdan: Fair enough. Given your experience and results why (or who) is it that you are not involved more at the US National level. The previous NGB pushed you aside after bringing home the last US international medal to date. The current one did not even contact you until a month or so ago… Do you think this is personal?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: Listen, I do not want to enter into a speculative war of words with anybody, I am guessing all of the administrations, passed or present, had or have their reasons or logic.
What saddens me is that all of them have forgotten their original intent. To care! I do not know the specifics but based on my personal experience, there are their personal interest. I have mine too.
ATHF is comprised of PROVEN WINNERS and I am honored and grateful to be associated with such great individuals who, even though the sport of team handball was not their first choice, they have listened to my passion, did their research and decided to bring their expertise, dedication, experience and discipline forward and apply i t to the foundation of this new organization.
I am sure there will be a lot of questioning from the so called "specialists" ( they’re everywhere). ATHF is already doing something that nobody did it before. Next year in Miami, in April, some of the best of the best players on the globe, will be here. I hope everybody will come to see this event and get a glimpse of where we want to take this sport.
It is easier to understand when you see it with your own eyes. I can tell you a million stories but when you can 'touch it", experience it for yourself – you will be hooked for the rest of your life![/color]

Bogdan: You keep coming back to the ATHF. Why a new Federation?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: Because the previous and the current NGB, did the same, over and over again, each time hoping for a different outcome. I have gone on record many times telling everybody how the actual way of doing things is wrong, yet they are doing the same. We need to create a system where you need to have real experienc e in this sport so that were we are addressing the base. It seems that all these administrations want is the cherry on top… but there is no cake to be had!
I am a strong proponent and I encourage the adults to play this sport but the answer lies with the grass roots development. The ATHF has a plan and a strategy which we will unveil soon. Watch for it.[/color]

Bogdan: I know that the current NGB has refused to work with you. I will also note that it is difficult to go about describing the current handball situation without getting into politics, past, present and future. Since there is no way avoiding it, I will just have to ask you: Would you consider working with a Federation who does not share in your vision and has no handball knowledge and credibility? Can there be compromises?

[color=#ff0000]Cristian: I am focusing all of my knowledge, expertise and my energy, along with that of my partners – and all of those who will understand our values – on making ATHF as succesfull as I know it can be. I have worked for way too many years, over 30 to be exact, to build up my credibility and my reputation. I will not waste it on something that I do not believe is going to produce the end result I am looking for. Everything else is pure speculation and I will let the "specialists" interpret it..[/color]

Bogdan: So, no compromise I guess. You have the brain and the talent. You have the credibility and you have also managed to singlehandedly bring the Final Four of the French Ligue to Miami. Talk about what that means to you and to team handball in the US and tell us about the All Star Game…

Cristian: [color=#ff0000]Following the end of my very successfull professional career, I have always dreamt about getting the USA to become the team handball power that it should be, given the pool of athletic talent (perfect for team handball) existent in this country that, unfortunately, gets is wasted every year. I have hoped that my involvement (or better yet – my partial involvement) with the other administrations will bring about this development.
The fact that I was able to understand the real implications and dynamics of the sport of team handball, along with the existent system – from the inside – has helped me to build the best team with some of the best visionaries who will contribute with their intelligence of this business.
The Final Four of the Coupe de la Ligue 2009 and the All Star Game, both to be held here in Miami at the American Airlines Arena, are a huge building block for the future of ATHF and US team handball overall. The global implications are already evident. The French Professional League has become a very well known and respected League in Europe and abroad. The IHF and other Governing International Bodies, coupled with various local political authorities, have all been very supportive.
It is my full intention to deliver an All Star Game, that will showcase the talent existent in Pan America but I currently I am still waiting for an offical answer from the Pan American Federation. What is certain, is that the window of opportunity for the All Star game participants is getting smaller every day and if an agreement cannot be reached, I will have to go to Plan B, another surprise in itself.
I know that the young kids who will be attending the two day event at American Airlines Arena as well as those who will watch the games over the Internet, will be fascinated by the sheer beauty of the game. I have no doubt that these very same kids will eventually become fans and players of team handball, while their parents will become the coaches, refs or the support staff that the ATHF will embrace and nurture.
Lastly, a message for those clubs out there who will be or wish to be affiliated with the ATHF (their choice of course). Know that a successful Miami event will instantly translate into many fringe benefits to those affiliated with ATHF. We will address these and other topics in due time.[/color]

to be continued…

With Ike out of the way down south (still searching for Tina), things are getting back to normal. Witness the latest podcast. While not the best in terms of sound quality, Handball Talk’s 3rd episode was very timely.
I’ve amassed quite a collection of emails from you and was considering another “from the mailbag” feature. Reading over these emails (a few of them date back to July 2008) I noticed some of them were similar in terms of questions and comments.
Hence, I decided to answer them in a more generic way, which will also allow me to share it with the THN readers. Please note that *some* questions have been edited for clarity.
I will do my best to stay on topic and not stray away from the subject but I offer no guarantees…

Q: What happens if the NGB (and the leadership) if it doesn’t meet its obligations? Can they be fired? You keep referencing the “probationary” status. Who has jurisdiction over the NGBs?
[color=#ff0000]A: I am not sure what can be done to keep the new NGB honest. Contacting the USOC would be one way. However, considering how the USOC is yet to return phone calls to the WSJ reporter, who authored the well publicized team handball article prior to the Olympics, that may not be the most productive approach. Contacting its board of directors or even the president, may be an alternative. Either way, officially, I know of no other method. On the “probationary” status, that is what the USOC press release stated. I actually asked John Ryan about his interpretation of it and he stated that it’s similar to an employment probationary period. The USOC would be the responsible entity.[/color]
Q: You seem so bitter! You are never happy with what others are doing for this sport. Why are you so critical of the new NGB?
[color=#ff0000]A: Am I really bitter? I don’t think so… I am far from bitter. Actually, I am quite the opposite. But I do admit that I can come across as overly critical. Truth be told, I have no tolerance for posers and incompetents. At any level and in any facet of life. I would like to think that everyone else feels the same. The new NGB, in my personal opinion, is the poster child for the above traits. As stated before, this is not personal. I just happen to know this industry very well and know enough about it to be in the position to question the authority. I was honest about the fact that I am not one who will sit around and wait for things to “come around”. The current NGB administration has no experience – something they admitted openly and for which I gave them a lot of credit. I should note that this group is craftier than its predecessors. They’ve shown an uncanny ability to (mis)inform, take credit for achievements that do not belong to them and to (generally) get away with not doing anything productive… [/color]

[b]Editor's Note: [/b] I've turned off comments for this item, but have placed them and a copy of this article in the Forum section of the website: http://teamhandballnews.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?332

Q: My daughter is 15 and she fell in love with team handball during the Olympics. Are there clubs in the Midwest where she can learn the game? What about tryouts. I emailed the federation three times but never got a reply.
[color=#ff0000]A: Dianne, thanks for your email. There are several clubs in the Midwest. Please reference my email which contains a link to the Google Map of Clubs. Additionally, I will follow up with you to further discuss your options.
The fact that you did not receive a simple reply to your emails is, unfortunately, unfortunate. You are not the first one to report on the federation’s lack of communication. Whatever their reason is, I can assure you it is a good one. It always is.[/color]
In terms of tryouts, a few have been advertised on the federation’s website but there is nothing confirmed. Even if they are to take place, the NGB is yet to announce who will do the talent evaluation. Currently, there is nobody within the current federation capable of evaluating it. I can and will put you in touch with the right people.

Q: I heard about WNT and MNT tryouts. Have the coaches been selected?
[color=#ff0000]A: To my knowledge no coaches have been named or identified yet. Which begs the question: who will do the tryouts evaluation? Things that make you go hmmmm….[/color]
Q: My team was scheduled to travel to the NC and Chicago tournaments. Upon finding out that we are now required to pay a per player membership fee and a per team fee just to participate, everyone backed out. What’s up with that?
[color=#ff0000]A: Greg, you are not the only one flabbergasted by the NGBs decision to pillage the clubs of some extra $$$ . The release of the “new” rulebook was poorly timed not once, but twice. If that is how the new NGB intends to stimulate the growth of handball, we are all in trouble. There’s been plenty written on this subject. If your team/club has decided to forego participation to any upcoming NGB sanctioned tournaments, know that you have made your choice and notice has been served. [/color]
Q: How were the new GM and Technical Director positions selected. There was never a job posting for them. I read that there are job postings for the regional directors and coaching positions. Why?
[color=#ff0000]A: LOL. I am still trying to get an answer on that very question. Honestly, friendship played a big role. It’s just like politics. You give a job to those who helped you get there. Neither one is fully qualified for the job but that is now a moot point. I am not sure how to answer your “WHY?”question[/color]
Q: Why is there no news on the Miami tournament scheduled for spring 2009? Shouldn’t it be a big deal that the French Ligue Final Four is coming to the US?
[color=#ff0000]A: Oh but it is a big deal. Maybe the biggest single team handball event to have come to the US, outside of the Olympics. I have been chasing an interview with Miami’s Coach Zaharia for a few months and I am glad to report that I have secured on. He looks forward to talking about and addressing a number of issues related to his tournament. All I can tell you is to buy your tickets early and schedule your Spring Break vacation around that event.[/color]

Q: Bogdan, I live in Utah. I wanted to share some information with your readers and also ask a question. I was told by several sources (I work for the local state government), that the $300K that the UTHF pledged, were not private money but were actually promised to by the city (or county) of Salt Lake as collateral, if and when the UTHF would win the NGB bid. It is also my understanding that the new NGB did receive that money and is using it to pay the salaries of the new GM and Technical Director. I contacted the NGB (by phone and email) but I could never get a hold of anyone. Do you know if any of this is true? I played handball in college back in the mid 90s. Too old to play now. Keep up the good work.
[color=#ff0000]A: Chad, thanks for the email. I heard some of that as well but so far I have not been able to verify any of it. Officially, you may know more than I do. I can’t vouch for its accuracy but maybe someone else out there can shed some light on this issue. BTW, if the $300,000 is used on two or three salaries, that’s pretty messed up. My understanding was that the money was to be used to inject some life into the current handball infrastructure. One could surmise that they have already ran out of funds (if their salaries are 80K each, more than half the $300K is gone). Why would you be so concerned with collecting membership fees right of the bat? Because they have no leg to stand on or a business plan to generate the funds. [/color]
Q: We have a tournament in Houston coming up and you have failed to mention or write about it. Why don’t you cover tournaments, even if you are not involved in them?
[color=#ff0000]A: Fair enough. I will be glad to do so. West Point contacted me in early Spring asking me to setup a small tournament (scrimmage games) with the Houston Stars and the Firehawks, to be held in Houston in conjunction with Army’s football game in College Station at the end of September. I agreed to and spread the word around. There seemed to be plenty of interest. I made arrangements to host the weekend mini tourney in one of the premier high school gyms in Houston’s East end. Unfortunately, I never heard back from WP. Recently I learned that the Firehawks are the organizers of the tournament. They will field two of their teams (men) and get to host the WP squad at dilapidated Melcher Gym facility (roughly the size of a tennis court). Some teams had to cancel (Mexicans) , while others – to my knowledge – were invited late (such as the Houston Stars). The newly SW Regional Director will attend the “tournament”, most likely to collect the $50 per person fee that the Firehwaks are charging every player (not an NGB membership fee as far as I know…). [/color]

Mark Ortega of the Miami Sharks is trying out for Alta, a Norwegian First Division Club and was interviewed recently by the local newspaper there. Below is an abreviated translation, courtesy of Houston Stars goalkeeper, Grunde Ronholt.
You can read the original interview in Norwegian here: http://www.altaposten.no/lokalt/sport/

[b]"An American Trying Out [/b]

By Magne Ek

Will center back Mark Ortega mark Alta's second signing before returning to the 1st division?

GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAME

Alta player Eirik Engelsen saw great potential in Mark Ortega who performed his first workout for Alta yesterday. Eirik was impressed with the American's good defense and his eye for the game. Alta, as a club, has not been lucky this summer searching for players.

'I am staying a few days now and am looking forward to having a talk with the coach. I want to know what he is looking for and what he would be expecting from me', says the 30-year old Ortega, who has previously played in Spain.
Coach Håvard Lillemoen wasn't available to meet Ortega, however his assistent, coach Kai Olsen, and several others were present for the tryout.

'Last season i played in Santander in Spain, and before that i played in Miami for 3 years', says Ortega who has 26 caps for the US MNT, all in Pan Am competitions.

LONG JOURNEY

Ortega was in Denmark last week and on very short notice flew up to Alta. Mark had to look up the city in an atlas and also searched for it online using Google Earth, Ortega was shocked how far north the city was. He was picked up at the airport and only saw a freeway then a mall. He says he is used to a slightly larger city (Alta is really tiny). He wondered whether the mall is all they had in Alta…

ADVENTURER

Mark is a self proclaimed adventurer and has to work in addition to playing handball, He is an all around athlete having done gymnastics along with playing American Football and other sports in college. He started handball following a chance meeting with former Romanian Olympic handball player and current Miami Sharks head coach, Cristian Zaharia.
Mark will continue going to practice this week and then the club will decide whether they will offer him a contract or not."

Commentary: Coach Zaharia does it again. (quit rolling your eyes, they might get stuck!:))

I gotta tell ya! I really had to explain the gist of my “Hypocrisy reigns” article. Not sure why but it did not sit well with certain readers.
Some took it (very) personal, others didn’t quite grasped its tone. Overall, I am happy to report that most of you did get the “message”.
So much so that two members of our US team handball family acted on it.

There is nothing I’d love more, than to take credit for what Vlad Gramma and Mohamed Emira did in Salt Lake City this past weekend.

Here it is, in their own words.

[color=#6600ff]Bogdan: Mohamed and Vlad. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for the THN readers. Obviously, your time this past weekend was very precious. Tell me, what happened and why?[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Mohamed: Vlad and I had a meeting yesterday. We’ve been talking about starting a new club where we could contribute to building handball. I have a little bit of experience in creating websites. Vlad and I are also former professional handball players. I played for 13 years in Egypt, 6 of these years as a pro, and Vlad has a similar experience from Romania. Between us we have the most experience in Salt Lake City. We are still slowly building a team, but at least we got things started. I spent 4 hours yesterday night and I finally got the website up and running. I still need to work on the contents, but that was only one day work so hopefully I will get the website where I want during this week. We decided to name our club the Utah Falcons. You can visit our website at www.utahfalcons.com . What motivated me to take such a step was that I felt the need to contribute to the US handball community. Besides, I watched the Olympics and I felt unfortunate that I now live in a country where the sport is not appreciated and that I can’t enjoy it on a daily basis. I am a huge Utah Jazz fan but I would like the be a fan of a team handball instead of basketball.[/color]
[color=#000066]Vlad: Mohamed is right. We have handball and leadership experience. I have been around this sport long enough to know that it all comes down to individuals. The time was right to act on this. Now, we’ve added our name to the [link=http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=103598029638506187982.000440c7641749acb6497]map[/link].[/color]

[color=#6600ff]Bogdan: Fair enough. Now, that the easy part is out of the way, what’s next for the Falcons?[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Mohamed: Some of you will share with me my feelings that at one point in my life, handball was everything to me and it was the thing that I cared a lot, so maybe, the future will now allow me to make handball my career instead of doing something I love less. This is a dream come true.[/color]
[color=#000066]Vlad: I have a full time job so this will take some sacrifice. It will not be easy. I love working with kids. I believe they are the future and without them handball will not survive. I am very excited right now. I would like to contact former handballers in the Salt Lake area and ask them to come back and help us again. These people left because they got tired of people taking credit for their work. Maybe Mohamed and I can fix what others broke.[/color]

[color=#6600ff]Bogdan: Soooo, do you think I could take credit for your work and claim it as mine? As in feed my ego? Some still do that… I hear.[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Mohamed: I know you are joking but after reading [link=http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.585]your article[/link] I got the message, that we can’t depend on the new federation entirely, I’m sure they will do their best but we have to do our best at the same time as clubs and community. I know that your article made a lot noise and I felt for a moment that I’m one of the hypocrites, but I don’t take anything personal! I will try to do my best to be an active part of the community. We could face failure or success but in both ways we learn.[/color]
[color=#000066]Vlad: You know we laugh about this all the time. But if everybody will start doing something for this sport and then we all take credit for it… I think we would be doing handball a huge favor…[/color]

[color=#6600ff]Bogdan: I am just glad you got the message. I’m not sure I had the energy to explain myself to you too. Besides, with our English there’s no telling the outcome. Do you think that the title of this article (The Art of (Making) Noise) is loud and clear enough? [/color]
[color=#ff0000]Mohamed: I hope it is loud enough, and I hope we continue work together as community to grow and focus our attention on the grass roots instead of talking about tournaments don’t mean that much and it’s not going to take us anywhere, we should think about 2016 and who is going to represent the USA, is it going to be some amateurs or real pros.[/color]
[color=#000066]Vlad: I never read the titles.[/color]

Things have quieted down considerably since the French trounced Iceland in Beijing for the gold medal.
On the home front the handball clubs have returned to action. There is a typical, and very cyclical, muted handball excitement. Chicago and North Carolina are preparing their their annual Fall tournaments – THE US handball's autumnal equinox.

In the Lone Star State, Texas Team Handball Clubs' Austin club – the RockStars – have been scrimmaging all summer long with the Houston Firehawks. Additionally, Houston Stars/Firehawks will look to host West Point for a weekend scrimmage tournament in late September, which would take place in front of a packed high school gym.

Dede Piankova (remember her?) is back. She has already begun work on taking the Texas Team Handball Clubs to the next level. More cities will be added under the TTHC umbrella and a statewide league will start play soon. The league will feature youth and juniors games, along with adults.

Miami is also kicking it up a notch. The Sharks are circling the warm waters of the Caribbean and are set to take on teams from Puerto Rico, Dominican Rep, Ecuador and T&T (oh, but they do play handball there…). All in preparation for the 2009 French Ligue Final Four, to be hosted at the AA arena in downtown Miami. More on this and other huge announcements later.

As I go through all your emails, I will add more information re: where the rest of the country is heading and what the team handball agenda will look like for the 2008 – 2009 season.

Thanks again for keeping me in the loop and giving me the opportunity to be your "voice".

I hate to spoil everyone's good mood but after reading John's latest I decided to post this article a lot sooner.

If you read between the lines, all recent activity points to the fact that we are nowhere closer to achieving national recognition, despite an unprecedented boost in media coverage. I actually challenge you to dig in and find the last time you had the opportunity to read, hear and watch so much about team handball on US soil.

I admire John's perseverence and willingness to go the extra mile in figuring out ways to promote this sport.
He's often tried really hard, maybe too hard, to find solutions to so many nagging US team handball problems. That should have been the NGB's job, after all they were getting paid handsomely but that's a different story that just doesn't go away.
Most of us here have agreed to disagree that in order to make handball thrive, we need a combination of grass roots efforts and more media exposure.
Surprisingly, we received the media exposure via an unexpected, albeit welcomed, NBCOlympics.com web coverage of the Beijing Olympics – [link=http://www.nbcolympics.com/getinthegames/asktheexpert/expert=bogdanpasat/index.htmll]covered by yours truly[/link] -, as well as a solid lineup of NBC TV broadcast games.

Yet, hypocrisy reigns. Here is brief look at where we are today.

– We know that the new NGB, USATH – no federation, no association no organization, just USATH – has launched a website which has been a huge letdown — at least based on the feedback I got from you. You wanted more information about US handball not game reviews.
– The new NGB also released a "competition rule book" filled with so many whacked out concepts that my mail server almost blew up from all your complaints. (by the way, please don't ask me how and why I am the point person for so many of these emails, just know that I am. Must be by charming personality). That said rulebook is now being reviewed now for a re-release.
– We, the few of us caring to read/contribute to this great website, do nothing but bemoan everything from what could be done to what should be done… to how team handball should go about its proliferation. We do it in a very well organized manner and very articulately. It looks good on paper. It always does.
– The North Carolina THC is organizing another team handball tournament, yet few people know about it. Not to mention that Doc. Silva – long a mainstay at Chapel Hill – is no longer around and nobody can tell us where the hell he is.
– A small number of very talented handball people, long disenfrenchised and blacklisted by previous handball administrations, are still waiting to hear from the new NGB, while continuing to spend their own hard earned cash to keep handball alive in thier respective regions. Mind you, these are handball professionals who don't TALK about things because they are way too busy DOING things. And their commitment and love for this sport remains unconditional.
– We've been asked for and preached to look towards the handball future. To stay positive and to not worry about the past (whose past?). We've done so. Like little minions, waiting for the carrot to stop dangling and to drop. So, I ask you my dear THN readers, wehre are we today compared to last year, when we had no NGB?

Maybe we do need more patience. To some extent we all do!

I think we all have a treshold. We each function based on personal values, ethics and expectations. Some associated with our sport have survived by whoring themselves way too many times. Those who spoke out (or up), were vilifyed because they did not know how to do it or becasue they, too, had skeletons in their closets.

These past three years have given me the opportunity to realize that I don't need anyone to help me grow the sport of team handball here in Texas. No sugar daddy and no spell check! And there is more where this came from.

I know I can handle my own! If this makes me a maverick so be it. At least I'm not a hypocrite.

The reality hit hard this early Sunday morning, in downtown Stamford, CT.

The NBOlympics.com offices fell silent, shortly after 5:00 AM. What was once a floor full of former athletes, typing as fast, and as accurate, as they could – each an "expert" in his field – had become deserted.

As each event came to an end and medals were ceremonyously awarded, one by one, comentators trickeld out – like an Omeyer blocked shot – saying their goodbyes. Following the completion of the France : Iceland game it all came to an abrupt end for me, too. You may remember that last week I wrote how I was overdosed on handball. Well, this past week I became comatose. Too much, too fast. And too damn often.

Following a weeklong team handball marathon I had finally adjusted to the Beijing time zone. Today I have to readjust. Like so many of the defenses I wrote about.

The sun is peeking out (Peking?) over an old Stamford warehouse. I am still busy replying to all the emails from appreciative handball fans. Most are new to the sport and made it a point to let me know how much they enjoyed my work and the beautiful sport I represented. Miss S. G. Rindy from Kentucky wrote: "Thank you for your superb coverage of the Olympic Handball games. As a newly converted fan of handball, I was enraptured with the sport so much that as I was simultaneously watching the USA battle Spain for the Gold Medal in Basketball on NBC, I was actually paying more attention to the Handball online. What a compelling sport; athleticism sui generis. Handball combines the balletic qualities of basketball with the physicality of American football (or rugby) with the fast action of International football (i.e.soccer). Just what I was looking for –so glad I gave the sport a look. A fan for life!"
Here is another one from Mark Lopa of Newington, CT: "Bogdan, Thank you for all you did to make live online Olympic handball as exciting as it was. It's sad to see it end… maybe you'll do the same for the London Games."

London games? As in [b]THE[/b] 2012 London games? Hmmmm. I'm not sure I can let go of 2008. Not yet, at least.

It feels like yesterday, when the women from Angola and Brazil were doing everything in their power to trip up the Europeans from sweeping the Olympic prelim rounds. In the end it [b]was[/b] an all Europe affair but with a smidge of Asian flavor (Korean and Chinese…). Egypt and Brazil tried to do the same in the men's division. They, too, fell short.

Let's be clear about something. The non European powers have improved their game tremendously. There were no blow outs, not unless you consider an 8 goal margin a blow out. Eight, was the largest margin of victory on the Men's side, and 16 on the Women's. No team reached 40. And the Korean women won the bronze. How is that for Asian spice.

More surprising however were all the close games, prompting my good friend Mark Telthorster to email me: "[b]Parity[/b] reigns in Beijing." At first I thought he wrote [b]party[/b]. Either way, he would have been right.

There will be plenty written about these Olympics for weeks to come. For the first time, maybe ever, team hanbdall will get its fair share. Exposure was awesome. The televised games, dutifully covered by our very own Dawn (it rhymes) and Andrew Catalon, were a big hit with many fishwrap writers, in search for an "angle". Even the Wall Street Journal did a story on team handball and I thought we did something wrong – was handball taking the blame for the subprime mortgage mess?

What impressed me about this Olympiad is how varied the LIVE NBCOlympics.com sports events menu was. Think about this: Watch what you want when you want it! It was as if you had your very own online TIVO. One TIVO for every sport.
In next few days, we will get an idea about how well the website did. Page hits, unique visitors, megabits per second – you know, the type of reports that will be sure to get the attention of the network execs.

Yours truly has been advocating the proliferation of web technology to aid our sport's exposure for some time now. Through private efforts, the Miami Sharks ushered in the first live webcast tournament with live game commentary. Chicago, Santa Clarita and West Point picked up on it ad ran with it. NBCOlympics.com (and no, they are not telling me to say this… nor are they paying me for it) has finally done what network television was unable to do.

We'll look back on this Olympiad and realize that or the first time in the history of the Olympic games coverage, the American viewers were given a choice. And from what I can tell, some chose handball.

This is one presidential debate topic I’d pay to watch.

McCain versus Obama on how to revive the most American sport Americans don’t know about.

Team handball still lacks an identity among all other US Olympic sports, so obsessed with medals and cereal box endorsements.
With all the increased television and NBCOlympics.com web coverage, handball – as it is known worldwide — picked up its fair share of new American fans, US Women’s Softball Team notwithstanding.

With Election Day just months away, who better to chart the course of this great sport than the two presidential candidates.
Here is the setup: One moderator: Me! Each candidate has three minutes to answer the question and another thirty seconds for a closing statement.
Question: What would you do once elected President of the United States, to further the development of the great American sport Americans know nothing about – team handball?

Senator McCain: “ Bogdan, thank you for having me here today. It’s an honor to come before you and the American sport fans. I’ll be honest with you. Cindy and I are new to this sport. We fell in love with it the moment we watched the France Women lose to the Russians in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal showdown in Beijing. Immediately following the game I asked my staff to provide me with a report on handball. They came up empty. What I got was some generic hand ball stuff. You know, four walls, a small tiny ball… Not what I wanted to hear. Look, I want this sport to grow and my fellow Republicans share my vision. I am committed to signing a team handball stimulus plan as soon as I take office in January 2009. Simultaneously, I will seek the creation of a new professional team handball league with TV coverage similar to that of the Arena Football League. I love the AFL! It's so much fun. Now! Anyone interested in purchasing a team handball franchise will be eligible to receive a one time, very sizeable, tax credit incentive. America needs team handball and all business leaders must see to it that team handball is given to every single American man, woman or child. I see this as another way to jumpstart our economy! It’s a win/win situation. Additionally, under my plan, the US will be able to field a Gold medal (men and women) team handball contender – by 2012 (in London). We have tremendous athletes in this country. I am certain that we can find 14 men and women — sorry, my adviser tells me that there are 16 players in a handball team — 16 players, who can practice together for a few months and capture a Gold medal during the next five rings go-around.”

Senator Obama: “ Wow! I must admit that I am hooked on this great sport as well. See, John and I do agree on certain things… Bogdan, I have to say that developing this great American sport will not be easy. I disagree with Senator McCain. Pumping money into a sport that our children cannot relate to, is silly. We need more time, to nurture and to grow this sport, one child, one school at a time. A sport like team handball must be taught at the most elementary level and from a very early age. For example, dribbling a handball is vastly different than dribbling a basketball. These skills take time to master and the only sound and responsible way to do it is through grass roots efforts. Reaching out to our communities! Empowering those in charge with the knowledge and the means to become teachers and leaders. Handing money to the rich, in hopes that they have the business acumen to spend it wisely and with good results, will not work anymore. We have long lacked accountability and, Bogdan, the only way we can make this great American sport well… American, is through bipartisan support. We must hire qualified team handball expert professionals, with a proven track record, who will teach others the technical nuances of this sport. Conversely, we should encourage the business sector to financially subsidize the development and growth of this sport. We need a vision. And we need to stick to that vision. My family loves team handball. I played it once at Oprah’s house. After the game each player went home with his/hers own team handball court. Can you believe it? Oprah gave away 32 team handball courts. It was crazy!”

Bogdan Pasat: “Any closing remarks?”

Senator Obama: “This is not a democrat or republican or independent issue. Team Handball is an American issue and we should join forces once and for all. Accept that the future starts today for team handball. I think the US could and should win a medal in this sport in the distant future. Let’s see to it. Adopt a school! Show a kid a wing shot. Put your cigarette down and teach your son’s friends the 3-2-1 defense.”

Bogdan Pasat: “Senator McCain?”

Senator McCain: “We don’t have time for grass roots. Look at soccer. It’s been what, 20 years? It is not a popular sport. Baseball, basketball, football, golf, even bowling is more popular. We need Team Handball on TV. Having team handball on TV during the Olympics made all the difference in the world! Americans love it. They want it and they want it now. Let’s put our money where our team handball aspirations are.”

There you have it folks. Come Nov 3rd you can vote FOR team handball.
Next week I will sit down with the VP candidates, whomever they’ll be.

I couldn't wait until tomorrow so I made my NBCOlympics.com online commentary debut earlier this evening with Spain vs. Brazil.
Let me address some of your concerns.
– The REWIND feature will be available until mid September. So, for those of you "time shifting", you should have two additional weeks to catch up on a foregone conclusion. :) NBC Universal will eventually take ownership of all Beijing Olympics video content (handball as well), archive it and make it available on line for free. Pretty neat stuff.
– I have agreed to do team handball post game wrapups on the NBCOlympics.com website, instead of the generic AP wire stories.
– Those of you in charge of your club's websites, please update their content, freshen them up. The NBCOlympics.com website is approaching 1 billion hits and many of them will be for team handball.
– I will be covering the Russia vs. South Korea and Germany vs. Denmark games as they are the only games left with play off implications.

I was initially disappointed for not getting the NBCOlympics.com web play by play team handball commentary "gig" from the onset (August 7). I felt that it would have provided me with an opportunity to prepare myself for the elimination rounds, starting up next week.

What a difference 48 games will make.

I am high on handball! I'm overdosed! Just [b]watching[/b] all games has been taxing on me, as I HAVE to watch them LIVE. No alternative for me. Luckily, I have a job which allows me a "very" flexible schedule, to say the least. For the past eight days I have been on European time. Not quite Beijing but somewhere in between, some eight hours ahead… And it's been all eights in China so far.

Staying up late at night is nothing new for me. Operating on three to fours of sleep for the past week, is. During the day I am a walking zombie, high on handball.

With another eight days left on the Games, things keep getting better. Elimination round match-ups are set to sizzle and further entertain. Pre tournament favorites have, for the most part, confirmed. On the men stage, the current European Champion (Denmark) and last year's Weltmeister (Germany) join the Russians in a three team contest of attrition, where one team will go home early courtesy of Iceland's surprising preliminaries play. Similarly, on the ladies side, Germany could lose its playoff spot to Brasil or even "newcomer" Sweden.

What's behind some of these surprising performances by perennial outsiders and so many close games?

Officiating — with few exceptions, it has been impeccable. That alone leveled the field and allowed the less experienced teams to feel that they can compete. Hence the higher number of games decided by 2 goals or less.
Tactics — coaches have done a good job instilling a disciplined strategy, based on positional possession play, aimed at exploiting the opposition's weaknesses.
Crowd — for what is worth, Beijing has been the perfect neutral venue. Maybe too neutral at times but was such where there was no pressure on the officials.

In the end, teams with great individual talent, bench depth and confidence pulled away. After all, when the game is on the line, it all comes down to execution. Egypt failed twice. Iceland did not. Neither did the Brazilian ladies, whereas their men did.

For few teams there is one more chance. For the rest however, it's next time.

Team handball *may* have just taken off in the US.

ESPN just declared it the [link=http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3523021]most underrated[/link] of all Olympics sports!!! I dig that. You should too.

I am just a few days away from diving in to my NBCOlympics.com web commentator role. Hence, I am feverishly preparing for this assignment by watching every LIVE team handball feed I can keep my eyes open for. The 13 hour time difference is very annoying at times. Especially during the early morning hours as I am not into time shifting. Time travel? Well… maybe.

So what is there to point out following 4 days of team handball extravaganza?

I for one, am keeping an eye on the underdogs.

[color=#ff0000](if you are a time shifter, click "read more" at your own risk. I will not list scores but I may spill the beans on something you may not want to know about….)[/color]

On the Women side, Angola and Brazil showed a lot more than Sweden, Kazakhstan and China combined. Same cannot be said about the Brazilian men! They have been outclassed so far and have often looked clueless. Granted, their two opening matches were as tough as they come, as they faced the two future finalists (yep, that's right!) in France and Croatia.

Egypt however, looked poised to send the Russians home early in their second game but silly mistakes, a horrible last second defensive breakdown coupled with a bad official's call (not necessarily in that order!) prevented the African team from pulling out yet another surprise, bigger than the missed victory against the Danes, in their opening match.

[html] The official paperwork, naming the UTHF the new team handball NGB, was signed, sealed and delivered to President Esch yesterday (Tuesday, April 29). With it, in an instant – pooof, the UTHF has gained the ultimate legitimacy. It was a day of reckoning, the dawn of a new day, in our sick and twisted US team handball universe.   

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