THIS IS THE TRUE OLYMPIC SPIRIT

Posted on August 29, 2016 by John Ryan

Play the Game 2009

By Christer Ahl

Six months ago, I used my Facebook and got the help of some friends to use their web pages to announce my need for an urgent kidney transplant. So very many of you responded with best wishes and encouragement, and I thank all of your for this support which was invaluable in a difficult time.

But I was not so optimistic that my efforts would lead me to someone who would be willing to donate a kidney. However, I am enormously happy to inform you that the miracle happened! And it happened through my decades of involvement in sports, especially in handball. An ex-player and now coach in PanAmerica, whom I met many years ago, when I was a referee and an instructor, saw my postings. This fantastic man had already had in mind the idea of donating an organ, and when he now saw my name and photo, he decided to come forward. Obviously, I am eternally grateful to him!

We are both doing well, and my kidney function is now very strong again. And it was a special coincidence that our transplant surgery took place, precisely during the days of the handball competition in Rio. This is to me a story about the meaning of the ‘true Olympic spirit’!

The Education of a New Handball Fan

Posted on August 24, 2016 by John Ryan

Education

Joe Healy resides in Houston, Texas. By day, he is an instructional designer. By night, he is a freelance sportswriter. Below is his account of discovering the sport of handball and his growth as a fan.

The Olympics have a funny way of creating seminal memories in our lifetimes.

People of a certain age might remember where they were when a young Romanian gymnast named Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect ten in the 1976 games in Montreal, the first time that score had ever been awarded in Olympic history. Others may vividly remember the exploits of Carl Lewis in 1984 in Los Angeles. For basketball fans the world over, watching the Dream Team in 1992 dominate their competition and introduce NBA basketball to the rest of the globe likely stands out.

For a different generation, Michael Phelps’ incredible Olympics in 2008 or Usain Bolt’s electrifying sprints will be the Olympic memories that last a lifetime.

For me, I remember where I was standing in my living room as an eight-year-old during the 1996 Olympics when Michael Johnson, gold shoes and all, broke the world record in the 200-meters to win gold. For better or worse, I also remember my beloved Team USA basketball looking absolutely lost and overmatched for the first time on the world stage at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, leading to a bronze medal, which was downright unfathomable given their dominance in previous Olympics.

My most recent such memory, though, was in 2012, and it’s a little bit more unconventional. It’s not a memory of a particularly outstanding performance, or one of a great upset that caught the world by surprise, or even one that determined medalists in the given event.

No, this memory is of the first time I saw handball.

It was one evening during the London Olympics. The prime time coverage here in the US had ended for the night and I was dozing off on the couch before heading to bed. I fired up the nascent NBC Live Extra app (as it was known then) and specifically looked for replays of sports from that day that the networks here in the US don’t generally cover.

And there it was. Team handball.

I’ll be honest. I don’t remember which two countries were playing. I know for fact that it was a preliminary game, and I know that it was early enough in the Olympics that that single game didn’t mean a whole lot on its own. None of that mattered, though, because I was transfixed from the very start.

I loved the speed of the game. I loved the quick pace at which it was played, with very few play stoppages. Most of all, I loved that it combined skills from some of my favorite sports, such as baseball and basketball.

I felt like I had discovered hidden treasure. Why had I never heard of this wonderful game? Is this a dream sport that I had concocted in some kind of Olympics fever dream that I’m destined to eventually wake up from?

I distinctly recall going to work the next day, telling co-workers about handball, and getting nothing more than puzzled looks in return. Unsatisfied with the the lack of awareness of those in my immediate bubble, if you will, I turned to the internet, and was heartened to find that the American sports internet, particularly those mainstream media members covering the games in person, were buzzing about handball much in the same way I was.

Not only that, but they had many of the same questions I had. Where has this sport been all of our lives? Why doesn’t America compete in the sport at the highest level? Where can I get more of this? I read just about everything I could get my hands on about the sport, including all of those pieces suggesting changes to the game to make it better and what Americans can do to become instant players on the world stage.

I followed the sport for the rest of those Olympics, watching the odd game here and there until the closing ceremonies of the London games came and went, and then something happened that I’m ashamed to admit. I kind of moved on and didn’t give handball much thought for a while. I didn’t pursue information on any of the top domestic handball leagues in Europe, I didn’t look into the next big international competition, and I didn’t spend any time getting a better understanding of the rules of the game or learning about the best players in the game.

Perhaps I was just an “every four years” handball fan.

At least, on that part, I would have been far from alone. With few exceptions, all of the interest in the sport from American media outlets dried up soon after the events ended, and any momentum that might have been gained for the US to get involved in playing the game seemed to dissipate almost overnight.

Fast forward four years to these Rio Olympics, and I’m here to tell you a switch has been flipped for me personally. Sure, I could go back to not paying the sport any mind in the coming weeks, but that feels unlikely.

Four years ago, I just dipped my toe in the water that is the world of team handball, but this time around, I’ve gone in headfirst. I’ve found myself watching multiple handball matches each and every day of the games, and I’ve paid much more attention to trying to pick up subtle nuances and rhythms of the game.

On top of that, I’ve spent a lot time (often while watching the matches, mind you) researching the recent history of the game and of the best domestic leagues in the world. I was also heartened to learn that the next world championship is just around the corner, in January of 2017, giving me another chance, quickly, to take in high-level international competition.

Perhaps the best evidence that I’ve become one of you, a certified fan of the sport, however, is that, first and foremost, I feel compelled to spread the word about this game and help others to discover it.

Beyond that, I’ve also found myself with stronger opinions on the sport, and I’ve started to really learn what I like and don’t like in my coverage of handball. This time around, I’ve largely taken a pass on (or rolled my eyes after reading) the articles that provide short-sighted suggestions on how to improve the sport or make it more accessible for an American audience, and I’ve done much the same with the pieces that have posited the theory that all it would take is a few ex-college basketball players to decide they want to pursue handball rather than chase down NBA dreams.

Ask those who pushed to make soccer a big deal in America, both with the NASL in the 70s and 80s and then again with MLS in recent years about how difficult it is to get a sport that few know of to become a phenomenon in the saturated sports market that is the US. That sport still has a long way to go in this country to be sure, but it’s come a long way.

Those wanting to see a similar spread of handball in the US would do well to take a couple of lessons from those brave souls looking to bring a largely foreign sport to these shores. Soccer is seeing its biggest period of growth now that organizers are simply selling soccer rather than an Americanized version of the game.

You’ve also got to grow it from the ground up. Just like putting games from a brand-new soccer league in football stadiums right from the start might have been a bit foolhardy, expecting handball to sweep the nation in its first pass would be similarly so.

It’s going to take some time, and it’s going to take great effort, but handball can get there as well.

And I’m here to help.

USA Men Chances for 2020 Olympic Qualification: Can we get “there” from “here”?

Posted on August 21, 2016 by John Ryan

Can the U.S. men qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo? I think the logo pretty much answers the question.

Yesterday, I took a look at the chances that the USA Women’s team could qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Today, I assess the USA Men’s chances.

The Competition: Brazil and Argentina: Two sides now of European quality

This past Olympics was a little unique in that due to Brazil’s hosting, 2 slots available for Pan American sides. Instead of an epic battle between Brazil and Argentina for one coveted slot, both teams were assured passage to Rio once they won their semifinal game. And, I really mean it when I say epic because these two rivals have battled each other for the coveted Olympic Games bid since 2003. Brazil won in 2003 and 2007, Argentina won in 2011, while Brazil won the relatively meaningless match in 2015.

And that’s just for the PANAM Games, Brazil and Argentina have also played each other in the final of the Pan American Championships held every two years, except for this year’s final which saw Chile sneak into the final by virtue of Argentina’s pool play upset loss to Greenland. For the record, Argentina won in 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2014, while Brazil took the title in 2006, 2008 and 2016.

And, by virtue of those Pan American final showdowns, the Brazilians and Argentinians are regular fixtures at the World Championships where they’ve shown steady improvements in performance, to the point where I argued after the 2015 World Championship that they are now essentially European quality sides: Link

Their performance at the Olympics does nothing, but further validate that assessment. Argentina was even missing their best player, Diego Simonet, (heck maybe the best player to ever come out of Pan America) was still able to keep games close, losing a heartbreaker to Croatia in the closing seconds.

The implications of Brazil and Argentina reaching this level of play are huge, because even the USA teams of the 80s never quite reached that level. Yes, the men played some competitive games at the 1984 Olympics, but that performance on home soil against a boycott weakened field doesn’t match the resume of what these two teams have accomplished the past few years.

Professionals beat Amateurs almost every time

Further, and this can’t be underemphasized, the Brazilian and Argentina sides starting lineups now consist almost entirely of full time professional athletes. It’s a mixture in terms of what level they are playing at, but many are playing for some top level clubs. Meanwhile, the US has just a handful of players, mostly dual citizens, who are playing in Europe at lower levels.

At the 2016 Pan American Championships in June the U.S. fielded a side with just one professional, Gary Hines, who plays in the German 3^rd Division. The rest of the roster was composed of athletes training with the residency program at Auburn and veteran athletes living in the U.S., but not training on a regular basis. The men’s performance was typical of recent years, finishing 8^th out of the 12 teams participating. They beat weak, really inexperienced sides like Paraguay and Colombia, and lost relatively close games to comparable sides like Mexico and Puerto Rico. Against eventual champion Brazil they lost 40-15. I did not see this game, but this is without a doubt a real drubbing that probably could have been worse if Brazil was so inclined. Team USA’s best match of the tournament was probably a 37-30 loss to Greenland. And, while that may get a few snickers to the uniformed, Greenland actually has a few players playing for top clubs in Denmark. They even beat Argentina 25-23 in Group Play. The fact that the U.S. played Greenland close at least provides a glimmer of hope for better results in the future.

But, only a glimmer of hope because the reality is that Greenland is not Brazil or Argentina. And, to qualify for the 2020 Olympics Team USA won’t just need one big upset, but two big upsets. This is because Brazil and Argentina are both very likely to win their respective groups at the 2019 PANAM Games. And, if the USA can qualify for the semis (a big if) they will need to first knock off one of those 2 sides in the semis and then turn around the next day and knock off the other in the final. Of course, upsets are always possible and that could change the matchups, but this is the likely scenario. And, while it’s possible to imagine amateurs beating pros in one big upset it’s really defying the odds to envision two such back to back upsets.

Yeah, but we’re Americans

So, to review the task at hand is putting together a team in 3 years time that can win the Gold Medal at the 2019 PANAM Games in Lima, Peru. And, this team will likely need to beat both Brazil and Argentina, two sides that the U.S. hasn’t beaten in 20 years. (And, I think those losses have all been double digit blowouts.)

I know what people are saying, particularly relative newcomers to the sport, “We’ve got the best athletes in the world. The game’s not that hard. We put our mind to it, we can do it.” You know, I actually see the logic somewhat. Honestly, you look at Argentina’s team and they certainly don’t look physically imposing. But, looks are deceiving and results are results. We’ve got 20 years of negative data that says otherwise.

Maybe, there will be a tremendous recruiting surge courtesy of the Olympics and we’ll get around 20 high quality athletes that are willing to move to Auburn immediately and train full time in austere conditions. Maybe, some billionaire will show up and change that austerity overnight into a full up residency program. Anything can happen. In all, likelihood though, we’ll get some decent athletes, but not quite as physically gifted as we need them to be, plus a little bit older than what we need. And, maybe we’ll get some more sponsorship, but it will still fall short of what we need to run a residency program right.

And honestly even if we somehow recruited the athletes and received the necessary funding I still don’t think we can get there from here in just 3 years time. Yes, as I highlighted with my earlier commentary regarding the Women’s team’s chances it’s time to focus on 2024 with some age appropriate recruiting and grass roots programs that might give us a decent chance of qualifying in 2023. And, who knows, maybe if LA gets to host in 2024 we could even put together a team capable of some upsets on home soil.

USA Women Chances for 2020 Olympic Qualification: A couple of stories to highlight what we’re up against

Posted on August 20, 2016 by John Ryan

Brazilian school girls training in Rio. Some ride the bus an hour and a half to practice. Can the U.S. field a team in 3 years time to beat Brazilian athletes that come up through their grass roots programs?

Go on twitter during an Olympic broadcast and you’ll find plenty of tweets from viewers wanting to know how they can make the USA team and play in 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The USA coaches are also surely fielding a number of inquiries regarding tryouts: Link

Hopefully, among those queries are some high quality athletes that aren’t too old so that they will have some time to develop into quality handball players. Thing is, though, these would be National Team members should realize what they are up against. That’s because qualifying for Tokyo is a real long shot.

Can Team USA close the huge gap with Brazil?

The Pan American region gets 1 slot for the Olympics (For 2016, since Brazil was host the Pan American regions got 2 slots) and this is awarded to the winner of the PANAM Games handball competition, something the Men haven’t done since 1987 and the women haven’t done since 1995.

For the women it will mean beating Brazil, which had an up and down tournament at this Olympics. In group play they beat the bronze medalists, Norway, and finished first. But, in the quarterfinals they suffered a surprising and disappointing loss to the Netherlands which finished 4^th.

Brazil will have a number of players retiring in the near future, but they have many up and coming players. In fact, an experimental B side, largely composed of new talent beat Team USA 28-14, the last time the 2 nations met in formal competition at the 2015 Pan American Championships. It can’t be definitively assessed how the USA would have fared against the top Brazil team, but scorelines from 2013 (44-10) and 2011 (50-10) might not be a bad indication. Further, according to online competition records, it appears the USA women have not beaten Brazil (or Argentina for that matter) since the 1995 PANAM Games.

What has happened since 1995? Well, all appearances are that Brazil has developed a fairly decent grass roots program that is identifying and developing talent well before most Americans even touch a handball. This New York Times article was written to highlight the shortcomings in Women’s Athletics, but for me, it instead highlights a pretty decent development program. For sure the U.S. would love to have even a handful of committed female athletes riding the bus an hour and half to play handball instead of some other sport. Handball even well enough, according to the article, to beat a boy’s team!

New York Times: In the Shadow of the Olympic Park, Women’s Sports Lag Behind: Link

So, Team USA would have to make up a considerable amount of ground between now and August 2019, when the PANAM Games will be held in Lima, Peru. And, remember, the USA women didn’t even qualify for the 2015 PANAM Games, losing to Uruguay in a 2 game series prior to the games. Next time around the qualification path should be a bit easier with Canada being the primary opponent.

Can we find the phenomenal talent needed? Can we train that talent in 3 years time?

Can it be done? Well, anything is possible, but 3 years is not much time to work with. It would be one thing if the USA had some young up and coming talent already training at Auburn, but for the most part the players are in their mid to late 20s (some even 30s). A roster overhaul is really needed. Heck, it was really needed 3 years ago when I wrote this commentary: Link

And, the prescription is roughly the same today. The USA would have to do some phenomenal recruiting and hope they can improve quickly enough to field a team that can qualify for the December 2017 World Championships. This means just 10 months to assemble a team that can snag the 3^rd place slot at the Pan American Championships in Canada. A challenge, for sure, but conceivable as the quality of teams drops off fairly sharp after Brazil and Argentina. Then playing in a World Championships which is a huge opportunity for team growth and experience. Maybe a few players could be seen and signed to play professionally in Europe. 2018 and 2019 would then see a progression in growth whereby the US would catch up to Brazil to the point where beating them in a one off gold medal in August 2019 might be at least conceivable.

But, recruiting that top talent isn’t easy. Maybe in all the emails sent to USA Team Handball there are some real gems willing to put in the time and hard work necessary, but I suspect that the raw talent is a notch or two below what is needed. Why? Well as I’ve highlighted previously Div 1 athletes have more options than they did in the 70s and 80s.

Feb 2012: Air Force Basketball (Lessons for USA Team Handball): Lesson #2) Blue Chip Athletes from other Div 1 Sports are harder to come by nowadays: Link

As a more recent example look no further, then 29 year old, Danielle Page, bronze medalist for the Serbian basketball team. Serbia? Huh? Well, Page grew up in Colorado and played collegiately for Nebraska, before embarking on a pro career in Europe that eventually led to a Serbian passport. She is exactly the type of athlete that would have been a natural for the US Women’s National team after a middling NCAA career. Unfortunately, as her success story illustrates, those players have some pretty good alternatives that will preclude such a choice.

Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph (July 2015):Lewis-Palmer grad Page realizes Olympic dream with Serbian basketball team: link

Time to focus on 2024

Again, can it be done? Yes, but it’s so very, very unlikely. Even if we get the talent needed there’s just not enough time to catch Brazil. In my opinion, the U.S. should go ahead and try to qualify for 2020, but with both eyes squarely focused on the 2024 Olympics, which might even mean automatic qualification if LA hosts. And, if you are focused on the long term that means every single athlete being considered even for competitions in 2016 should be assessed as to how they might fit into a potential 2024 roster. Translation: Add 8 years to their current age and assess what the likelihood is that “life issues” will impact them between now and then.

And, seriously look at some alternative ways to spend resources on grass roots to create some talent similar to the Brazilian method. One solution: How about a high school girls handball league in the greater Los Angeles area, maybe even partially funded by LA 2024 sponsor? Link

The question, though, is whether USA Team Handball will take such a position or whether the US will continue to focus on near term goals that are likely unachievable.

Make Handball Great Again?

Posted on August 19, 2016 by John Ryan

This might actually be a better goal for the Donald.

Bill Simmons of HBO’s “Any Given Wednesday” gave a shout out on his most recent show to USA Team Handball in his “I believe” segment saying:

“I believe we need to find a billionaire to save USA handball. Some wacko who will bribe eight NBA players and bring us handball gold. Is it you?”

The video contains a stock handball photo a cartoon scene in shadow of someone tall getting a briefcase of money and as Simmons asks, “Is it you,” a picture of the Donald.

Simmons has been a fan of handball since the 2012 Olympic games in London when he wrote this commentary after a day at the handball arena: Link

The billionaire bailout is not a new conceptual idea to save USA Team Handball: This commentary from 2012 touches highlights this possibilty and Dieter Esch, the millionaire, who essentially took over USA Team Handball in 2008, but got frustrated and left in 2011.

Why Weren’t the U.S. National Teams at the London Olympics?: Part 4: A lack of funding: Where are the sponsors and donors? (September 2012): Link

USA Team Handball’s Esch – Pastorino era comes to a quiet end (Nov 2011): Link

Podcast: 2013 Interview with Team USA’s Jordan Fithian

Posted on August 14, 2016 by John Ryan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:15 — 11.3MB)

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Team USA and NYAC Circle Runner Jordan Fithian

U.S. National Team Circle Runner, Jordan Fithian. Fithian played D1 basketball prior to transitioning to handball. A prime example of LeBron Lite.

My recent commentary regarding LeBron James becoming the world’s best handball player sparked a question regarding USA National Team player, Jordan Fithian, and his thoughts on basketball players transitioning to Team Handball. Fithian played in college at Div 1, Binghampton and Div 2 Emporia before transitioning to handball. One might consider Fithian a prime example of “LeBron Lite” a solid athlete with raw athletic skills ideal for handball.

This interview from May 2013 doesn’t specifically answer that question, but it touches on a number of related topics like learning how to play handball, playing professionally in German, “life issues” impacting his continuing development as a player, the challenge of recruiting crossover athletes younger than 22 and what it might be like for a U.S. National Team to play overseas in a European League

PATHF Tournament Assignments: North America with 3 Major Championships

Posted on August 1, 2016 by John Ryan

PATHF-header-2-300x97

The Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) met this past week in Argentina and the North American Zone was able to secure 3 major championships for 2017 and 2018. Link

Canada will host the Women’s Sr. Pan American Championships from June 15-26, 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta. Canada’s hosting of this tournament will be a major opportunity to showcase the sport’s growth in Alberta. The top 3 teams from this tournament will also punch tickets to the 2017 Women’s World Championships in Germany. (Commentary on Handball’s growth in Alberta: Link)

Greenland will get the opportunity to host its first major tournament when it hosts the Men’s Pan American Championships in 2018 in the nation’s capital, Nuuk. Air travel has always been an issue in the past with commercial flights to Greenland being expensive and only available via Denmark. The tournament will likely be played in June and the top 3 teams (or more pending 2017 WC results) will qualify for the 2019 Men’s World Championships that will be cohosted by Denmark and Germany.

Finally, the USA will host the 2018 Pan American Beach Handball Championships. The tournament will be staged in either Miami or Southern Californian in the March timeframe. Both Men’s and Women’s tournaments will be played with a TBD number of places to be awarded spots at the 2018 Championships in Sochi, Russia. The USA Men are the defending PATHF Champions.

Commentary: I’ve commented on more than one occasion about South American dominance in PATHF affairs. Canada was once denied participation in a PATHF Championship, despite having qualified for the previous WC (Link) and Greenland was even unceremoniously voted out of PATHF not to long ago: Link. A decade or so ago it was pretty bleak. Now 3 major tourneys all awarded to North America. Brazilians and Argentinians getting the opportunity to get a lot of frequent flier miles. No complaints from me. It’s time to sing Kumbaya around the PATHF Congress table!

Now we’ll see if the North American sides can take advantage of these opportunities to get some World Championships berth. In particular, it should be interesting to see how Greenland will fare with what surely will be a loud and boisterous crowd backing them.

Gary Hines: Handball Ninja Warrior

Posted on July 30, 2016 by John Ryan

USA National Team player Gary Hines celebrates after hitting the buzzer.

Well Team USA won’t be at the Rio Olympics, but long time Men’s National Team Player, Gary Hines is having some success off the handball court as a Ninja Warrior. Hines, who plays handball professionally for HSC Bad Neustadt in Germany’s 3rd Division is competing in Ninja Warrior Germany. Shown on German TV Friday night, he successfully completed his preliminary run and is one of 28 qualifiers for the finals.

Video of Hines completing the course: Link

Hines is not the first handball athlete to have success at Ninja Warrior. Notably, Japanese handball player Daisuke Miyazke was a top competitor on the original Japanese show: : Daisuke Miyazaki: The Ichiro Suzuki of Handball (or maybe the Kyle Rote Jr.) (Jun 2010): Link

And, here’s the closing paragraph from that commentary:

“I’ve noticed that a U.S. version of the Japanese obstacle course called Wipeout is starting up again. For some strange reason, ABC somehow thinks it’s more interesting to have out of shape nobodies try to complete the course. I’m predicting, though, it’s only a matter of time before they wise up and get some real athletes taking part. And when they do why not get a Team Handball athlete to take part? I think somebody like Gary Hines would do well.”

Nothing more satisfying then seeing a prediction come true, even if it does take 6 years!

Why a Residency Program at Auburn is the Best Way Forward for USA Team Handball… and Why Those Reasons Fall Way Short in Justification”

Posted on March 24, 2016 by John Ryan

Screen Shot 2016-03-24 at 10.50.52 AM

Back in September after Auburn was designated as an USOC Olympic Training Site I posted a plea asking for someone to explain how this was such a great deal for USA Team Handball. Six months later I haven’t gotten any takers. Somewhat disappointing, but not a real surprise. For sure, lots of folks have better things to do with their time. But, also don’t kid yourself: Lots of folks surely don’t want to get in a debate when they’ve already made up their minds and don’t have much backing up their position.

I first saw this play out four years at a 2 day meeting in Salt Lake City that USA Team Handball called to develop a strategic plan for the sport in this country. As I highlighted in this earlier commentary this meeting was a good kickoff discussion that could and should have set the table for the development of a strategic plan. As outlined by the professional facilitator who led the first day’s discussion proper Strategic Planning requires following a deliberate and structured process:

Identify and prioritize the goals and objectives for USA Team Handball
Develop potential action plans to accomplish those goals and objectives
Carefully review and select action plans for implementation based on their merits, feasibility and alignment with established goals and objectives

As I pointed out in my commentary, however, steps 1-3 were never accomplished. Heck, it’s debatable as to whether they were even started. Instead USA Team Handball jumped straight to step 4 to implement a residency program model.

One possible action plan of many was given free ride without even an inkling of due diligence. Worse, there never really was an action plan, just a vague notion that a residency program similar to what had been done in the past was desired. USA Team Handball even went way out on a limb and hired head coaches for teams that didn’t exist without any idea where they might put a residency program.

Without a real plan in place, funding or a suitable location it looked like this concept would never get off the ground, but then Auburn stepped forward with a limited offer of support. Never mind, there really wasn’t the money to do a residency program properly, it’s what had been decided. It’s the no-brainer solution for what ails handball in America. Don’t worry about whether it matches the long term goals and objectives of the Federation. Those goals haven’t been identified let alone validated, so you don’t have to. Don’t even bother to set benchmarks and expectations for success. Just do it.

Alright… Deep breath. OK. I’ll take another… Deep breath.

Am I missing something here?

For sure, I’m confident that I know quite a bit when it comes to the topic of Team Handball in the U.S. I played at the college, club and national team levels. I experienced first hand both the good and bad aspects of a residency program. I started two clubs in the U.S. where none existed previously. I lived in France for 5 years, played recreationally there and saw how the sport was organized in Europe. I’ve followed professional and national team handball developments very closely for a dozen years. Perhaps, there’s a half dozen folks in the U.S. with a comparable resume when it comes to both national team concerns and grassroots development.

I’m also a pretty reasonable guy. Hardly, a “My way or the highway”, type. More often then not, when presented with data and rationale, I’m inclined to see the light. I might not agree with decisions that have been made, but I respect them when they are made with due process and after a careful consideration of all options. But, this was never done 4 years ago which is one of the reasons why this “reasonable guy” is a little upset.

Now, after 3 years of diplomatically pointing out that due process was skipped and that the resulting decision is very flawed, even I’ve had a bit of self doubt creep into my consciousness. Yes, I have rhetorically asked myself, “Could I be totally wrong here? How could smart people reach such a dramatically different conclusion from mine? How can they be so comfortable with skipping well established planning steps and jumping straight to a solution? Maybe, it is a no brainer? What am I missing? Why am I being ignored?

I’ve posed these questions to myself and in one form or another to several key players in the USA Team Handball Community. Some of those folks have been decision makers and some simply, like me, have been around a long time. Broken into 2 broad categories here are some reasons I, and others have come up with as to:

“Why a Residency Program at Auburn is the Best Way Forward for USA Team Handball… “

And, further when you step back and take a closer look:

“Why Those Reasons Fall Way Short in Justification”

Category 1: Actual Reasons Provided by Federation Leadership. These have been provided with perfunctory short answers (verbally and email) or can be inferred from Board of Director Meeting Minutes.

Auburn is providing a great financial deal that the Federation would be crazy to turn down or leave.
- Really? How Much “Value” is there really in Value In Kind (VIK) Funding?: Link
The U.S. had its greatest success with the Residency Programs of the 80s and 90s and therefore a Residency Program is obviously what’s needed today.
- Part 1: True Statement, but How Glorious were our Glory Days?: Link
- Part 2: True Statement, but Perhaps Some Key Decision Makers Don’t Fully Appreciate the Professional Aspects of Today’s Handball: Link
- Part 3: True Statement, but that success occurred when handball was only “somewhat professionalized”: Link
A Residency Program is needed because it provides a great platform to build around for sponsorship and grass roots development.

Unfortunately, there’s no documentation that I’m aware of that further defines, explains or supports why these reasons are valid. Unless, somebody wants to step forward with that further explanation, you’ll be stuck with my analysis.

Category 2: Reading Between the Lines. Here are a couple of reasons that I’ve come up with based on budgetary decisions and how some key decision makers might view historical relationships and grass roots alternatives. These reasons have not been officially stated, but one can infer them by reading between the lines:

USA Team Handball needs a Residency Program because of USOC expectations.
Grass Roots development is at best a secondary goal for a sports federation and accordingly should receive less funding and attention.

As the title of this series of commentaries indicates I have assessed each of these reasons as faulty to one degree or another. And, this wasn’t summarily done. I’ve considered each of these reasons carefully looking at possible rationales only to repeatedly come up empty. Some reasons are just totally out to lunch while others at least on the surface, have a kernel of legitimacy. In the coming months I’ll be posting new commentaries addressing these reasons. I’ll first do my best to present the logic behind the given reason and then some counter-reasons as to why that logic is faulty.

As always, if you think that I’m not playing the role of Devil’s Advocate sufficiently feel free to chime in with some more coherent arguments. This can be done on the Facebook page or as I’ve said before, I’m more than willing to post to the website anyone willing to write a thoughtful commentary.

Commentary and Analysis: USA Men vs. Alberta Jr. Team Series

Posted on February 28, 2016 by John Ryan

It's a long way to Tipperary and to Auburn for that matter: Does it make more sense for the U.S. to Train in Europe? That thought along with analysis of the 4 match series played between the USA Men and Alberta Jrs

It’s a long way to Tipperary and to Auburn for that matter: Does it make more sense for the U.S. to train selected athletes in Europe? That thought along with analysis of the 4 match series played between the USA Men and Alberta Jrs.

The USA Men recently hosted the Alberta Men’s Jr. Men’s Team in a series of 4 matches played over 4 days (15-18 February, 2016). The U.S. won all 4 matches by the following scores

Match 1: USA 35, Alberta 25
Match 2: USA 30, Alberta 23
Match 3: USA 32, Alberta 25
Match 4: USA 29, Alberta 27

Links to Video of the matches courtesy of the Alberta Team Handball Federation: Link

The Good

4 games; 4 wins: A team should always get credit for winning matches. The U.S. faced some adversity and still came away with 4 victories.

Sticking with Residency Players: The U.S. has previously called in veterans and expats to shore up weaknesses against modest competition like Puerto Rico. Not so this time around. The U.S. fielded a roster entirely composed of players participating in the Residency Program. That’s the way it should be if you’re a believer in the Residency Program model.

Teamwork: It’s hard to get a full sense from Youtube videos of how well a team is working together, but I’ve got the impression that these players are bonding together as a unit. Undoubtedly, they are facing a lot of adversity and a little bit of “us against the world” mentality has helped make that happen.

Better Handball Skills: It’s clear that these players, many of whom are relatively new to the game have leaned the fundamentals of the game. They look like a handball team. That’s real progress.

Notes on a few players:
– Joshua Norman: Norman plays a pretty good point on defense. His quickness and court awareness disrupted Alberta’s offense and made the U.S. defense better across the board.
– Alden Mezick: Mezick has developed into a pretty decent goalie. For his limited experience this is a significant accomplishment and it makes me wonder how much more progress he would make with regular competition against better players.
– Ty Reed: Reed has developed into a capable wing in a short period of time.

The Not So Good

Handball Skills Still Need a lot of Work: While the players have the fundamentals down one doesn’t have to look to hard to see that there’s still a lot of work left to be done. Backcourt play, in particular, is still pretty ineffective. There’s little question in my mind that veterans like El Zoghby, Hines and Axelsson are still far better options for those 3 critical positions. And, sight unseen I suspect some of the younger dual citizens playing in Europe are also better options as well. Yes, talent wise all that Auburn has accomplished so far is a promising goalie and a couple of credible options on the wing.

No Future Elite Professionals: Predicting future success on the handball court is a challenging proposition. It’s not easy even for professional scouts. Still, I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb by stating that I don’t think any of the athletes currently training at Auburn will ever don a jersey for a top professional club some day. Hard workers for sure, but I would be very surprised to see any of them playing in the HBL, LNH or for a Champions League side. 2^nd Tier or 3^rd Tier sides might be possible, however, for a few, but even that is a few years away.

The Lack of Promotion: Where was the best place to get information on these matches? Unfortunately, it was the Alberta Team Handball Federation. They posted scores on their Facebook page in a timely fashion and match videos on their Youtube page. They also posted travelogues with behind the scenes video of their trip. By contrast the U.S. only managed a couple of Facebook posts and the Federation website doesn’t even mention the games. The crowd in attendance was also pretty sparse. It’s almost as if the Federation didn’t want anyone attending or knowing about these matches.

The Unintended Contrasts

Competition Availability (North America vs. Europe): Perhaps nothing could drive home the “lack of regular competition” problem inherent with a U.S. base Residency Program more than the scheduling of a 4 game series between teams located in Alberta and Alabama. 2,400 miles, a 35 hr drive or a 10 hr plane trip with 2 stops. The European equivalent would be Barcelona playing Minsk. Many thanks to our Canadian friends who are willing to foot the bill for such a journey.

It makes me wonder if the cash strapped U.S. will be returning the favor at some point. Or more appropriately, it makes me wonder if anyone with the U.S. Federation will look a little more closely at moving selected athletes to a European training site like the Aarhus Academy. Instead of competition against a team like the Alberta Jrs. every 2 months or so they could be playing against more experienced European club teams on a weekly basis. And, some of those players could even get discovered for a coveted pro contract.

More information on the European Based Training Program the U.S. could consider: Link

Grassroots vs. Residency Programs (Alberta vs. Alabama): I also can’t help but watch these matches for a couple of minutes without asking myself the following questions:

– How does a Canadian Province put together a Jr. Team that can compete with the U.S. Sr. National Team? The Alberta roster included five 18 year olds and no player older than 21. And, they’ve done it with no national federation funding.
– Could the U.S. develop a program in one U.S. state similar to what has been developed in Alberta? Seriously, just one state would be a good start. That’s all I’m asking.
– Why aren’t members of the Board of Directors and the Staff at USA Team Handball asking themselves the same questions?

More information on the “Alberta Option” for USA Team Handball to consider: Link

At least I’d like to think some decision makers are asking such questions. In the meantime, I’ll just keep shaking my head in puzzlement and keep telling myself it’s only a matter of time before smart people see the light.

VIDEO: USA Men Beat Alberta Jr. Team 35-25

Posted on February 16, 2016 by John Ryan

USA on attack vs. Alberta

The USA Men beat the Albert Jr. Men’s team 35-25 last night in a game played at Auburn, Alabama. The U.S. trailed Albert 20-18 at the half, but played some outstanding defense in the second half, limiting the Canadian Provincial team to just 5 goals. This is the first match of a four game series and the teams will play again on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Video of the match is available on the Alberta Federation Youtube page: Link

Video for the upcoming matches as well as travelogues (video logs) from the Albertan team are also available for viewing there.

Christer Ahl Seeks Donor for Kidney Transplant

Posted on January 17, 2016 by John Ryan

Play the Game 2009 in Coventry, UK 8 - 12 June 2009. World handball hi-jacked by its president: Structural problems, scandals, and anurgent need for change Christer Ahl Outgoing President Playing Rules

Christer Ahl

Dear handball friends and followers of Team Handball News:

You may have noticed that after many years of regularly posting commentaries at Team Handball News, I am now virtually absent. One of the reasons for this has been my health situation. Twenty years ago, I lost a kidney to cancer. This situation has been manageable, but now, quite suddenly, my remaining kidney has begun faltering. The situation in the U.S. is such that the waiting list for kidney transplants from deceased donors is very long. I am told that I should expect to wait at least 5-7 years, and my doctors have warned me that there is a big risk that at that time I will no longer be healthy enough to benefit from a transplant.

Therefore, I am being urged by my doctors and kidney donation organizations to make an all-out effort, with great urgency, to try to reach out through all possible contact nets, in the hope that this will identify a living, voluntary kidney donor. So, it is for this purpose I am writing to you today. I am asking you to use your contacts and information, in the hope that it would yield some results. If you have any such leads to an offer, I would be very grateful if you would contact me at christer.ahl@comcast.net

Thanks for your support,

Christer Ahl

[For those of you who do not know Christer personally, he has been involved with handball for over 50 years, first in his native Sweden and later as one of the pioneers developing the sport in the U.S. He was the chief of referees for the U.S. and the Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) for over 20 years and was instrumental in bringing officiating standards up to higher levels. These efforts did not go unnoticed and resulted in his election as an IHF Council Member as the President of the IHF Rules & Referees Commission. Few people have done more for the sport and perhaps no one has had more influence in ensuring that the rules of the game have adapted to the changing times. Please do whatever you can to spread the word regarding his situation- John Ryan]

Charting a Way Forward for USA Team Handball: Option 6: The Title IX Field Hockey Strategy (Part 2): Possible Steps and Timing for Implementation

Posted on January 2, 2016 by John Ryan

The Netherlands celebrating their silver medal at the Women’s World Championships. Yet another nation with little handball tradition finding success on the Women’s side. How might a U.S. Women’s focused initiative be implemented?

Part 1 highlighted why it’s more feasible for the U.S. to develop a competitive women’s national team. This part further explores the implementation and merits of a women’s program development focus.

Overview and Premise: To continue the discussion from the previous part this option would call for a very focused emphasis on developing women’s handball in the U.S. In short, a conscious and deliberative decision to direct the bulk of USA Team Handball’s resources towards women’s program activities. In terms of percentages it would be in the neighborhood of 90 to 95%. Obviously, such a decision would be controversial, but doing so would almost double the funding available for the women’s program. Instead of having 2 overly austere programs, USA Team Handball would be moving closer to having 1 legitimate program. And, as previously discussed the focus would be on the program with a far greater chance of national team success.

Impact to the Men’s Program: The defunding of the men’s program would require a number of cost saving measures to include switching to a part-time unpaid volunteer coach, closing the men’s residency program, and foregoing overseas trips for friendly matches. I would suggest that support would be limited to funding World Championship and Olympic qualification match participation and even this funding might require some self-funding from athletes. In many respects this rollback would be a return to the minimal approach used for both the men’s and women’s programs from 2007 to 2012. (Don’t get me wrong: I understand how painful such steps would be, but it would be necessary if this initiative were approved.)

Possible Implementation Steps

A number of steps could be taken with this initiative, many in conjunction with other initiatives highlighted in this series. Here’s a short list:

Hire an experienced European Coach with a strong track record. This would not necessarily be a top club coach, but perhaps a coach affiliated with a strong development program. Someone involved with the recently successful Netherlands development program might be a prime target.
Hire an assistant coach/recruiter. Combining these two roles would theoretically result in more productive recruiting. (Link to option 2)
Facilitate the establishment of a Women’s collegiate conference. As previously discussed Title IX requirements may draw NCAA interest in supporting women’s handball. Further the USOC is stepping up its efforts to work with the NCAA on funding for nonrevenue Olympic Sports. In theory a quality NCAA supported league could provide the pipeline for a competitive U.S. Women’s team. (Link to option 4)
Facilitate the development of a Women’s high school league. Again, Title IX could provide a vehicle for development. If high schools are establishing competitions for non-Olympic, non-NCAA sports like flag football, it’s not a stretch to seeing competitions established for Team Handball. As previously discussed High School/Collegiate League development in one geographic area would have additional benefits. (Link to HS flag football commentary)
Facilitate and provide support to select athletes so that they can join European clubs. It’s hard to imagine league play reaching the level of top clubs in Europe anytime soon. Therefore, developing athletes who can go to Europe at a young age should have renewed focus. The U.S. might even considering an overseas program. (Link to option 3)
Provide scholarships for select athletes to attend school at Auburn. As previously discussed if funding becomes available a handful of top prospects should be given financial assistance to join the program at Auburn.(Link to option 2)
Provide funding for multiple overseas trips for competition and exposure to European Clubs. These trips would provide an opportunity for the Women to grow as a team, but also strategically give them needed exposure for a potential professional contract.

Of course, if one adds up all these possible implementation steps it doesn’t take very long to bust the budget. Currently, there’s not enough funding available for one program, let alone two. If more funds do become available, however, the impact of this initiative will continue to grow at a 2-1 ratio. In other words a legitimate, non-austere program might become a reality.

Pros

Less strain on resources: As previously highlighted the U.S. would no longer be fully funding 2 programs. Instead resources would be focused on the women’s program giving that program a better chance of sustained success.

Clear focus on fewer goals: And, of course, this will also mean that the bulk of the tasks and issues with running a men’s program would be put on the back burner. Time spent addressing a day to day issue related to the men’s program would now instead be spent tackling some aspect of support to the women’s program. Perhaps several hours on the phone contacting potential recruits or organizing extra clinics for prospective women’s athletes.

Cons

Decreased support to men’s activities: There’s no getting around this elephant in the room. Providing less support to men’s activities will stifle development and growth for that gender.

Greater challenges in promoting women’s sports: While it’s more feasible to support and develop a successful women’s program on the court it will likely be more challenging to promote the women’s game via TV and other media opportunities. Rightly or wrongly there is simply more interest in men’s sports. One simply has to look at the limited Women’s sports viewing options on TV and the attendance for women’s sporting events to acknowledge this as a reality.

Risks

Pressure to more evenly split resources. Favoring the women’s program is guaranteed to cause controversy even if folks can see the potential benefits. Many observers will surely point out that it’s possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. Why forgo supporting the Men’s program? Maybe a women’s focus, some will say, but why not split resources more like 60-40 or 70-30. Doing so, however, would simply water down the initiative and limit its impact. The U.S. would again be running two austere programs.

It also would not surprise me if some male athletes would take legal action and before this initiative is approved research on how other Federations like Field Hockey have handled legal concerns would be needed.

Costs

There are no added costs to implement this option. Instead this is simply a focused redirection of existing resources.

Timing for Implementation

This initiative could be implemented at any time, but a logical starting point may be the summer of 2016. Right now the women’s program is in somewhat disarray with only around 7 players training at Auburn. The program sorely needs new talent and a strong recruiting push in conjunction with the 2016 Olympic Games should have a decent chance of landing some quality athletes. And, some high quality recruits coupled with a better funded program could make some inroads towards respectability fairly quickly in Pan America. I highly doubt that it would lead in Olympic Qualification for 2020, but if the right recruits (younger, more athletic) are found it could set the stage for a realistic run for 2024.

Meanwhile, the first half of 2016 will be an excellent time to review and assess the Men’s Residency Program at Auburn. The U.S. Men will play in two meaningful World Championships Qualifying events. In March they will first participate in the North American & Caribbean Championships (NORCA) at a TBD location (reportedly Auburn is under consideration). Then, if they place in the top 4, they will participate in the Pan American Championships (18-26 June) in Argentina. I’ll speculate, however, that if the U.S. Men are going to have a respectable showing it may well necessitate fielding a roster mostly composed of Non Residency Program athletes. And, if this indeed is the case management should question the validity of the Residency Program after 2.5 years.

Final Thoughts

As a former Men’s National Team athlete it doesn’t take much for me to speculate how I would have reacted to such a move. Heck, I probably would have led the charge on legal action. But, then again, I would have also reluctantly seen the logic behind such a move. Finally, I fully recognize that while it might be logical to direct resources towards tackling one tough challenge (the one where we’ve got more chance at succeeding) then hopelessly trying to fight two battles, sometimes logic alone doesn’t carry the day.