Below is a translation (courtesy Bjoern Brembs) of an article that appeared in the German publication Handelsblatt:
http://www.handelsblatt.com/News/Karriere/Koepfe/_pv/_p/200811/_t/ft/_b/1428928/default.aspx/der-handball-missionar-aus-deutschland.html

The Handball Missionary from Germany

By Hans Weymar, May 13, 2008

COLOGNE. If the often so critical German publication "Manager Magazin" describes someone as "one of the most illustrious and probably one of the most successful corporate personalities of the last decade", then one would think that the public would remember his name. In the case of Horst-Dieter Esch, this did not happen.

The lines hyping Esch's success were written in 1982. Esch's r ise as the son of an engineering fitter-machinist to CEO of the construction-machine corporation IBH in Mainz earned him the image of a prodigy. IBH was buying and buying and the "Economist" called this expansion "Esch-pansion".

One year later everything was over. IBH became bankrupt in one of the most spectacular cases of post-war Germany. At the end all that was left was about a billion Deutschmarks of debt, and the private Bank Schröder, Münchmeyer & Hengst which had lent about 900 million to IBH almost went down with it. In 1984 a regional court in Koblenz found Esch guilty of fraud and sentenced him to six and a half years. In 1988 he was released and shortly thereafter he emigrated to the USA. There, he bought the modeling agency Wilhelmina and did well. Super Models such as Linda Evangelista were among his clients. Germany? Far away.

In the coming months Esch's name may be heard in his home country once again. The man who now calls Park City, Utah his home is looking to drum up support for the Teutonic game of handball from corporate sponsors to conquer the world's most important sports market. "I have decided to make handball popular in the US" said Esch to the Handelsblatt.

The first leg, says the 65 year-old with some pride, has already accomplished: "For the last two weeks I've been the president of the US handball federation". Esch, who claims to have played field-handball as a goalie for club TV Weingarten, suggests in the phone-interview that the handball-scene has been waiting for someone like him: "the handball community here is breathing a sigh of relief".

Well, maybe not the entire community. His past did provoke some rather hefty debates on the few fan-forums. The US Olympic Committee is quoted on the online news-service, Teamhandballnews, that they vetted Esch in two separate background checks: "In this process, Mr. Esch was completely open and transparent and more than cooperative concerning all the necessary information."

A year and a half ago a friend told him of the desolate state US-handball was in: "As a good German, I of course immediately asked: where are the structures? Where is the federation?" There was very little of that. The USOC was merely managing the third rate national teams. Esch now wants to build everything from the ground up, starting with a meeting of all concerned parties from June 13-15 in St. Louis.

Esch is not the first one trying to build enthusiasm in the US for handball. The efforts by the world-federation IHF have all miserably failed. The problem: "Team Handball" as the sport is called in the USA, is as exotic there as the German/Dutch sport of bosseln ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klootschieten ) is here. The German still believes he has a chance: "In the summer, the big Basketball arenas are empty". One would need to convince owners and investors to let people play handball there during this time. "There already is quite some interest in this idea".

Esch's partner Dennis Berkholtz, a member of the 1972 USA-Team at the Olympics in Munich, is estimating that eight million dollars would be needed to get a professional league going for two years, featuring European players. "The German players should play for New York and the Polish for Chicago", says Berkholtz. Esch adds that eight million dollars will not be enough, it's only a start.

The question is, who would invest so much money? Handball sponsors from Europe, both Esch and Berkholtz affirm. Especially sponsors from the handball heartland Germany: "Once we have managed to get the appropriate structures running here, I will focus my attention towards Germany and Europe", says Esch. Adidas, Nike and Puma are supposed to be the first targets.

If these corporations will commit to such a risky investment is doubtful, given Mr. Esch's past. Esch, however, affirms he doesn't want to make any money from handball: "Handball is not a business for me, Handball is my hobby".

Editor's Note: Feel free to discuss this topic in the Forum

According to email correspondence obtained by Team Handball News, the USA Men's team will not be participating in the upcoming 2008 Men's Pan American Championships in Brazil. The email correspondence is between US Handball officials and Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) officials and has been confirmed by reliable sources.

The reasons for withdrawal, however, are unclear and Team Handball News is awaiting an official response from the new USA Team Handball Federation.

Dieter Esch, the leader of the new USA Team Handball Federation, has been a successful business, both in Germany and the United States. This successful business career, however, has not been devoid of controversy and allegations. Team Handball News spoke recently with Mr Esch concerning two allegations which will turn up on different internet pages if you do a simple Google Search on “Dieter Esch.”

The first allegation relates to his “arrest” for defrauding a Saudi Arabian company by not making it clear that his company, IBH was bankrupt. According to Mr. Esch, he did in fact plead guilty in Germany on a charge related to the bankruptcy, but the law was shortly thereafter rescinded and his record has been expunged in Germany.

The second allegation relates to the Wilhelmina Scouting Network (WSN) which was an independent entity separate from Wilhelmina. The WSN apparently charged prospective models questionable fees for their services. According to Mr. Esch, Wilhelmina withdrew their license and was instrumental in putting WSN out of business.

Team Handball News has not independently investigated these allegations, but did contact the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as to whether they had investigated Mr. Esch’s background. Eric Parthen, the USOC director of NGB Organizational noted the following:

“The USOC did conduct a thorough investigation into Mr. Esch's past which included two separate background checks (domestic and international). One was conducted at the USOC's staff direction as part of our initial review and the other was requested by the USOC Board of Directors prior to their approval. Throughout the process, Mr. Esch was completely open and transparent and was more than cooperative in providing any information requested.”

Editor’s Note: Comments have been turned off for this article, but readers can discuss this topic (if they must) in the Forum section.

Dieter Esch, the leader of the new USA Team Handball Federation, has informed THN that there will be a Team Handball Summit in St Louis, MO on 13-15 June. The Summit is planned to start in the evening on Friday, 13 June and will wrap up mid-afternoon on Sunday, 15 June. The summit is intended to be an “all-comer”s gathering to discuss the future of Team Handball in the USA and how the new Handball Federation can further develop handball in the USA.

Details of the summit are still being worked and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

[center] [link=http://www.livesportsvideo.com][img]/docs/LP.JPG[/img][/link]

West Point will host a tournament (the closest thing to a National competition that we may get this year – given current status of US Team Handball) at Lake Placid, NY from April 25-27. The teams attending will include the top three finishers from last year's club nationals. West Point (2 teams), New York City (2 teams), Chicago, and New England Freeze. The games will be 2 x 30 minutes with IHF rules and regulations. Games will also be webcast LIVE on [link=http://www.livesportsvideo.com]Livesportsvideo.com[/link] FOR FREE.

NO CHARGE.

Games begin Friday night, go all day on Saturday, and conclude by noon on Sunday (eastern).

[link=http://www.livesportsvideo.com] [img]/docs/LP.JPG[/img][/link] [/center]

The Men's and Women's Team Handball College Nationals were held over the weekend of 4-6 April at West Point, NY.

On the men's side, Army Black finished with a 5-0 record and won in the championship 24-21 against the Carolina THC. Both sides played a very fast-paced and exciting game. Air Force earned third place in the tournament. Adam Kenyon and Keith Fine, both from Army Black, were named the tournament MVP and MVG, respectively.

On the women's side, Cortland outlasted the Carolina THC by a score of 12-11 in a very close and exciting game. Furman beat Army Black to earn third place in the tournament.

The games will be archived and saved on the following website: http://www.livesportsvideo.com/teamhandball/usnat08_westpoint/index.asp

Follow these links for [link=/docs/gr.pdf]Game Results[/link] and [link=/docs/Stats.xls]Stats[/link].

[center][b]The Men's and Women's College Nationals will be played this weekend, April 4-6 at West Point, NY. You may go to the following weblink to watch live action for [b][color=#ff0000]FREE[/color][/b]:
The cost for the entire weekend of webcast is [color=#ff0000]FREE[/color].[/b]

[link=http://www.livesportsvideo.com/teamhandball/usnat08_westpoint/index.asp] [img]/docs/CN08.jpg[/img] [/link][/center]

In February, the Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) informed its National Federations that the USA had withdrawn from hosting the Men’s Pan American Championships this Summer in Atlanta and that they were now accepting new applications from member federations to host the tournament. The Atlanta Dekalb International Training Center (DITC) in suburban Atlanta, Georgia had planned on hosting the tournament, but their withdrawal of support had, in turn, forced the USA withdrawal.

Team Handball News spoke recently with Dr Marc Daniel Gutekunst, CEO of the Atlanta DITC to better understand the circumstances behind their decision. In short, Dr Gutekunst indicated that it was the PATHF’s failure to respond to several Atlanta DITC requests for information that ultimately led to the Atlanta DITC’s decision to withdraw their support to hosting the tournament. As the local organizer, the Atlanta DITC was seeking a formal letter clearly designating the Atlanta DITC as host of the event, as well as basic guidelines and requirements for hosting the tournament. These requests were never answered and without this information, the Atlanta DITC determined that they could not reasonably secure sponsorship to successfully host the event.

Dr Gutekunst also indicated that the Atlanta DITC had not been idle in its efforts to coordinate preparations for the tournament with the PATHF emphasizing that they had made 4 separate trips to meet with PATHF officials. In November of 2006 they travelled to Argentina to brief the PATHF Executive Committee of their plans. In April 2007, in conjunction with the Men’s National Team tournament in Chile, they met with the PATHF Treasurer Hector Fernandez. In July 2007 they met with Brazilian representatives in conjunction with an IOC meeting in Guatemala and in August they met with PATHF General Secretary Rafael Sepulveda in Puerto Rico. As one of the concerns raised for hosting the tournament in the USA were visa requirements (particularly for Cuba and Brazil) the Atlanta DITC sought and received personal assurances from Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice that visas would be granted for the tournament.

Conversely, Atlanta DITC requests for a simple letter confirming their designation as host as well as guidelines related to hosting the tournament went unanswered. In fact, the only written documentation indicating Atlanta DITC as host is Dennis Berkholtz’s (VP of North America) informal meeting summary from a July 2007 meeting. Additionally, for other athletic events that the Atlanta DITC has staged a “cookbook” has been provided by the parent organization to ensure that the event runs smoothly and all expectations are met. With no information being provided by the PATHF, the Atlanta DITC did not feel comfortable with hosting the event and soliciting sponsorship funding. The bottom line for the Atlanta DITC was that they were willing to host the tournament, but they were not willing to host the tournament without more interaction and coordination from the PATHF. With these expectations not being met, the reluctant decision was to pull out.

While acknowledging the disappointment and impact of not hosting the tournament to the Men’s National Team, Dr Gutekunst emphasized that the Atlanta DITC remains committed to supporting the Men’s National Team Program which is currently training at Morris Brown College as part of an agreement that was signed with the USOC in July 2007. Dr Gutekunst also highlighted that he is optimistic that the Atlanta DITC will be able to secure Congressional funding ($1M) to rehabilitate and upgrade the John H. Lewis Student Athletic Center where the National Team currently practices and International competition could be hosted. Finally, Dr Gutekunst is looking forward to working with a new Handball Federation and would like to see a Women’s program also started at Morris Brown College.

July 2007 PATHF Exec Committee (unofficial notes): http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?extend.359
February, 5, 2008 USA Withdraws as Host: http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.449

[b]Commentary: [/b]It is not surprising that the Atlanta DITC discovered that the PATHF was not very responsive in providing a written commitment explicitly stating that they were hosting the tournament. This non-responsiveness fits a pattern that has been experienced by Greenland, Canada and the USA in trying to find out basic information related to attending upcoming tournaments. If past precedence is any indication, the PATHF could very well have changed the venue location arbitrarily. This was done to Puerto Rico for the 2nd chance tournament and it could have happened again. The Atlanta DITC was wise to request formal confirmation and when none was provided this was legitimate cause for concern.

But even if a mandate had been provided, the Atlanta DITC was also clearly expecting a much higher level of engagement from the PATHF. There’s certainly some logic to thinking that the PATHF would want to insure that a PATHF Championship event is well organized and staged to meet PATHF standards.

But anyone familiar with the PATHF’s less than stellar coordination and management track record would not have expected much in terms of support. And I’m not going to justify their less than stellar performance, but the PATHF is not exactly a resource rich organization to begin with. Despite this lack of support, however, several [i][b]National Federations [/b][/i]have been able to successfully stage championships. And we’re not talking about the richest nations in this hemisphere either. If the Dominican Republic can host the women’s championship, surely the USA can as well.

The USA, in theory, has the resources to stage a tourney, and indeed, has hosted tournaments in the past. I don’t know “who did what” for those tournaments, but it’s a pretty safe bet that PATHF involvement was minimal. My guess is that the USA Team Handball Federation did the lion’s share of the work in close coordination with a local organizing committee. And it surely is a considerable amount of work.

So, who’s to blame for this lost opportunity? Well, if there was a USA Handball Federation, they’d surely get the blame. One can only hope that a USA Handball Federation would have done everything it could to make sure that tournament was kept on USA soil. If the Atlanta DITC needs a commitment letter and the PATHF hasn’t provided it, you knock down doors and make phone calls (to the IHF, if necessary) to make it happen. Same goes for the logistics issues: the Federation facilitates and in some instances, steps right in to make sure everything runs smoothly. Hosting a tournament and qualifying for the World Championships is job 1: you do what it takes.

But in the absence of a Federation, assigning blame is a little bit more spread out. As evidenced by their coordination trips, the Atlanta DITC did not just sit idly by, but they probably [i][b]could[/b][/i] have done more. The key word here, of course, is [b][i]could[/i][/b] and as it became more evident that they were going to have to plan everything they decided that they weren’t going to step into a pseudo-Federation role. And if the Atlanta DITC wasn’t ultimately responsible and there wasn’t a Federation to be responsible, then the blame, in my opinion, goes to the USOC.

When the USOC decertified USA Handball, they took responsibility for USA Handball. And to the USOC’s credit, they allocated resources to give USA National Teams an opportunity to qualify for the Pan American Games and participate in Pan American Championships in 2007. A limited budget, but those teams did have a legitimate shot. Following the failures to qualify, the USOC then stopped funding and started a process for certifying a new Federation.

But while due diligence is prudent in selecting a new Federation, the delays in granting certification has resulted in a limbo situation that has gone on too long. With no one “minding the store” the USA Men’s Team will now have to travel to Brazil, instead of playing at home.

Beating Brazil or Argentina was unlikely prospect to begin with and beating Greenland, Canada or Chile for 3rd place would have been challenging in Atlanta; it will be far more difficult in Brazil. On top of that Cuba is much more likely to show up in Brazil then they were in Atlanta where the possibility of player defections might have kept them from coming.

Perhaps it is always darkest before the dawn. Hopefully a new Federation is only days away. They’ll have their work cut out for them, but the good news for them is that things can only improve for USA Handball at this juncture.

Feel free to pipe in your comments, but remember if you want to stray too far from the topic at hand start a new topic in forum area.

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Miami Tournament Results

February 3rd The 2008 Miami Sharks Invitational concluded Sunday with the crowning of the host team Miami as Tournament champions after their 36-25 victory over runner-up West Point in the Championship game.  The Houston Stars took third place after defeating the Miami Remix team 29-18 on Sunday.Zael Chappotin was named Most Valuable Goalie after a dominating performance throughout the tournament.  Fellow Shark Jose Pelayo took home the plaque for Most Valuable Player while Walsh from West Point took home top scorer honors.Once again, the Miami Tournament was broadcast live over the internet.  The tournament set a new record for viewers of a Handball tournament over the internet in the United States.The tournament, sponsored by www.Iamsport.org, will be archived on www.livesportsvideo.com under the team handball section.  February 1st, Friday:

6PM- HOUSTON 23 – WEST POINT 30 
8PM- MIAMI 37 – REMIX 17 

February 2nd, Saturday:

3PM- WEST POINT 37 – REMIX 25
5PM- MIAMI 31 – HOUSTON 19

February 3rd, Sunday:

10AM- HOUSTON 29 – REMIX 18
11.30AM – MIAMI 36 – WEST POINT 25

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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Handball in NY State
Press Release November 19, 2007

For immediate release

State Teams Seek Nassau Players For International Handball Teams

The New York State Team Handball Federation has issued a call for new players of the international sport of team handball to fill rosters of two men's and two women's teams to compete against local clubs and prepare for the United States national team.

The New York Eagles Team Handball Club under the direction of Coach Jesse Sorensen, a player on the United States' national team, has openings for a goalie, four wings and two pivot men.

Coach Brian Bednarik, European trained and now playing for the United States, has similar openings on his Long Island Osprey team for beginning and players prepared to compete in the international handball word at a level below the national class. Both coaches acknowledged their search would be centered on locating speedy and tall men between the ages of fifteen and twenty four with good hand-eye coordination and who can cover the basketball-size court and throw the ball accurately.

The Federation also announced openings for women interested in leading two state-wide teams to compete against local club and college teams.

[b]About Handball[/b]
Handball (or "team handball") is a fast-paced game involving two teams of seven players who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break.

[b]Even the ancient Greeks…[/b]
The sport of handball as it is played today certainly has a checkered history. The very fact that man has always been more adept at using his hands than his feet lends credibility to the claim made by famous sports historians that he started playing handball much earlier than, say, football.

[b]Ancient forms of handball[/b] The games that were precursors of handball can only said to be distantly related to it in terms of their structure and rules of play. Nonetheless, the games of "Urania" played by the Ancient Greeks (and described by Homer in the Odyssey) and "Harpaston" played by the Romans (and described by the Roman doctor Claudius Galenus in 130 to 200 A.D.) as well as in the "Fangballspiel" (or 'catch ball game') featured in the songs of the German lyrical poet Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230) all contained certain features that can be described as ancient forms of handball.

[b]Modern handball[/b]
Modern handball was first played towards the end of the 19th century. For instance, one such game was played in the Danish town of Nyborg in 1897. The real impulses emanated from Denmark, Germany and Sweden. The founding fathers of field handball were probably German physical education experts who gained recognition for field handball as a separate sport at the turn of the century, based on the games of "Raffball" ('snatch ball') and "Königsbergerball" (Konrad Koch 1846-1911). In Sweden it was G. Wallström who introduced his country to a certain sport named "handball" in 1910.

For additional information contact:
Richard A. Benack, Secretary,
New York State Team Handball Federation, Inc.
(516) 640-4265
124 4th Street,
Garden City, NY 11530-5934
dickbenack@optonline.net

Chapel Hill, NC

The THI tournament hosted this past weekend iat the Ftzer Gym in Chapel Hill, NC and which featured a total of 7 teams, was won by the hometown favorites and 2007 College Nationals runner, UNC's Blue Heat. The team, featuring veteran UNC alumni players Mike Applegate and David Sutton, won the final by one goal, against West Point Black. The winning goal was scored with :12 seconds left in the game, a game which was hotly contested and featured many lead changes.

In what might well be a USA Handball first, two American National Team players took to the court against each other in a sanctioned competition in another country. Backcourt player Kathy Darling, Bergerac HB and Megan Ballard, Toulouse met each other in a NF1 league contest in Toulouse, France. For the record Toulouse won the match 33-19. Ballard had 5 goals while Darling led Bergerac with 10 goals. Another National Team player, Jennifer Farell is playing in NF2 for Jacou (near Montpellier) and was on hand to witness the match.

NF1 is the third level league in France and you can follow the results and standings for both Toulouse and Bergerac all year long at this weblink:
http://www.ff-handball.org/ffhb/html/les-championnats/de-france/seniors/n1f/lesresultats.php

US Women’s National Team Story (with pictures): http://www.usateamhandballwomen.com/content/view/158/1/

The USOC's eagearly and long awaited NGB certification announcement will have to wait a little longer. As the October 15th announcement deadline approached and then passed, the US handball community became understandably restless. Emails and phone calls abounded.

Earlier today, I was able to talk by phone with USOC's [link=http://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf]Eric Parthen[/link]. You may recall that Mr. Parthen, Director, USOC NGB Organizational Development, chaired the two NGB team handball public hearings held in Colorado Springs, CO in late August and mid September 2007 respectively.

According to him, more time was needed for due dilligence. Letters were mailed to the principals of the two NGB applicants. Dieter Esch (Utah NGB) and Mariusz Wartalowicz (Chicago NGB) were informed that a background check will be perfomed on each individual.

"This is nothing more than standard procedure. The NGB Committee must be very thorough in its assesment of each candidate(s) and organization(s). When the time comes and an official recommendation is made to the USOC Board of Directors, we want to be fully prepared and able to answer any questions, and address any concerns, which may arise," said Parthen.

"Furthermore, [link=http://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf]a new press realease[/link] will be forthcoming, outlining the reasons for this brief delay and what the new timetable is," Parthen continued.

When asked when the next USOC Board of Directors meeting will take place, Parthen said "December 13th."

Eric sympathizes with the US team handball community. He understands the urgency of the issue but made it very clear to me that this is not an easy task.

"The NGB certification process is very tedious. The last thing we want is to find oursleves and the team handball community, in the same place two years from now. It is unfortunate that the due dilligence process has extended past the initial deadline but we are ver confident that an announcement will be made at the December USOC BOD meeting," concluded Parthen.

More details as they become available.