VIDEO/AUDIO: Metalurg vs Vardar

Posted on November 15, 2013 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:03 — 15.1MB)

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Cross town rivals Metalurg and Vardar meet in Champions League showdown

Cross town rivals Metalurg and Vardar meet in a Champions League showdown

This past Thursday night Skopje, Macedonian clubs Vardar and Metalurg fought for city bragging rights in a key Champions League showdown. Always a tough place to play for visitors, this time around it’s a home match for both sides. The video for the match is courtesy of ehfTV and my audio commentary is in the MP3 files below.

The first half segment has a synchronization count at 5:00 on the ehfTV clock in the lower left hand of the screen. Start the video and pause it at 5:00. Then open the MP3 file and when I start my synchronization count unpause the video.

For the 2nd half my synchronization count starts at 50:00

Metalurg vs. Vardar Video: Link

VIDEO: Champions League Group Play (Week 4)

Posted on October 17, 2013 by John Ryan

Geipel/Helbig: They handled the pressure in Reno. Can they handle the PSG-Barca showdown?

ehfTV’s designated “Match of the Week” has two well known European soccer sides (Barcelona FCB and Paris St-Germain) meeting for the first time in EHF Champions League play. Barca, of course, has also long been a handball power as well, but Paris St-Germain has only recently teamed up with Paris Handball. And not only teaming up, but providing through their new Qatari owners an influx of cash and player signings to reportedly making it the highest player payroll team in Europe. PSG, however, has stumbled a bit in CL playing, losing and drawing in Skopje to Metalurg and Vardar, respectively. Barca also drew against Vardar in Skopje, but they are on top of Group C, thanks to their convincing wins at home against Wacker Thun and Metalurg.

A side note for U.S. fans watching the match: The German referees assigned for the match, Lars Geipel and Marcus Helbig, were the same International officials on hand earlier this year in Reno, Nevada for the USA National Championships. During the tournament I interviewed both officials and discussed their perspective on the quality of the American sides as compared to German clubs and their experiences in Reno. The interview is a short 5 minutes and can be accessed at the bottom of this post.

Paris St-Germain vs. Barca (Sunday, 20 Oct 1700 CET/1100 U.S. Eastern Time)
Video: Link

If you can’t catch the match live it will also be available later “on demand”. Further, U.S. residents with beIN Sport can also catch a retransmission on Sunday at 1800 (Eastern Time). (Thanks, beIN Sport, for not making me wait until Wednesday!)

The other big match this weekend will be a Group B showdown between Poland’s Kielce and Germany’s Kiel. Last year both sides made it to the Final Four with Kielce beating Kiel, 31-30 for 3rd place. This year both side are undefeated and Group B and it won’t be surprising if the two matches between these sides decides who gets 1-2 in the Group.

Kielce vs Kiel (Saturday, 19 Oct 1815 CET/1215 U.S. Eastern Time)
Video: Link

On paper, the other matches this weekend are of less interest, featuring either mismatches or battles for 3rd place on the table. That being said, mismatches on paper sometimes end up being far more interesting in real life. The times and links are easily accessible at the ehfTV web page.

(Note: I will replace the live video links with on demand video links when they are available at the ehfTV website. If you go to the ehf website yourself click on the side arrows to get to the “Full Match” page. A word of caution, however, the EHF sometimes posts match interviews with revealing titles like “Jicha scores the decisive goal,” so you might want to use a sheet of paper to mask the screen if you want to watch the matches oblivious to the outcome.)

ehfTV Page: Link

EHF Week 4 Preview: Link (A written summary by Bjoern Pazen previewing all 12 matches)

Tom Ó Brannagáin’s latest blog post: Link

AUDIO: Aarhus Handball Academy: Developing handball players through a combination of focused training and club competition

Posted on October 14, 2013 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:41 — 13.4MB)

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Athletes training at the Aarhus Handball Academy in Denmark.

Last month a notice that 11 players from Alberta, Canada were training at the Aarhus Handball Academy in Denmark took me by surprise. To find out more about the program and why so many Canadians were trekking over to Denmark I then interviewed, Alberta Team Handball Federation Executive Director Mike Nahmiash.

This time around I get the perspective from the staff at the Aarhus Handball Academy. In this podcast interview with Headmaster, Aksel Nørgaard, and Coach Jesper Holmris we covered a number of topics including how the Handball Academy got started, the player experience at the Academy and playing with Danish club teams and whether age 22-23 is too late for a newcomer to start playing handball.

With Coach Holmris we also discussed his experience coaching the Great Britain Women’s National Team, the role the Handball Academy played in training British players in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics and what worked well and what in hindsight might have been done to better support the program.

We then close out the interview with a discussion of what could be done with a team of top athletes from the U.S. or another country could accomplish with a focused 2-3 year program there.

Aarhus Handball Academy website: Link

Alberta player blogs: Link (Several players at Aarhus are blogging about their experience)

AUDIO: Alberta Team Handball: Grass roots development firmly taking root

Posted on September 14, 2013 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:43 — 9.5MB)

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Canadians from Alberta currently enrolled at the Aarhus Handball Academy in Denmark. Top row left to right: Kraig Fischer, Parker Love, Mackenzie Gleave, Tyler Southall, Lyndon Suvanto, Darryl Lakusta, Spencer O’Donnell and Mark Gordulic,
Bottom Row: Brenna Sanderson, Dusen Kristic and Janel Rogiani

Earlier this week I saw a post indicating that 11 players from Alberta, Canada had enrolled at the Aarhus Handball Academy in Denmark. I was surprised to see such a large number of players from Alberta trekking to Denmark to play team handball, so I contacted Alberta Team Handball, Executive Director/Technical Director Mike Nahmiash to find out more. Our conversation touched on a number of topics to include the Aarhus Handball Academy program; youth, junior and senior programs in Alberta; Canadian National Team plans and the possibility of a joint American-Canadian club league. Podcast length is 41 minutes

With thousands of athletes now playing at all levels (3rd grade to collegiate), Alberta Team Handball has come a long way in just a few short years. In fact, it could very well be true that with over a 100 high schools now playing boys and girls team handball as an officially sanctioned sport more handball is now being played in this corner of Canada then the rest of Canada and the U.S. combined.

Alberta Team Handball Federation: Link

List of Alberta players overseas: Link (This is the page that initially drew my attention)

Alberta player blogs: Link (Several players at Aarhus are blogging about their experience)

Aarhus Handball Academy: Link

VIDEO/AUDIO Wisla Plock vs. Montpellier

Posted on September 2, 2013 by John Ryan

Wisla Plock’s Muhamed Toromanović taking a shot vs Montpellier.

France’s Montpellier and Poland’s Wisla Plock battled it out over two games to see which side would earn the right to play in the Champions League this season. Montpellier won the first match at home, 29-27 this past Thursday. On Sunday they traveled to Poland for the second leg. The video for the match is courtesy of ehfTV and my audio commentary is in the MP3 files below.

The first half segment has a synchronization count at 3:00 on the ehfTV clock in the lower left hand of the screen. Start the video and pause it at 3:00. Then open the MP3 file and when I start my synchronization count unpause the video.

For the 2nd half my synchronization count starts at 48:30

Wisla Plock vs. Montpellier Video: Link

USA Team Handball Board of Directors Election: A rare opportunity to cast a vote that could make a real difference in the outcome

Posted on August 29, 2013 by John Ryan

Board of Director Candidates Jennie Choi, Atilla Agoston and Craig Rot

I’m a huge fan of podcasts for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that since I started loading them onto my MP3 player is that I now can totally avoid listening to the seemingly never ending radio commercials while I’m driving. Another is the wide variety of content. I listen to a lot of sports related podcasts, but I also like the news and some offbeat shows that think outside of the box. One of my favorites in the latter category is the Freakonomics podcast. Last year during election season they looked at voting and the bitter reality that the odds of your one vote mattering in a major election as incredibly remote. Here’s the podcast and an earlier article in the NY Times covering the topic.

The basic gist is that with so many people voting in most elections the odds that any election will be freakishly close are extremely slim. And reflecting back on all the times I’ve voted on something in my lifetime, the only time my one individual vote ever came really close to mattering was the 2004 USA Team Handball Board of Directors elections vote where Mike Hurdle edged Bob Djokovich by a small margin of votes. (I think around 400 members voted with Hurdle winning by like 3 or 5 votes, but my memory is sketchy.)

This time around the Board of Directors election is much less contentious, but the possibility of a close vote remains. If you care about Team Handball in the United States and who will be making the key decisions like how much funding should be allocated towards National Team and how much should go toward youth programs and other grass roots efforts this is your chance to make your voice heard.

And, if you’re having trouble making up your mind check out my 30 minute interviews with each of the candidates. There are no smoking guns in the interviews, but they’ll certainly give you some insight as to what their priorities are and perhaps most importantly give you an idea as to how they would serve and function as a member of the Board of Directors.

Jennie Choi: Link
Atilla Agoston: Link
Craig Rot: Link

As a final note, keep in mind that these 3 candidates are vying for 2 seats on the Board and that voters are required to rank the candidates in order of preference. The candidate you select as your #1 choice will get 3 points; the candidate you select as your #2 choice will get 2 points; and your #3 choice will get 1 vote. And the 2 candidates with the most points will be selected to serve. So while you personally may have a clear #1 choice it could be that your decision between #2 and #3 could be the real difference maker.

For more information on how to cast your ballot check the Federation website: Link

AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball Board of Director Candidate, Craig Rot

Posted on August 20, 2013 by John Ryan

Board of Director Candidate Craig Rot with some players from a youth program he started in Minnesota

Craig Rot is one of three candidates (Jennie Choi and Atilla Agoston are the other two) currently vying for election to the two General Membership seats on the Board of Directors. Ballots must be sent in electronically by 6 September.

A short while ago I discussed why he wanted to be on the Board, what skills he would bring and some areas that he would like to emphasize if elected. Discussed topics include youth development, the planned residency program at Auburn and USA-Canada relations-. (Audio length: 31 minutes)

USATH Election Announcement: Link

Craig Rot’s Candidacy Letter: Link

Earlier interviews:

– Jennie Choi: Link
– Atilla Agoston: Link

AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball Board of Director Candidate, Atilla Agoston

Posted on August 16, 2013 by John Ryan

USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Atilla Agoston

Atilla Agoston is one of three candidates (Jennie Choi and Craig Rot are the other two) vying for election to the two General Membership seats on the Board of Directors. Ballots must be sent in by 6 September.

Earlier today, Atilla and I discussed why he wanted to be on the Board, what skills he would bring and some areas that he would like to emphasize if elected. We even discussed Beach handball a bit as it was one of the questions posed on the Team Handball News Facebook page. (Audio length: 28 minutes)

(Note: Jennie Choi’s interview is here and I’m still working on getting a hold of Craig Rot who is currently in Bosnia & Hercegovina)

USATH Election Announcement: Link

Atilla Agoston’s Candidacy Letter: Link

AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball Board of Director Candidate, Jennie Choi

Posted on August 14, 2013 by John Ryan

USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Jennie Choi

USA Team Handball is conducting an election to fill the two General Membership seats on the Board of Directors. There are three candidates (Attila Agoston, Jennie Choi and Craig Rot) for these two openings and ballots must be sent in by 6 September.

Last night, I interviewed Jennie Choi to find out why she wanted to be on the Board, what skills she would bring and some areas that she would like to emphasize if elected. For reference here’s her candidacy letter which was referred to several times in the interview: Link (Audio length: 33 minutes)

(Note: I plan to interview both Attila Agoston and Craig Rot in the next few days)

AUDIO: Interview with USA Junior and Youth National Team Coach Julio Sainz

Posted on June 27, 2013 by John Ryan

Julio Sainz, coaching the LA Team Handball Club Women’s team at the National Championships. How many teams does this guy coach anyway? (Photo courtesy of Clarke Ortega)

The U.S. is sending both a men’s and women’s team to the Partille Cup which takes place next week in Gothenburg, Sweden. Coaching both teams will be Julio Sainz. At the Club National Championships I sat down with Julio and we discussed a number of topics to include:

– Dual citizen players and their impact on our youth and junior teams
– How Javier Galindo, who will play next year for Liga Asobal club, Granollers, was discovered on a tennis court in Los Angeles
– The development of the LA Women’s Team club.

Interview length is approximately 18 minutes

Links to related THN stories

THN (3 April 2013): USA Men U21 Roster for IHF Continental Cup: Link
THN ( 8 Dec 2012): VIDEO: USA vs. Canada, IHF Challenge Cup: Link
THN(23 Nov 2012: IHF Challenge Cup: Some numbers behind the results; Link

AUDIO: A conversation with Laszlo Jurak: A True Handball Legend

Posted on June 20, 2013 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

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Laszlo Jurak, long time coach of NYAC, on the sidelines at the U.S. National Championships. (Photo courtesy of Clarke Ortega)

Sometimes the word legend is casually thrown around to describe someone who’s been around the sport for several years. With Laszlo Jurak there’s no need to exaggerate, as he has been involved with the sport in the U.S. for over 50 years. In Reno, this past May I sat down with the legend shortly after NYAC won yet another national title.

Topics include his leaving Hungary for the U.S. after the 1956 uprising, his playing for the U.S. National Team at the 1963 outdoor world championships and at the 1970 indoor world championships (also as coach), his assessment as to when club handball was strongest in the U.S. (and why), his disappointment that the U.S. hasn’t progressed further, and where he falls on the dividing line between grass roots and national team funding. (Interview is approximately 23 minutes)

THN (8 Aug 2012): Audio: 1972 Olympians reflect on the Munich games and more: Link

AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball CEO, Matt Van Houten

Posted on June 8, 2013 by John Ryan

New York Athletic Club (NYAC) goalie and USA Team Handball CEO, Matt Van Houten, chases down an errant shot.

At the Club National Championships, Matt Van Houten, took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss several of the issues he’s been addressing as the new USA Team Handball CEO. Topics included the new Federation By-Laws, the Board of Directors shakeup, Federation finances, National Team plans and Handball TV broadcasts in the U.S. Interview length is about 38 minutes.

Here’s some links to topics that were discussed or alluded to during the interview:

Audio: USA Team Handball Town Hall Meeting: Link
Audio: Interview with USOC’s Rick Adams: Link
Audio: Interview with Board of Director, Tomuke Ebuwei: Link
USA Team Handball Corporate Documents (includes IRS Form 990s; most recent Form 990 covers from July, 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011): Link
North America and Caribbean Qualification Tournament: Link (Plans are still TBD; Apparently Greenland is back as the tentative host)
The committees that were established after the April 2012 Strategic Planning Conference: Link
My analysis highlighting concerns with USA Team Handball’s decision to hire full time National Team coaches and restart Residency Programs: Link
beIN Sport: Link

AUDIO: Interview with USOC Executive, Rick Adams

Posted on May 25, 2013 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:41 — 6.1MB)

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Rick Adams, The USOC’s Managing Director, NGB Organizational Development

At the USA Team Handball National Championships in Reno, I had the opportunity to interview Rick Adams, the USOC’s Managing Director for NGB Organizational Development. Topics discussed include the USOC’s level of support for Team Handball and what USA Team Handball needs to do in order to potentially secure more financial support from the USOC. (Audio runs approximately 12 minutes)

USOC Profile Page for Rick Adams: Link

USOC 2012 IRS Form 990: Link (pages 40-62 includes information on how much funding the USOC grants to sports federations and other oogranizations)