Category Archives: Podcast

Throwback Thursday: Ross Miner, USA Team Handball’s Chicago Area Ambassador Talks College Handball Back in 2016

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Ross Miner

Ross Miner was recently hired by USA Team Handball to be their Chicago area ambassador. As an ambassador he will be responsible for developing youth and college handball in the Chicago are.

In this podcast from 2016, Ross and I discussed Illinois St winning the Buckeye Classic and his handball journey from discovering the sport on TV during the 2008 Olympics to starting the club program at Illinois St and attending the Aarhus Academy in Denmark.

We also discussed the state of the college game and whether the weekend tournament format should be scrapped in favor of league play.

Original Post: Link
Podcast on the Aarhus Academy: Link
The college handball club graveyard: Link

Don’t miss an episode:
– Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
– Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

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

Podcast (Episode 66) Former NFL Tight End, Gary Barnidge and the Infamous NFL – FTC Budapest Handball Match

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Former NFL Player and newly converted handball fan, Gary Barnidge.

Earlier this month when the Coronavirus was just some issue China was dealing with a group of American NFL players (current and former) had a joint training session with Hungarian Club, FTC Budapest. Video of the match went viral as it seemed to provide what every handball fan wanted after the infamous, Jay Cutler, interview on Pardon My Take: Namely, a match between cocky, over confident NFL players and experienced handball players.

The reality, however, was significantly different. The NFL Players were part of the American Football Without Barriers, a non-profit group that uses sports as a tool to help disadvantaged children live healthy and fit lifestyles through the core values of physical fitness, wellness, and education. And, as the name implies part of that mission is conducting camps and spreading the gospel of American Football in places like Hungary.

Gary Barnidge, played eight seasons as a Tight End for the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns and is one of the founding members of American Football Without Barriers. He joins the podcast to discuss their trip to Hungary, the growing popularity of American Football and what handball might learn from it, and, of course, their handball training with FTC Budapest.

What’s clear: Handball is harder than it looks and the sport has picked up some new and genuine fans from American Football.

Complete video of the entire training session: Link
Shorter video with match footage: Link

FTC Budapest Team Captain, Timuzsin Schuch

Don’t miss an episode:
– Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
– Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

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

The podcast was sponsored by Aspire Products, EMST150 Training Device. Check it out and don’t forget to use the promo code THN30 for a 30% discount.

Podcast (Episode 65): Air Force Invitational Interviews

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During this past weekend’s Air Force Invitational I conducted several interviews and they are all featured on the latest podcast for download.

Interview 1) William Kennedy of Texas A&M and Moshe Mukori of Concordia College talk about playing for Dallas THC at this tournament and their efforts with their respective college programs.
– Video: Link
– Subscribe to the Team Handball News YouTube channel: Link (so, you don’t miss videos like the exciting end to the Championship Match: Link)

Interview 2) North Carolina’s Alex Laws discusses the Air Force – North Carolina match, the current state of collegiate handball and the challenges of recruiting athletes for the collegiate game. I also ask him a variation of the Jay Cutler challenge: Could a select group of UNC football and basketball players beat the Carolina Handball team?

Interview 3) Tournament MVP, Air Force Nate Luther after the Championship game, Air Force’s defense strategy and his evolution as a player over four years. And, also whether a group of AF football and basketball players could beat the AF Handball team

Interview 4) Air Force coach, Mike Cavanaugh, reflects on the tournament, the waning days of stickum, some of the challenges with roster integrity and the last time Air Force beat West Point. (Note: I was a bit confused regarding Air Force’s planned trip to the Netherlands over Spring Break; Their spring break is a different week from Ohio State, so it’s a separate trip.)

Don’t miss an episode:
– Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
– Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

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

The podcast was sponsored by Aspire Products, EMST150 Training Device. Check it out and don’t forget to use the promo code THN30 for a 30% discount.

Podcast (Episode 64): USA Men’s Coach, Robert Hedin on his Challenge to Jay Cutler and Recent National Team Matches

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USA Men’s National Team Coach, Robert Hedin

USA Men’s National Team Coach, Robert Hedin is the podcast guest and we discuss:

  • His challenge to former NFL QB, Jay Cutler and the Pardon My Take roster to score 10 goals against the U.S. Men’s National Team.
  • His reaction to athletes from other sports thinking handball is easy
  • The resulting publicity for this controversy
  • USA National Team camps and matches Tri-Nations Tournament in Ireland, Sauerland Cup and Ystad (Swedish club)
  • Upcoming training/competitions (Volendam, NL (April) and the North American & Caribbean Championships (June).

Subscribe to the Team Handball News Podcast in iTunes: Link

Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

The podcast was sponsored by Aspire Products, EMST150 Training Device. Check it out and don’t forget to use the promo code THN30 for a 30% discount.

Podcast (Episode 63): Captain America: Team USA and Leon Ademar, Circle Runner, Drew Donlin

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Captain America, Drew Donlin, playing for Leon Ademar vs FC Barcelona

It’s been quite the ride for Team USA’s Drew Donlin, from Minnesota to the Air Force Academy to Los Angeles to Germany and now Spain.

In September 2018 he was an alternate and a last minute call up for the U.S. National Team for the PANAM Games Qualification series vs Canada. Just 14 months later he found himself playing important minutes for his club, Leon Ademar, against FC Barcelona. Such a rapid rise is unprecedented for just about any handball player, let alone a U.S. National Team player who was born and raised in the U.S. and didn’t start playing the sport until he was 18.

On the podcast we discuss his handball origin story, USA Beach Handball competitions and how exactly he went from a national team alternate to playing against Barca in 14 months.

Player Profile Pages
– Leon Ademar: Link
– Liga ASOBAL (with current stats): Link
– EHF: Link
– USA Team Handball: Link

Drew Donlin Social Media
– Facebook: Link
– Instagram: Link

Podcast (Episode 62) Army Dominates Air Force in Annual Rivalry Game

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Army’s Jeremy Spencer collides with the Air Force defense last night at the Air Force Academy.

USA Team Handball’s oldest rivalry match took place last night at the Air Force Academy with Army (West Point) coming away with a 40-28 victory.

The first half started slowly with both teams initially having trouble scoring in their set offenses. Air Force took their sole lead of the match (3-2) after 8 minutes of play, but Army scored 2 goals in quick succession to retake the lead. Air Force managed to stay with 1-2 goals for another 10 minutes, but the end of the half saw Army pull away for an 18-13 halftime score.

To start the 2nd half, Army used an aggressive 5-1 defense and point man Mike Turner rattled the Air Force causing several turnovers. The extra pressure resulted in a 5-0 goal blitz in just 3 minutes to open up a 23-13 lead. From then on the teams traded goals for the rest of the way with Air Force never managing to come closer in 10 goals.

Kendrick Thomas who led all scorers with 9 goals was pleased with Army’s performance, emphasizing that it was a big game for Army and that he hadn’t lost to Air Force and wanted to keep that tradition going.

Air Force, goalie and team captain, Austin Faulkner, was disappointed with the loss, noting the team seemed a bit tired from last weekend’s tournament in Chicago. And, that the 12 goal loss was a bit of a let down since they had actually played teams like NYAC and a club team from Minsk.

Both teams are gearing up for the season and a rematch at College Nationals is more than likely. For more on the match and Army and Air Force’s upcoming season click on the podcast link for the complete interviews with Army’s Kendrick Thomas and Air Force’s Austin Faulkner.

Scoring (Army): 40
Kendrick Thomas 9
Trey Neville 6
Ryan Thistlewood 4
Will Considine 5
Nathan Chillian 4
Mike Turner 4
Luke Windish 3
Rob Purdy 3
Matt Allgor 2

Scoring (Air Force): 28
Nathan Luther 5
Quentin Riddle 4
Mark Simpson 3
Grant Gardiner 3
Jackson Cole 3
Rich Vaughn 2
Will Walker 2
Bryan Brown 2
Kyle Grushtka 2
Tevon Miller 1
Emari Hill 1

Podcast (Episode 61): Handball Commentator and Ireland National Team Player, Chris O’Reilly

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Handball commentator, Chris O’Reilly, showing that he’s not always the “calm Irishman” behind the microphone.

Chris O’Reilly joins the podcast for a lively discussion. Topics include

  • His handball origin story
  • Ireland’s semantic challenge with “slappy wall ball” and “poverty squash”
  • Ireland’s handball scene and development challenges
  • Ireland’s unique sporting culture
  • Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and National Anthems
  • The upcoming KamaGames Tri-Nations Tournament with Ireland, Great Britain and the U.S.

Links

  • Ireland Olympic Handball Association: Link
  • KamaGames Facebook Event Page: Link
  • Un(Informed) Handball Hour Podcast: Link
  • Chris O’Reilly on Twitter: Link

Podcast (Episode 60): Team USA’s Eric Finch

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USA Goalkeeper, Eric Finch, before a friendly match in Germany.

Team USA’s Eric Finch joins the podcast.  We discuss his handball origin story, transitioning to beach handball, the residency program at Auburn, the collegiate game and how the U.S. might better train and develop athletes in the future.

Some big questions we discuss include:

  • Can a recruit brand new to handball make our current men’s team? How good of an athlete would it take? How long would it take?
  • Should the Men’s program target 18-19 year old’s or 22-23 year old’s?
  • Should the timeline focus for development be the 2024 or 2028 Olympiad?
  • Should the collegiate game focus on just one geographical area?
  • Does it make sense to have a different strategy for the Women’s National Team?

Links to some of the things mentioned in the podcast:

  • Interview with USA National Team player Ty Reed (now training with Flensburg in Germany): Link
  • The “Iceland Strategy”: Part 1; Part 2
  • Hang Up and Listen Podcast: Link (3rd segment discusses Nebraska’s rowing program and Title IX)

Podcast (Episode 59E): Bill Bigham- USA Beach Handball’s Rep on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors

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Bill Bigham at the 2016 Beach World Championships opening ceremony in Budapest
(Photo courtesy of Santiago Russo, Play Handball)

Bill Bigham has played a big role in the development of beach handball the past few years in California, but his involvement in the sport goes farther back to his days at the University of North Carolina and later as a member of the U.S. Men’s Team at the 2001 World Championships in France. In the podcast we discuss his handball journey, his new role as the beach representative on USA Team Handball’s Board of Directors and how beach handball should be viewed as a future revenue earner instead of another bill to pay.

Podcast (Episode 59D): NORCA Women’s MVP, Christine Mansour

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Tourney MVP, Christine Mansour, vs Puerto Rico at the North American & Caribbean Championships this past July.

Christine Mansour has been playing beach handball for a little over a year, but she is already making her mark with the USA Women’s National Team. In July, she played a key role in the U.S. Women’s 1st place finish at the North American & Caribbean Championships and was recognized as the tournament MVP. In our short conversation we talk about how she got involved in beach handball, the women’s trip to Europe and the upcoming Beach World Games in October.

Podcast (Episode 59C): Alex Browne on Talent Transfer (Quidditch to Beach Handball)

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Alex Browne: Quidditch to Beach Handball. (I still can’t believe I just typed that)

This past summer while visiting colleges with my rising high school senior the tour guides when talking about club sports opportunities were sure to mention the Quidditch club. Yes, quidditch of Harry Potter fame. Little did I know that it’s a real sport with at least five times as many people playing quidditch over team handball in the U.S., if not a whole lot more.

And, believe it or not, our Beach Handball National Teams have two talent transfers from the Quidditch ranks. Current national team members Missy Sponagle and Alex Browne have both represented the U.S. in international Quidditch before transitioning to Beach Handball. Yes, this sport is even formally organized, both nationally (US Quidditch), and internationally (International Quidditch Association).

Alex Browne was kind enough to chat with me about his quidditch experience and even take some gentle ribbing. (I’m thinking quidditch players are used to it and and accordingly have skin way thick enough to handle it.)

Podcast (Episode 59B): Ebiye Udo-Udoma (AKA- The Handball Ninja)

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Team USA’s and RIP Handball’s Ebiye Udo-Udoma showing a little hang time in SoCal this past weekend.

Short interview with Ebiye Udo-Udoma at the Southern California Beach Handball Championships this past weekend. We discuss the ongoing tournament, the upcoming World Beach Games, Touch Rugby and the future of Beach Handball.

Ebiye on social media:

Instagram: Link
Facebook: Link
Twitter: Link

Podcast (Episode 59A): Beach Handball Pioneers

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Mika Maunula and John Ryan: Beach Handball pioneers reunited at the So Cal Beach Handball Championships

25 years ago, Mika Maunula and I dragged a couple of handball goals onto the sand in Hermosa Beach, California to play what we thought at the time was beach handball. The sport has come a long, long way since those humble beginnings. In this short podcast discussion Mika and I trace the past 25 years and look forward as to what the sport might look in the future.

Note: U.S. Men’s Coach, Michael Hansen was listening in and didn’t concur with the timing of all our recollections. I suspect he’s probably right in some instances. Regardless, I think it’s a fairly accurate representation of the sport’s gradual evolution and rapid development the past few years.