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

Team USA Places 4th in Tournament

Posted on August 26, 2013 by John Ryan

Team USA at the Le Pouzin Town Hall earlier this month

Team USA closed out the Bernard Ritter Challenge Tourney in Chomerac, France, yesterday with a narrow defeat to French club, Port de Bouc (N3) 28-27.

Tournament Result Summary: Link (Note: the score of the USA-Etoile is transposed; the USA won that match)

Below is a summary of the team’s recent results in France

Aug 14, vs. Le Pouzin (N1) Loss (34-14)
Aux 16, vs. Le Pouzin (N1) Loss (44-13)
Aug 17, vs. Le Teil (N2) Win (28-25)
Aug 21, vs. Livron (N3) Draw (27-27)

Bernard Ritter Challenge Tournament
Aug 23, vs. Etoile sur Rhone (N3) Win (25-24)
Aug 24, vs. St Julien Denice (N3) Loss (30-12)
Aug 25, vs. Port de Bouc (PN) Loss (28-27)

An explanation on club levels in France: As is the case in most European countries handball is organized in a pyramid structure with a small number of elite clubs at the top and more clubs playing at lower levels. In France the structure is currently

1) LFH: 1 pool with 10 clubs (10 total clubs)
2) D2: 1 pool with 12 clubs (12 total clubs)
3) N1: 3 pools with 12 clubs each (36 total clubs)
4) N2: 4 pools with 12 clubs each (48 total clubs)
5) N3: 8 pools with 12 clubs each (96 total clubs)
6) PN or Pre-National: Locally organized competitions (~200-300 clubs)

Caveats on the USA’s results: The USA team is composed of a limited number of players with widely varying experience levels from ages 16-32. Additionally, the team has had to “borrow” goalies from other teams and has had at least one of their players (veteran Kathy Darling) unavailable due to club commitments with Le Pouzin for some of the matches.

Team USA with opening match victory in Tourney

Posted on August 23, 2013 by John Ryan

Team USA and Etoile shake hands post match.

Earlier today in the opening match of the Bernard Ritter Challenge Tourney in Charmes-sur-Rhone, France, Team USA beat French club, Etoile sur Rhone (N3), 25-24. Tomorrow (Saturday, 24 August) Team USA will play the winner of the Sorgues (PN)-St Julien Denice (N3) at 1700 Local.

Tournament Schedule: Link

USA draws French Club Livron 27-27

Posted on August 22, 2013 by John Ryan

Team USA played to a 27-27 draw last night against the French club, Livron. Livron plays at the N3 level which is a level below their last opponent, Le Teil (a 28-25 victory for Team USA).

Starting Friday, Team USA is taking part in a preseason tournament composed of clubs at the N3 or Pre-National (PN) levels. Friday they play Etoile sur Rhone (N3) at 1830 local time. On Saturday they will play either the winner or loser of the Sorgues (PN)-St Julien Denice (N3) match. On Sunday, they will then play a placement match for 1st, 3rd or 5th place.

Photos from Livron – USA Match: Link

Schedule for upcoming Preseason Tournament: Link

Auburn Residency Programs: A big decision that can and should wait for a Board of Directors

Posted on August 21, 2013 by John Ryan

Why USA Team Handball should slow down on its plan for residency program

Why USA Team Handball should slow down on its plans for residency programs

USA Team Handball is in the midst of ironing out a final agreement with Auburn University to establish Residency Programs for both its Men’s and Women’s National Teams. Going ahead and signing on the dotted line for this agreement which would last through the 2020 Olympics is one of the biggest decisions USA Team Handball has made in years. Arguably, it’s the biggest decision the Federation has made… ever.

I could certainly argue the merits of Residency Programs, but I’ve already done that extensively. I’m somewhat of a skeptic based on my own experiences and the changing times. I also have some doubts as to the timing and most certainly disagree with the total lack of strategic planning to underpin why this is the way forward for USA Team Handball.

No, this time around I will simply make the case that if USA Team Handball is going to start a Residency Program it would be better to take it’s time, do it right and get the full approval of a Board of Directors.

Here are 3 reasons why:

Reason #1) All options should be explored: USA Team Handball has not put out a solicitation notice of any kind and has not discussed the possibility of a Residency Program with any other University or city. That USA Team Handball is willing to go sole source without even a precursory exploration of other options is pretty much unfathomable to me. This is not to say that sole source isn’t justified in certain circumstances. Sometimes it’s clear that there’s only one viable option, but in this case USA Team Handball hasn’t even floated the possibility to others. Heck, even Auburn only became a possibility as a result of unrelated phone call. And sometimes time is of the essence. A formal competition and a weighing of proposals takes time. Which leads to reason #2.

Reason #2) There’s no rush: While there were bold pronouncements that the Residency Programs would make the U.S. difficult to handle in as little as 18 months there’s little illusion that it’s a long shot prospect at best for the U.S. to qualify for Rio. Both CEO Van Houten (in my office visit) and Coach Garcia Cuesta (on the Argentine podcast) made that abundantly clear: The real and realistic focus is 2020. If 2016 was a realistic goal you could make a good case that a Residency Program was an immediate need. Heck, you could have made that case 2 years ago- Which is the point; it’s too late for Rio. And, if we’re talking about 2020, the difference between starting a full up program in the fall of 2013 or the fall of 2014 is pretty marginal. Yes, it would help some but not enough to warrant rushing forward. Why, it could even be argued that waiting to the fall of 2014 would give more time to fully define all aspects of the program and have it clicking on all cylinders on day 1.

Reason #3) Common Sense: The Federation By-Laws detail the roles and responsibilities of the Board or Directors and Section 6.2 E) identifies “review and approve significant corporate actions” as a specific responsibility of the Board. If signing on for a 7 year National Team Residency Program doesn’t fall under the definition of a significant corporate action then nothing does. Why even bother to have a Board of Directors?

Board of Directors Status

Which points to the problem that USA Team Handball doesn’t currently have a fully constituted Board of Directors. On January 1st of this year, the Board had only 5 members. With President Jeff Utz’s departure in April that further dropped to 4. The Board has not met in months and wouldn’t have a quorum even if it did meet. Yes, for all practical purposes there is no Board of Directors currently providing policy, guidance and strategic direction. Steps are being taken, however, to rectify this glaring problem. An election for 2 “General Membership” Board Directors will conclude on 6 September and a Nominating & Governance Committee is hopefully in the final stages of identifying 3 “Independent” Board Directors. Seemingly, a nine member accountable Board is just weeks away.

And at that time the Board should review plans for Residency Programs and provide guidance and strategic direction. Perhaps that would be approval of the Auburn Residency Program. Perhaps it would be a decision to slow down a bit and explore other Residency Program options. Maybe it could even be a decision to develop a Strategic Plan that identifies organization goals and objectives first, before jumping into solutions. Regardless, there’s no significant harm in waiting for a Board to make decisions that a Board should make.

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

Follow Team USA in France via player blogs

Posted on August 19, 2013 by John Ryan

USA Women’s Team sight seeing in Lyon

The USA Women’s team is training in France and playing friendly matches against French club teams. For a peek behind the scenes on their training regimen, match results, accommodations and cultural experiencea check out these player blogs:

Julia Taylor
– Blog: Link
– Twitter: Link

Ashley Van Ryn
– Blog: Link
– Twitter: Link

Team USA with win over French Club, Le Teil

Posted on August 18, 2013 by John Ryan

Elise Morrison, Ashley Van Ryn and Julia Taylor on defense

Team USA, garnered it’s first victory in France last night with a victory over the French club, Le Teil, 28-25. Previously, the club had suffered two lopsided defeats to coach Christian Latulippe’s former club team, Le Pouzin. Wednesday, Team USA takes on another club team, Livron.
More photos from Le Teil website: Link

USA Women lose in friendly to coach’s former French club team

Posted on August 17, 2013 by John Ryan

Action from last night’s match between USA and French club Le Pouzin

Team USA lost last night to French Club, Le Pouzin, 44-13. Le Pouzin is the club team that USA National Team coach Christian Latulippe coached last season. Before the match the team was received by the mayor at the Le Pouzin town hall. A story and photos from the reception are on the Le Pouzin club home page: Link

Team USA will take on the French Club team, Le Teil this evening and then has a few days off before facing Livron on Wednesday. Le Teil plays at the the N2 level (A level below Le Pouzin, which has been promoted to N1 this season) and Livron plays at the N3 level so better results are likely for Team USA in these upcoming matches. Next weekend Team USA is also scheduled to play in a preseason tourney hosted by Le Pouzin.

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

USA Women Training in France

Posted on August 15, 2013 by John Ryan

USA Women and Le Pouzin Club pose for a joint photo

A U.S. Women’s National Team is currently training in Dieulefit, a small town in the South of France. Previous discussions with CEO Matt Van Houten had indicated that participants are all paying for their own expenses and would be composed of National Team pool players based in Europe. The team played a friendly match against National Team coach, Christian Latulippe’s club, Le Pouzin, losing 34-14. The photos and an article on the Le Pouzin website show that a few U.S. based players also found their way to France and that veteran players Kathy Darling and Lisa Dunn will be playing for Le Pouzin this season.

Team USA is scheduled to play Le Pouzin again on Friday and then will play two lower division clubs on Saturday and Sunday.

Photos from the match vs Le Pouzin: 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)

Summary translation of Interview given by Javier Garcia about the Residency Program and related issues

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Christer Ahl

Javier Garcia Cuesta at the microphone

In recent days, Javier Garcia gave an interview (in Spanish) with the Handball de Primera radio program in Argentina. They had heard the news about the Residency Program which is being initiated and had read some of the accompanying statements on the USATH web page, so they were curious about the intentions and the specifics. Here is a brief summary of the interview (with a couple of my comments within parentheses):

Javier explained that essentially the Residency Program has two phases: first, an urgent effort to improve the quality of the existing men’s and women’s national teams by giving at least some of the players an opportunity to practice together and with more intensity, so that they could combine with the players we have in clubs abroad to form stronger teams for the PanAmerican Games in Toronto in July 2015. The hope would also be that one could find some strong athletes without handball experience who could quickly become candidates for the teams. Javier admitted that the chances of creating cohesive, top level teams which would have a good chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2016 might be slim, but every effort will be made to field competitive teams.

The second phase would be focused on the next Olympic cycle (which Javier surely would hope will culminate in 2020 in Madrid, in his country of origin – the host for 2020 will be decided next month). There would be a more systematic build-up of teams, with a more realistic scope for newcomers to handball to become fully integrated and proficient. Javier emphasized that, during this period, ONLY the participants in the Residency Program would be considered for the national teams. (One might wonder what this means for those many players who are currently firmly entrenched in club teams abroad, such as the many dual citizens on our ‘under 21’ women’s team; does this mean that they have to move to Auburn to remain eligible)?

Javier indicated that an effort will be made to establish intramural handball, first at Auburn and then at other universities in Alabama and in the region (SEC?), for the purpose of creating a broader interest and as a support for the recruitment. However, the main new pipeline effort would be to create junior teams more widely around the country on a regional basis, so that talents could be captured and channeled into handball at a younger age and play competitive games on a regular basis. No details were provided as to how this could best be achieved. But the sense was that this would be a very necessary recruitment effort, parallel to the one that would be based on 21-22 year old college athletes who might be looking for an opportunity to continue in elite level sports after college, once they realize that their dreams of a professional career in a major sport are not realistic.

The interviewer also wanted to pin Javier down about the realities of USOC support for a sport like handball. (As I know from my own experience, many handball fans around the world are not so ready to believe that an Olympic sport in the U.S. might be left so completely to its own devices). Javier explained the vicious circle, in the sense that the USOC will want to invest its resources towards the chase for Olympic medals and not for the grassroots support of sports which are not competitive at that level. So Javier seemed to imply that the urgency of getting a Residency Program had a lot to do with the necessity of showing the USOC some real progress at the international level, with some hope that an improvement in the next 2-3 years might lead to stronger USOC support for the next four-year period.