Podcast (Episode 34): USA Team Handball Development Discussion

Dennis Berkholtz and I dive deep into a discussion on handball development in the U.S.  Among the topics covered:

  • Whether IHF resources spent on IHF Trophy tournaments could be better spent elsewhere
  • Dual citizen participation in IHF Trophy events
  • Whether national teams could be set aside for a period of time to tackle development
  • How “development” should be defined
  • The need for a “pyramid” framework for development
  • Whether the U.S. should consider a regional focus
  • How U.S. Nationals have turned into an Expat Convention and what can be done to get more American citizens playing
    • Should clubs participating in Elite be required to have a youth program?
    • Roster caps for non-American athletes?
  • Whether the U.S. should focus on 1 task area and what that 1 area should be
  • Helping stateside players get set up in Europe
  • Whether the U.S. could focus on 1 gender and the advantages of a women’s focus
  • The challenges of handball becoming an NCAA Sport
  • Whether a beach handball focus strategy should be considered.

Whew!  That’s a lot of ground, but well worth a listen.

Here are some links to related commentaries:

Mar 2017: Youth Handball Teams: A Waste of Time? (Part 1): The perilous problem of projecting future talent: Link

Mar 2017: Youth Handball Teams: A Waste of Time? (Part 2): Looking at development from a Sr Team planning perspective: Link

May 2017: Team USA Youth and Jr Teams: Data, Observations and Analysis: Link

May 2017: Charting a Way Forward for USA Team Handball (Option 9): Youth and Junior Teams Emphasis: Fund up and Coming Athletes First: Link

Podcast (Episode 33): IHF Trophy Review with Dennis Berkholtz (Part 1)

The IHF Trophy tournaments held last week in West Dundee, Illinois were a big success.  Dennis Berkholtz was on hand for all the matches and he provides his assessment of the teams, players and results.

Final Results, Standings and links to match video: Link

USA IHF Trophy Rosters: Link

This is the first of two interviews with Dennis.  In part 2 we will discuss development strategies in the U.S. and other topics.

 

Podcast (Episode 32): UVA Handball

NOTE:  The RSS Feed for the Team Handball News Podcast has changed:  Link (To get the latest episodes, be sure to update your favorite podcast aggregator.

University of Virginia Handball
Front row: Lincoln Ambrose (Fr), Scott Anderson (Sr), Christian Vila (Sr), Kai Milner (Soph), Merrick Furman (Jr), Caleb Capriglione (Fr)
Back row: Marcelo Sleiman Jr. (Fr), John Kretzschmar (Sr), Nicholas Mikalauskas (Sr), Troy Brunson (Jr), Michael Monsen (Sr), Steven Hume (Sr), Taylor Downey (Sr), Ben Kilpatrick (Fr), Austin Madrzyk (Sr)

UVA left wing and club president, Christian Vila, joins me on the podcast for a discussion on Virginia handball.  Topics include:

  • The start of the UVA program in 2014
  • Their climb up the ladder to second place at College Nationals this past April
  • How playing in the Northeast Team Handball League helped their development
  • The challenges of running a program without a coach
  • What a “Final Four” Collegiate Handball Championship might look like
  • The unique team chemistry led by a group of seniors who started together in 2014
  • The challenge of keeping the program going strong after they depart

UVA’s squad minus its departing seniors. Can this promising team avoid folding like many other college programs in the past?

Previous commentaries on Collegiate handball:

  • Charting a way forward for USA Team Handball (Option 4): Upgrade and expand collegiate team handball- Background: Link
  • Charting a way forward for USA Team Handball (Option 4): Strategies to implement: Link

ATTENTION:  Men’s College Athletes :  Don’t forget to take the short interest survey regarding this summer’s Top Prospects Camp in the Chicago area.  Signing up will ensure you get updated information regarding dates and attendee cost (which pending grant approval could be minimal):  Link 

(Also, open to Canadians ages 18-22)

 

PODCAST (Episode 31): U.S. National Team Player, Divine Jackson

U.S. Men’s National Team Player, Divine Jackson

In between matches last weekend at the College National Championships, I sat down for a conversation with USA National Team player, Divine Jackson.  We discussed his athletic career, introduction to handball, the recent North American & Caribbean (NORCA) Championship and the National Team’s future.

Some notes and links:

  • Divine Jackson profile page at USA Team Handball: Link
  • Video of the infamous USA-Mexico match: Link (Note: If you start watching at around 4 minutes left on the video play bar at the bottom of the screen you can see the end of the match we discussed.  The U.S. led 29-26 with 28:30 on the clock.  Mexico scored 4 goals in the last 90 seconds for the eventual 30-30 draw)
  • 6 Meters YouTube Channel: Link

ATTENTION:  Men’s College Athletes :  Don’t forget to take the short interest survey regarding this summer’s Top Prospects Camp in the Chicago area.  Signing up will ensure you get updated information regarding dates and attendee cost (which pending grant approval could be minimal):  Link 

(Also, open to Canadians ages 18-22)

PODCAST (Episode 30):  Penn St Co-Head Coach Michael Gordon

Penn St Women, along with some of the Penn St Men’s Team that cheered them on to victory (Coach Gordon is 2nd from left in the back row)

In a short audio interview (4:26) Co-Head Coach Michael Gordon reflects on Penn St’s first title and how far they’ve come in less than a year’s time.  Michael shares coaching responsibilities with Thomas Lauvaux, who handles the offense/team tactics while he works goalkeepers and organizational matters.  After the interview I learned another fun fact:  the Penn St women practice twice a week from 9:30 – 11:30 PM.  Something to think about the next time you complain about having to practice at an inconvenient time.


ATTENTION:  Men’s College Athletes :  Don’t forget to take the short interest survey regarding this summer’s Top Prospects Camp in the Chicago area.  Signing up will ensure you get updated information regarding dates and attendee cost (which pending grant approval could be minimal):  Link    

(Also, open to Canadians ages 18-22)

Photo courtesy of Denice daCunha

Photo courtesy of Denice daCunha

Photo courtesy of Denice daCunha

Podcast (Episode 29) New Zealand Handball Debuts at the Asian Championships

New Zealand Men’s National Team performing the traditional Haka before a match at the Asian Championships.

Earlier this month the New Zealand Men’s team played in their first major handball tournament, the 2018 Asian Men’s Championship.  Joining me to talk about handball in New Zealand was one of the team captains, Karl Fitzpatrick, and the team’s leading goal scorer, Aston Lang.

We discuss their performance at the tournament, how handball is organized in New Zealand, how they felt about playing in Asia (vice Oceania), and, of course, the Haka.  The interview took place prior to their final match vs Bangladesh, so if you want to check out how they did in this final effort the video is available below as are a couple of links to topics that were discussed.

  • New Zealand Handball Federation Website: Link
  • New Zealand Handball Federation on Facebook: Link
  • Asian Handball Championships (Wikipedia):  Link
  • Podcast on Aarhus Academy (The Handball Academy Aston attended): Link
  • Haka (Wikipedia): Link
  • Video (Full Match) (13th Place Match) New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Link
    – Fitzpatrick is #8; Lang is #24
    – The Haka can be viewed at the 5:00 minute mark
  • Video (Highlights) (13th Place Match) New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Link

This podcast episode was brought to you by Nord VPN.

Well, the European Men’s Championships were truly a tour de force for handball fans with every match readily available live and on demand.   It was truly awesome to see a couple of great handball matches almost every day for 16 days, but alas, it’s over.  Fortunately, as I discussed with ehfTV’s Tom O’Brannigan there’s more handball to watch through May with the EHF Champions League starting back up.  And, in my opinion, it’s actually the best handball in the world to watch on a regular basis.

And, the Champions league starts back up with a bang on Tuesday, 7 February, with Kiel playing hosting to Veszprem.  Will that big match up be readily available for viewing or will it be geoblocked for mysterious unknown reasons?

Honestly, I can’t say and honestly I just don’t worry about that much anymore…

And, while I can’t guarantee you that Nord VPN will solve all your handball viewing problems I will unequivocally state, that I am personally a very, very happy camper with my Nord VPN subscription.  With a free trial and plans starting as low as $3.29/month you really owe it to yourself to check it out.


If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 28):  Euro 2018 Talk with Tom O’Brannigan

ehfTV’s Tom O’Brannigan joins me on the podcast to talk about the 2018 European Championships.  It’s tangents galore as we discuss the controversy around officials reviewing TV replays, red cards on facial contact, the Duvnjak injury, the merits of club vs national team competition, and what makes Nikola Karabatic the GOAT.

Sascha Staat’s commentary on the Duvnjak injury: Link


If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 27): Sterne School Handball Coach, Craig Brewer

The Sterne School Dolphins, 2017 Youth Cal Cup Champions

This past November, The Sterne School of San Francisco won their 2nd consecutive Youth Cal Cup title. Joining me on the podcast is their head coach Craig Brewer.  Craig was the 2016 USA Team Handbal Youth Development Handball Coach of the Year and has been involved with education for 20 years.  We discuss the genesis of the Sterne School handball program and how the San Francisco Cal Heat Club has helped develop Middle School and High School Handball in the Bay Area.  We also discuss the challenges of starting a High School handball program and brainstorm some options for further handball growth in American Schools.

Sterne School: Link

SF Cal Heat: Link

Video of Sterne School vs Bayhill:  Link

https://www.facebook.com/CalHeat/videos/vl.2042039042695621/10155286187369353/?type=1

 

Link to commentary on football positions ideal for handball: Link


The Unofficial sponsor of this podcast episode was ehfTV and the 2018 Men’s European Championships.  Catch all the action from 12-28 January, for free, live and on demand on ehfTV. The world’s best option for handball web streaming.


If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 26):  Japanese Women’s Handball Coach, Ulrik Kirkely

Japan’s Head Coach, Ulrik Kirkely urges his team on at the World Championships

The Japanese Women’s National Handball Team had a breakthrough performance at the 2017 Women’s World Championships with wins against Montenegro and Tunisia, a draw vs Brazil, and a 1 goal loss to Russia in Group play.  They then played arguably the most entertaining match of the tournament in the round of 16 losing by 2 goals in Extra Time to the eventual bronze medalists, the Netherlands.

Coach Kirkely and I discuss Japan’s performance at the World Championships, handball organization/development in Japan and the future prospects for the Women’s team heading into the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympics, both of which will be hosted by Japan.


This podcast episode was brought to you by Nord VPN.

Ever go online to try and live stream a great handball match only to get the dreaded geo block notice telling you that the match isn’t available in your country?  When you would even be happy to pay to see it, but can’t even do that because the network that owns the rights chooses not to broadcast?  Sometimes it just makes you want to give up and go watch some more football.

Well, I can’t guarantee you that Nord VPN will solve all your handball viewing problems.  I can only state, that I personally am a very happy camper now and with plans as low as $3.29/month it’s worth every penny and then some.

Finally, I bet you’ve seen the ads from sketchy websites offering you matches for free as long as you download their customized video player.  And, after hesitating a bit you caved in only to be inflicted with incredibly slow computer speeds or worse, viruses.  That’s a legitimate concern with those sites, but not with Nord VPN which has top ratings and reviews from PC Mag, Wired and others.

Sign up for Nord VPN today: Link


If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 25):  Women’s World Championships: Pan American Update

Brasil comes up short vs Denmark. Can they beat Montenegro in their last pool play match and sneak into the Round of 16?

Argentinian sports journalist, Laura Agena, is in Germany following Group B and we discuss the World Championships with a focus on Pan American sides, Argentina and Brazil.  But, we can’t help but talk about the Norwegian dominance and a surprising Japanese side.   This discussion took place on Wednesday night so we are a little more than half way through Pool Play

This podcast episode was brought to you by fubo.tv.  Watch all the World Championship matches on beIN Sports thought the Fubo TV app.  Sign up for Fubo here: Link

 

If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 24): College Potpourri

Luke Albu is investigating Pittsburgh as a location for another Residency Program.

Luke Albu is this episode’s guest and we discuss a wide range of topics including the length of the handball season, a summer pro league, weekend tourneys, a Collegiate Final Four packaged for TV and his investigation of Pittsburgh as a possible location for a new Residency Program.

Towards the end of the podcast we discussed some of the different plans and proposals that have been shared on the collaborative Google Drive:  Link

Michael Gordon’s USATH Growth through Colleges: Link

Ryan Peterson’s Handball Proposal: Link

Original Commentary Highlighting the need for planning: Link

 

If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 23):  Buckeye Classic Tourney Review and College Game Discussion with Ohio St’s Max Littman

Ohio State Team Handball

This past weekend Ohio St defeated the Columbus Armada 20-19 to win the 4th Annual Fall Buckeye Classic Tournament.  Max Littman, an Ohio St Right Winger provides a review of the tournament and then we discuss the state of the collegiate game in the U.S.

Here are some links to more information on the topics we discussed.

Ohio State’s Twitter with a few videos from the tourney: Link

Commentaries on Collegiate Handball in the U.S.

Podcast Discussion on what collegiate team handball can learn from collegiate rugby’s success: Link

 

If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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

Podcast (Episode 22): Gary Hines, Ninja Warrior and Team USA Handballer

Gary Hines in action for his club team in Germany, HSC Bad Neustadt. I wonder why they call him Hang Time?

Gary Hines has been a mainstay of the U.S. Men’s National Team for 14 years.  More recently he’s been a fan favorite on German TV’s, Ninja Warrior Germany.

In a wide ranging interview we discuss his recent Ninja escapade as well as his journey from foster care, to discovering handball with the Atlanta Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs and Condors, to the U.S. National Team to playing professional handball in Spain and Germany.  It’s quite a story and at age 33 he’s not done yet by any means.

Here are some links to more information on the topics we discussed.

  • Gary’s final course run on this season’s Ninja Warrior Germany: Link
  • Story from 2010 on the first Ninja Handball player, Japan’s Daisuke Miyazke: Link
    (Note: the speculation concerning a future American Handball Ninja)
  • Commentary from 2010 suggesting that USA Team Handball should facilitate Gary Hines signing with a higher division club: Link
  • HSC Bad Neustadt Club website: Link
  • German Handball Federation article on Gary’s Ninja Warrior Exploits: Link
  • Gary’s profile at USA Team Handball: Link

Gary in action on Ninja Warrior Germany

Gary Hines on Social Media
Facebook: Link
Youtube: Link
Instagram: Link

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If you would like to advertise on the Team Handball News Podcast contact John Ryan at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

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