Congratulations, President Moustafa!

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Some of you will be surprised to see this heading, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I have heard the good news from three totally different sources now so I assume it must be true: following the most recent experimentation at a junior world championship, the IHF President has come to realize that further pursuits of the idea of ‘mixed couples’ in the IHF level refereeing should be stopped. This of course requires an explanation and some background for those who are not ‘insiders’ and experts on this topic.

In the late 1960s, IHF and other handball authorities had come to realize that our sport had developed to the point that, at least at the top level, it was no longer adequate to try to make do with [u]one[/u] referee in a game, even if supplemented by ‘goal judges’ (and, for the international games, also ‘line judges’!). The game had become too fast-moving and too complex, so the observation and decision-making demands had become too much for one lonely referee to handle.

When moving to referee ‘couples’, the IHF and the national federations concluded from the outset that the best approach would be to use ‘fixed’ couples as much as possible, at least at the higher levels. The notion was, and has remained, that the internal consistency and the teamwork would be enhanced if the two referees knew each other quite well, had the opportunity to refine their collaboration on the basis of accumulated experience, and furthermore at the personal level felt like a couple with a sense of mutual support on and off the court. The preparations from one game to the next would of course also be facilitated.

In basketball, things have developed differently. Here, from the lower levels to the top, the focus has been on recruiting and training individual referees, who are then put together in constantly changing couples (and these days, especially at the professional level, in trios). The notion is that the referees should achieve such consistency that they can quickly adjust to different partners every time. Another argument has been that it is easier to avoid ‘getting into a rut,’ if one constantly faces the challenge of working with a new partner.

In handball, at the international level, there have been arguments that ‘fixed’ couples may lead to a situation where some couples tend to consist of one stronger and one weaker member, so that less talented referees can move to the top undeservedly ‘on the coattails’ of a strong partner, while other more talented referees never get their chance. At the IHF level, however, this should not be an issue, as couples with a distinctly weaker member can be detected and either changed or dropped. Conversely, the IHF recruiting policies clearly state that a strong talent from a country where one finds only 1 (or 3 or 5) talented referees, will still be given a chance, so that a talent is not lost just because they cannot conveniently be fit into even pairs from the same country. In other words, individual referees can be nominated and approved, and the IHF will then make the effort to find a suitable partner from another country if need be.

I have to admit that [b]I strongly favor the traditional approach with ‘fixed’ couples[/b], as I find the advantages of this approach to be clearly dominant, and as I see no reason to believe that it is causing us real problems. And I am certainly not ready to believe that the ‘basketball approach’ would serve us better. However, as I have always noted, [b]the debate about the pros and cons of the two systems is perfectly legitimate[/b]! But the reality is that [b]a change of systems would be major and absolutely dramatic undertaking[/b], as it would mean that all handball nations would need to gradually change its approach from bottom to top. Such a decision could not be taken lightly, but [b]only if there was clear evidence that the current system is ‘broken’ and if there were very strong reasons to believe that the opposite system is better [/b]and worth the effort of undertaking the change. No such evidence has been presented!

The IHF President and some of his supporters have insisted in recent years on an experimentation that partly might have been intended to gather such evidence. However, the method used is totally unrealistic or even absurd, as it provides no evidence at all and only runs the risk of causing disasters that are damaging and insulting to the teams affected. I believe most people will easily realize that it makes absolutely no sense, as long as the ‘fixed’ approach is maintained world-wide and the IHF invites referees to its events in the form of well-synchronized couples, when one then proceeds to split up these ‘fixed’ couples into new permutations precisely when they come to show their best at the very highest level, at a World Championship.

So I am very happy if these meaningless experiments have been stopped, and if the focus instead will be on working harder with both the existing IHF top couples and the new recruits, first to strengthen the recruitment criteria and the subsequent performance evaluations for the individuals, and second to take an increasingly tougher line in ensuring that couples do not rise to the top if they contain a distinctly weaker link. But I also keep encouraging the IHF regime, as I have in fact done during many years, to use its clout to convince at least a few major handball countries to be willing to undertake a real experiment with the ‘basketball’ approach, from bottom to top during a period of several years. Then perhaps, enough evidence would emerge for a definitive conclusion to be drawn!

Jennifer Farrell interview on “The Story”

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American National Team player Jennifer Farrell’s interview with American Public Media’s, “The Story” is now available online. The interview recounts how she got involved in handball, the U.S. quest to qualify for the 2008 Olympics and her hope that Chicago will be selected to host the Olympics in 2016.

Link to MP3 Audio: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_867_Enslaved_In_LA.mp3 (Jennifer's interview starts at 31:00)
American Public Media: The Story: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_867_Enslaved_In_LA.mp3/view
Duke Magazine Article (Feb 2008): http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010208/depmini-farrell.html

British Handball notches first ever Euro qualification match win

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Earlier today the British Handball women defeated Finland 17-14 in Helsinki in the first leg of a two leg series to decide which nation will advance to the next round of qualification for the Women’s Euro 2010 Championships. The second leg will be played this Saturday in the UK with the winner on aggregate goals advancing to group play. Great Britain should feel pretty good about winning a qualification match on foreign soil, but the low scoring match rightly gave head coach, Jesper Holmris, cause for concern. As a physically talented, but inexperienced team it appears they won the match on defense with a strong goalie performance. Perhaps they can hold the more experienced Finns to just 14 goals again, but it’s not something they should count on.

Commentary: I would assess that this match should probably go down as Britain’s first “real” match win. By my definition a “friendly” match win is nice, but since there is nothing really on the line it doesn’t really count for much. In my book, the only matches that really count are matches that directly relate to World Championship or Continental Championship qualification. I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge Great Britain has never previously won a match that fits that definition. Sure, Finland is not a European handball power, but I’d wager that the least experienced player on the Finnish squad has probably been playing handball longer than every single British player. On top of that the Brits won on the road. It’s a long road to actually qualifying for the European Championships. The Brits first need to take care of business this week at home, and then they will need to win matches against much tougher European squads (France, Austria and Iceland) this winter. But, the bottom line is they’ve started out on the right foot by getting revenge on a side that easily beat them by 13 a year ago.

British Handball Website: Great Britain beat Finland 17-14 in Helsinki: http://britishhandball.worldhandball.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?menuid=1093&itemid=2333

USA Team Handball and LNH explore possibility of French Final Four in New York

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A recent article at Handball-World chronicled the French Ligue Nationale de Handball’s (LNH) decision to not play their Coupe de la Ligue Final Four again in Florida next year. As had been reported by several outlets, the French League has decided to unilaterally break their 3 year contract with the Miami organizers. The Handball-World article, though, has an interesting twist in that it also reports that USA Team Handball and the LNH are now discussing the possibility of hosting the event in New York City as early as next spring.

In email correspondence, USA Team Handball General Manager, Steve Pastorino, confirmed that preliminary discussions between the two organizations have taken place. As the translation of the Handball-World text is somewhat garbled he also provided a copy of his correspondence:

“The event in Miami was a disaster as the promoter misrepresented himself to the LNH and did not have the backing of USA Team Handball or any recognized entity in the USA. Less than 500 people per game attended, and there was no USA television distribution. It was handball played in an empty arena. We have met with Alain Smadja and LNH and are moving towards a partnership to play the Final Four in New York in 2010, with the full support of USA Handball. More details to come. We think events like this can be very exciting if promoted correctly. We have an agreement to host German National Team and Polish National team for a match in Chicago in 2010 that we will announce soon.”

As a final note, USA Team Handball President, Dieter Esch, indicated in a brief note that he will be meeting with LNH President, Alain Smadja next week in Paris to further discuss U.S. – French cooperation.

Handball-World: No American Dream – French LNH next Final Four will not deal with them in U.S.: http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news.php?GID=1&auswahl=22029

German Bundesliga blocks internet Handball broadcasts to rest of world

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In what I consider to be one of the most short-sighted moves in the history of sports marketing the German Bundesliga and their TV/internet marketer DSF have decided to limit the sale of internet Bundesliga matches to only the German speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. Below is the text of the letter that I sent Sunday night to the HBL (Bundesliga), DSF and the USA Federation:

TO:
HBL: Mr Frank Bohman, Mark Schober
DSF: Mr Sascha Jungbluth
USA Team Handball: Mr Steve Pastorino, Mr Dieter Esch, Mr Ralf Uhding, Mr Steve Krassner

Subject: Internet TV restrictions for German Bundesliga broadcasts

This past Friday night after putting my two young daughters to bed, I opened a beer and sat down in front of my computer eager to see a key Bundesliga matchup between Rhein-Neckar Lowen and Hamburg. Having seen R-NL get trounced by Kiel on DSF www.tv.dsf.de in week 1, I was curious to see how they would bounce back. Instead, I got the following message on my computer monitor:

“Leider ist Ihre Netzwerkadresse (IP) nicht für die Nutzung unseres Angebots freigegeben. Aus lizenzrechtlichen Gründen müssen wir uns auf Zuschauer aus Deutschland, Schweiz, Österreich, Luxemburg und Liechtenstein beschränken.

We are sorry to inform you that your network address (IP) is not allowed to access our streaming content. Due to licensing restrictions, we can only accept viewers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein.”

While, I welcome the first ever use of the English language on the HBL’s internet platform, I am disappointed and puzzled by the HBL’s decision to deny Handball fans around the world the opportunity to purchase Bundesliga matches for viewing. For the past two years I’ve enjoyed watching matches on my computer through the Sportdigital platform and haven’t been shy about promoting it as the absolutely best Handball product on the internet. I’ve also tried unsuccessfully to get the HBL to market this product, but have been told that the HBL is instead focused on securing traditional broadcast contracts and that they are concerned that actively promoting internet streaming will hamper their ability to sign those contracts. Hence, the German language only website which I can attest as a challenge (“Bestellen” means “order” for example) to this customer as I patiently struggled for 30 minutes trying to figure out how to send the HBL money. But, now with the geoblock in place even this is no longer an option.

At the risk of stating the obvious here are a few points to consider:

1) No handball fan in his right mind prefers internet streaming content on his computer over TV broadcasts. The quality of the picture is a dramatic step down and can’t compete with relaxing on your couch and watching on a larger TV screen. Maybe someday the quality of internet streaming will match TV quality, but that day has not yet arrived. Therefore, the argument that internet streaming will prevent a TV contract doesn’t make sense. In fact, I think that a strong case that the reverse is true in that a decently marketed internet streaming product could eventually result in viewer numbers that could entice TV stations to sign a contract.

2) Highly successful professional sports leagues such as the NBA, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL) sell internet broadcasts of their matches to non-traditional markets. For instance, it’s possible for a German to pay and watch NFL and NBA matches. If it works for these highly successful leagues to market their product in Germany, one would think it would make sense for the HBL to do same in reverse. It’s also worth noting, that these leagues do have geoblocking blackout restrictions, but that their restrictions are only applied to countries that already have TV contracts. The reverse strategy of the HBL! And even in countries where they do have TV contracts, games are blocked only on case by case basis.

3) The opportunity for niche marketing in emerging markets is being missed. Rather than freezing out markets with geoblocking, why not skillfully cultivate them by offering discounted rates to watch matches over the internet. The vast majority of handball fans in many countries have a very limited knowledge and appreciation of club handball in Europe. Offering matches over the internet could rapidly change that and as the sport grows the HBL would have the benefit of being the early adopter. And I’ve read that the HBL and the U.S. now have a cooperative agreement. In the eyes of this observer a lot of nice words have been exchanged, without anything really tangible being provided. Certainly, offering web streaming to U.S. members at a discount would be something tangible and a clear win-win for both organizations.

I hope you will consider what I’ve suggested as an opportunity to pursue. At the very least I’d like an explanation on the geoblocking situation that I can share with my readers.

Yours sincerely,

John Ryan, Editor
Team Handball News

Previous Team Handball News articles on web streaming:
Oct 2007: Handball on TV in the USA? Yes!: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.392
Oct 2008: EHF Champions League TV Coverage (Great Job, but more Bits Please!): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.610
Jan 2009: World Championship Handball Web Streaming: Slow, but Steady Progress: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.673

As of this posting, I have not received a response from the HBL or DSF. Steve Pastorino, however, did send a short message indicating that USA Team Handball fully supports any effort to broadcast handball via internet, TV or cable and that they would make their position known to the HBL.

If you’ve ever wondered why this great sport hasn’t successfully expanded from its narrow European market here’s a little more evidence for you.

Update (23 Sep 09): I got a short message from the HBL Bundesliga General Manager, Frank Bohmann in response to my letter. Mr Bohmann emphasized the licensing rights prevented the offering of internet streaming and that the HBL is aggressively working toward TV broadcasts in other markets. While I like the fact that they are working towards TV broadcasts it's still puzzling to me that internet and TV licensing impact each other so strongly. Hopefully, a more satisfactory resolution will be reached in the near future.

WNT Farrell guest interviews on American Public Radio's "The Story"

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WNT player and the subject of my most recent [link=https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.820]interview[/link], emailed me to infrom me that she will be "doing a radio interview with American Public Radio "[link=http://thestory.org/]The Story[/link]" today!"

"I don't know what time it airs. They saw an article about me in the Duke magazine a little while ago and thought handball sounded interesting. So, I'm coming in to talk about handball, the national team and the upcoming Olympic bid in Chicago", Farrell wrote. "The radio show is broadcast nationally – but they should also post the interview online: http://thestory.org. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up about it! Always good to have handball out on the airwaves. :)" Jennifer concluded.

Duke Magazine Article (Feb 2008): http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010208/depmini-farrell.html

[b]Link to MP3 Audio:[/b] http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_867_Enslaved_In_LA.mp3 (Jennifer's interview starts at 31:00)
American Public Media: The Story: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_867_Enslaved_In_LA.mp3/view

What is a continent?

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In recent time I have followed with interest the initiative of USA Team Handball to have the issue of splitting up the PanAmerican Team Handball Federation (PATHF) put on the table. For many reasons, I think this is a good initiative, so my comments below are not intended to provide arguments against it, or even to make me the ‘devil’s advocate’ on this issue. Rather, I am more inclined to point out the complexities of the issue and how difficult it is likely to be to achieve success.

First I should emphasize that there is no such thing as a standardized definition of the concept of a continent in the world of sports. For instance, the International Olympic Committee does not insist that all sports use the same definition. It is really up to each international federation to decide what suits its circumstances. Just as an example, Kazakhstan is in Asia as far as handball is concerned, while it is part of Europe in soccer. Another example is Australia, which in most sports is the ‘superpower’ of the otherwise modest Oceania continent but in soccer has been allowed to join Asia. In fact, they have recently qualified as an Asian representative for the 2010 World Cup in soccer.

So while one might try to point to soccer and the CONCACAF vs. CONMEBOL configuration as an argument, as this ‘splits off’ 10 South American countries from the rest of the Panamerican continent, it does not really show that this approach is more ‘correct’ than the PATHF concept that covers the whole continent in one entity. It merely shows that such a model seems viable, even if the parallels are not so strong. First, CONCACAF came about not as a breakaway from the rest of the continent but as an amalgamation of a previously existing North American federation and a Central American/Caribbean federation almost 50 years ago. Moreover, CONCACAF has 35 member countries, not counting some French and Dutch territories. So it is really a strong grouping with long traditions.

What would then be the practical advantages of a change? It is then necessary to look a bit at the history and the politics of handball in our continent. Briefly put, the early influence came from Europe and was primarily affecting countries such as the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Much of the early influence was German. Spain did not become a handball power until relatively recently, so there was no Spanish impetus, as is otherwise often the case in Latin America. Brazil and Cuba gradually became continental powers, but were not part of the picture in the early going. So the influence of the U.S. on continental matters was quite strong, both politically and on the court, with perennially good chances to qualify for World Championships and the Olympics.

Gradually, however, the Northern dominance came to an end, as USA and Canada were unable to build much on their early advantages, while at the same time the major sports countries Argentina and Brazil made rapid progress. Suddenly the power base has shifted, and the new leaders do not hesitate to reap the benefits. While they are ‘politically correct’ in expressing the hope that the U.S. will regain its former status, they do not exactly mind that the competition for the World Championship slots is weaker. Moreover, both the resource distribution and the allocation of events are now de facto in the hands of people who mainly look after their own interests and do not care to give the Northern countries a break. Costly travel is only one of the many disadvantages in this scenario. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that the traditional ‘North-South tensions’ will give way to a new situation where the re-emergence of U.S. handball is strongly supported within the continent.

But how would then the rest of the handball world and the IHF react to the idea of a split? Right now the IHF has a ‘neat’ and easy situation with three continents (Africa, Asia and Panamerica) having basically equal status and equal rights as regards slots in the World Championship qualifications and the representation in the IHF Council. A split would complicate matters considerably, and none of the other continents (incl. Europe) would accept that Panamerica got a better deal through a split than it currently has. So it is unclear what each of the two parts of a split continent could count on. Moreover, serious talks about a split in Panamerica might raise similar issues in the Asian continent, where East and West do not live very happily together. (This is a mild understatement if one remembers the perennial scandals in the Asian qualifying for IHF events). This is not the kind of chain reaction and resulting complications that the IHF would relish.

The reactions within PanAmerica are also uncertain. Argentina and Brazil may be less affected, at least as long as Canada and the U.S. are not so competitive, but while that is the case, there may still be some prestige involved in leading a continent where one can beat up on the Northern rivals. The rest of South America would clearly feel very threatened. They are now part of the race for a third Panamerican slot, but would there even be a chance for them after a split? Being beaten by Argentina and Brazil in fruitless efforts every time would not be a thrill. Where the interests and loyalties might lie among the Central Americans and the Caribbeans is less clear. With the exception of some of the Caribbean islands, they are all Latin American, of course. But the practical implications may be more important. A good competition structure, with less expensive travel, within a North/Central/Caribbean setting may seem enticing as it could help the progress of all the countries. In the end, much may depend on the IHF reactions and the potential status and opportunities for a new grouping.

To go back to where I started, while it may turn out that the obstacles are insurmountable, there is really not much to lose by trying. Some Panamerican countries could possibly be offended by it, but let’s face it: they are never going to love us that much in any case… Moreover, it may actually be helpful if U.S. handball shows in this way that it does mean business! And the potential gains, in the case of success, are real enough that the effort clearly is worthwhile. So let’s get the ball rolling!

Handball-World Reports on U.S. Under-18’s in Europe

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The leading German Handball website, Handball-World has a feature article on the U.S Under 18’s that have been training and playing games in Dormagen, Germany. The article is primarily focused on Christian Hentschel, the director of the sports boarding school in nearby Knechtsteden where the team stayed and trained. Hentschel has also supported the U.S. at the 3 nations tournament this past summer and has assisted in finding teams for players.

The article also highlights the dual citizenship of several of the players and the challenges of training Americans who only discover the sport in their late teens. Hentschel does indicate, though, that Gary Hines, age 25, who currently plays on a lower division team in Bavaria is a tremendous athlete that a Bundesliga team might want to consider taking a chance on.

Boy’s scores (U.S. total listed first)
TSV Dormagen U17 (32:41),
TSV Dormagen U19 (23:34)
TSV Dormagen U19 2nd team (31:23)
TSG Benrath (40:23)

Girls Scores
SG Zons (25:9)
Pulheimer SC (25:14)
TSG Benrath (40:11)
Neuss-HV U19 (28:30)
TSV Bayer Leverkusen U19 (30:32)

Handball-World: Let `s go Dormagen: How Knechtsteden became a training camp for young American handball: http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news.php?GID=1&auswahl=21999

2016 Olympic Host City Vote: Future U.S. plans undoubtedly hinge on a Chicago victory

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On October 2nd the IOC will vote to decide whether Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid or Tokyo will host the 2016 Olympic Games. It’s hard to understate the importance of this upcoming decision and its future impact for USA Team Handball. A Chicago victory means automatic qualification and likely a sizable amount of sponsor funding. How much remains to be seen, but if the Weather Channel gave USA Team Handball a Million dollars in 1996, it stands to reason that a lot more could be secured twenty years later. And that funding is vital to implementing a whole host of developmental programs that are envisioned. Ancillary benefits like national teams willing to come to the States and media exposure are also likely.

Not being selected won’t be the end of the world for USA Team Handball, but unquestionably it will result in a different income statement and, in turn, scaling back on whatever plans have been drafted for development, tours, and staff.

My colleague, Christer Ahl, did a good job describing the fickleness of the “very important” IOC voters and several pundits in the mainstream media have implored President Obama to travel to Copenhagen and work some magic on the voters the way that Tony Blair did four years ago. What’s been under reported for the most part, though, is that the smart money is still solidly behind Chicago. Yes, people can bet on where they think the Olympics will be held and Chicago is still a solid favorite despite the Olympic Channel debacle and the potential Obama no-show. Of course, bettors can be wrong, but I’ll generally go with people willing to put some skin in the game as opposed to pundits with nothing to lose and an axe to grind.

As to why Chicago is favored the biggest factor is the cash that a Chicago Olympics will bring. Sure there’s always a little bit of anti-American sentiment and deal making behind the scenes, but there’s also a realization that in this down economy it might be a little foolhardy to not cash in on the sure thing. Then again, Paris was a solid favorite 4 years ago when London edged them out. I’ll never forget the crestfallen faces of my colleagues in Paris and the dejected crowd at the Hotel de Ville on TV. Here’s hoping that there will be plenty of smiling faces in Chicago and Salt Lake City come October 2nd.

USA Team Handball: Overheard in Chicago: http://www.usateamhandball.org/blog/post/1237
Washington Post: For Chicago's Bid, Yes, He Should: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/11/AR2009091101753.html?hpid=news-col-blog
Chicago Sun-Times: IOC member: Get Obama to support bid: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/olympics/1771541,oly-obama-091509.article

Intrade.com market: https://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/contractSearch/index.jsp?query=olympics
Bwin.com: https://www.bwin.com/olympics-specials

French Cup won’t return to Florida

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Several French outlets are now reporting that the French Coupe de la Ligue will not return to Florida for it’s final four championship next year. Speaking to reporters last week, French Professional League (LNH) President, Alain Smada, indicated that the league had broken it’s contract with the U.S. organizers New World Sports and that they had legal concerns. The tournament held in Miami last April was a major disappointment in terms of attendance. In breaking the contract, the LNH is backtracking on comments made shortly after the event in Miami that they had confidence in the events long term prospects and that a 3 year plan was in place to eventually turn a profit.

Le Monde: The American Dream Ends: http://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2009/09/07/handball-le-reve-americain-prend-fin_1237106_3242.html#xtor=RSS-3242
RMC Info (April 2009): The sponsor knew there expenses wouldn‘t be covered initially: http://www.rmc.fr/edito/sport/75827/smadja-le-sponsor-savait-qu-il-ne-rentrerait-pas-dans-ses-frais/
THN Commentary (April 2009): If you build it, will they come?: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.734

Posted in LNH

Obama and Chicago 2016

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It is almost too tempting to become ironic and lighthearted about an issue that may be quite important, if one realizes that one has absolutely no influence on the matter and that, even worse, there can be no expectation that it will be decided in a fair, rational, and transparent manner. So, even if right now, less than 3 weeks before the day of reckoning, there are many who nervously ponder the chances of Chicago to land the 2016 Olympics, I hope I am forgiven if I am slightly cynical about the whole process.

My reaction is triggered by the many ‘interesting’ comments in the media about the (final?) decision by President Obama to send the First Lady to the IOC Congress instead of going himself. The comments are interesting in two ways: first in the sense that they involve an amusing speculation as to which member of this couple would have the best chances of having a positive impact, and second because they reveal some rather naïve or ignorant ideas about the decision-making by the IOC members.

It seems that some people believe that the decision-making process is entirely rational (sort of: ‘may be the best city win’, whatever ‘best’ happens to mean), while others hint at an awareness that other ‘arguments’ may be more important. I don’t want to get into a lot of examples here from the very nasty history of IOC’s host city selections. Instead I would recommend that you read at least one of the very articulate and revealing books by Andrew Jennings about such matters. But it is quite clear that the greed and vanity of some IOC members has always played an important role over the years.

So it is quite conceivable that the presence or absence or President Obama could be a factor, not because he would be able to use his eloquence or because it would somehow show that the weight of the entire U.S. government is behind the Chicago bid, but because it just might be taken as a snub by some voters that the President sent his wife, in the full knowledge that the King of Spain, the Crown Prince of Japan, and the President of Brazil will be present. Yes, those IOC members are used to being treated as the equals of kings and presidents, so they are not easy to please.

But international politics may matter more after all. At the beginning of the year, it may have been seen as a foregone conclusion that it would be a big plus for Chicago to have Obama as the new U.S. President. Where it now stands may be less clear. But the status of the U.S. in the minds of those who vote has many more dimensions. Money is a key factor in many ways, and the yield from the Olympics, including sponsor contracts and television deals is high on the list. Traditional political and cultural ties are also vital. For, instance, it seems like a certainty that Madrid and Rio will pool their resources and their votes as soon as it is clear that one of them is out of the running.

Of course, questions have also continued to be raised: is it really such a good thing if Chicago wins!? The tax payers of Chicago and Illinois may be less than sure about that. But if you look at it selfishly as a sports fan, and particularly a fanatic in a small sport such as handball, it seems you must argue that ‘there is everything to gain, nothing to lose’. I guess it would (quite hypothetically) be even better to have a handball World Championship on U.S soil as a PR weapon, as an Olympic handball tournament is more likely to ‘disappear’ within the overall event. But certainly it could provide a boost for handball (and other sports that are similarly situated on the U.S. sports scene) that one would hope might be better utilized than what seems to have been the case after 1984 in Los Angeles and 1996 in Atlanta.

I will finish on that note for the moment, in the expectation that John Ryan will write something less ‘ironic and light-hearted’ on the topic, either before or after October 2. But, just for the sake of ‘full disclosure’, I feel obliged to reveal my biases: unbeknownst to most of my handball friends in the U.S. and around the world, I have roots in Chicago!!! Yes, I am a native of Sweden, but it so happens that my mother’s father was born in Chicago in the late 1890s, before his parents moved back with him to Sweden. So would it not be great to have the 2016 handball tournament take place in Andersonville… (although that is not quite what the Chicago proposal suggests).

1 on 1: Jennifer Farrell

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The "[link=http://houstonhandball.org/content12.html]1 on 1[/link]" interview series debuted back in 2005 as an add on feature to the [link=http://houstonhandball.org/]Houstonhandball.org [/link]website. What better place – and time – to revive this feature than right here, on THN.

While navigating the cyberspace over the summer, I caught up with my old friend, USWNT member, Jennifer Farrell. You may recall that she was the subject of [link=https://teamhandballnews.com/request13.html]my first THN podcast interview[/link], in the spring of 2006. Since then, Jen and I tried to get together for another interview but the timing was never right. Given Jennifer’s travels, we figured cyberspace may be our best option. We were both right. And just in the nick of time. Jennifer is, once again, on the move…

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – Hi Bogdan! I have a few hours before I get on the plane and thought I would answer some of your questions…[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – Hi back at you! First things first. Where the heck have you been, Jen?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – Let’s back up to 2007. In August of that year, I left for Montpellier (France), after the WNT residency program ended when we lost our Olympic/World Championship qualifications. I was one of three WNT players who went off to France, the other two being Kathy Darling and Megan Ballard. I spent 2007 playing with a team in Montpellier, in the National 2 division of the French League, which is actually the fourth division. I was very lucky to be part of a great group of players, but the most exciting part was my coach, Laurent Puiseguer, who was the former captain of the French National Team. He was an amazing coach, and worked really hard to integrate me with other players on the team. My first pre-season was SO hard, but at the end of it, we went off on a [link=http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?&id=1302828&s=6&hash=6e6c831d0630c00893619dddb23d0a86#/album.php?aid=2073312&id=1302828&op=12]weekend camping adventure in the Pyrenees[/link], and went climbing and canoeing and it really brought us close together. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the French teams a lot. [/color]

[color=#0000ff]In the beginning of 2008, I had an opportunity to move up to the National 1 division with a team in St. Etienne, so I took the opportunity to go and play there, but unfortunately I broke my foot within the first few weeks and spent the rest of the season on the sideline. Not the highpoint of my French handball experience!
In August 2008, I moved to Lyon to play with a team in Division 2, where the level of play made a significant jump to what is considered the semi-professional level. There were some players on pro contracts, others on developmental contracts, so the level varied player-to-player the but the league play was extraordinary. Again, I was very lucky to have a great coach who was very understanding of my situation and really interested to help me improve. The team practiced 5-7 times a week, up from 3-4 times at the National 1-2 level. The intensity was much greater.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – Looking back – what do you make of the opportunity to play and live in France?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I am really glad I had the opportunity to go to France. When the US residency program ended, I knew that the only way I could improve my skills and really get handball experience was to go to Europe, and we were lucky that at the time our former WNT coach Christian Latulippe had some contacts there. In June 2007, I went to try-out for the team in Montpellier and was pleased when they decided to take me, and help me work out a place to stay and a way to live. The handball in France is extremely organized, and I think we learned a lot in the first year about how it works. There are a lot of complications that go along with playing in the French league: contracts, paperwork, and player licenses. The rules about licenses were very complicated, especially for players from outside of France and the European Union, things were heavily regulated. That was one reason that Kathy, Megan, and I could never play together- only one foreign player from outside the Europe Union could be on a roster. That limited our choices for teams, as we couldn't go to any other team with a Canadian or Chinese or Brazilian, or whatever, and clubs had to be picky about the foreign players they took.
The first year in France was the hardest- by far. Handball-wise, it was stressful, because I didn't know the drills, the plays, and couldn't understand what the coach was saying 80% of the time.
By the second year, things were going MUCH better, and I had a greater sense of how things worked within the teams, the club, the league, ect. I felt much more at ease and knew what to expect from the coaches, players, and club administrators. [/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – Was there culture shock? If so, how did you deal with it?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I had taken French in high school, so I arrived being able to understand most of what people were saying to me, but even still it was ten times harder than I ever imagined. Kathy, Megan, and I were split up all over France, so when I arrived, I didn't know anyone. There were a few girls on the team who went out of their way to help me out, but I wasn't prepared for the isolation I felt. I am an outgoing person, but most of the girls on my team had played with each other for years, some of them since they were children, so breaking into the group was kind of hard. Most of my teammates were really nice, but they would tease me about the little things like my socks, or my accent, or the way I cheered for my teammates on the court when they did something well (they thought it was hysterical, apparently cheering during practice isn't part of French handball culture!). For the rest of my life, I will always be sensitive to people who come from somewhere else, because it is hard to be different.

As far as life goes, it seemed like nothing in France could ever be done quickly- even getting a bank account, or internet (Kathy and I laugh that it took us like 8 months to get internet, right in time for us to leave!). Getting my residency permit was a nightmare the first year, and I couldn't play without it. I spent several months ineligible to play because the French government took such a long time sorting out my paperwork. However, once you figure out the system, you can make it work for you. By year two, I think Megan, Kathy, and I were all experts on how to get things done in France, because we had hit every hurdle in the first year.
For all of its difficulties, there were a lot of great things about the French culture. They know how to enjoy life, they spend a lot of time with their families and friends, and the social aspect of life is important.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – What was your impression of the French socialized healthcare system? Have to ask, given that healthcare is currently at the forefront of US politics? :)[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – The medical system was incredible, and I don't have enough positive things to say about it. Whenever I was hurt or sick, I got great care, at almost no cost to me, and it was fast and efficient. I also think that within the club, there was a big emphasis placed on athlete health and well-being. There was a team doctor and trainer, and injured athletes almost never played. Kathy and I used to laugh that we were afraid to tell the trainer when we had a small problem, because he would want you to get treatment twice a day for a week and you would definitely not practice or play. I think we come from a culture of "tape it up" and get on with it, but they definitely don't roll like that in France. The trainers didn't even have tape- if you needed tape, you didn't need to play.
We were also surprised by the athletes attitude towards health. A lot of the athletes smoked and drank during the season, which shocked me, especially when we would have to pull the team bus over every two hours for a team smoke break. That would NEVER happen with the US WNT!! Even dessert was forbidden when we were at competitions, and drinking and smoking were definitely prohibited.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – Please describe how your game fit in with the French style; US vs France club level — if you will. Generally, American athletes/players – save for the NBA – tend to be more physical than skillful. Was this the case in your situation?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – Yes. From a physical preparation perspective, I think the US culture puts more emphasis on it. When I was in Div. 2, we would do 5 pushups once a week, and there was no weight lifting. We did a lot of running, having one day a week of hardcore high intensity interval stuff, but for the most part, practice was spent doing practice. Pre-season was for running until you die so that you could do train and play from August until June. The season lasts forever.

I don't think anything could have prepared me for all of the challenges I faced in the first year, it was easily the most difficult year of my life. Thankfully Kathy and Megan and I would stay in contact by text messages or emails, and we got together once or twice during the few breaks we had, and that helped. Although it was challenging, I learned a lot and had some really incredible experiences, and I think that is why I really wanted to stay another year, so I could benefit from my experience and really get a lot of my time there.

Handball-wise, I learned a TON. Not just from a skill-perspective, but about what real handball looks like from an organizational level. The French Handball Federation is amazing, there is so much going on from the National team level down to the kiddie club level. It was great to be a part of that, to see how things could be. I think it was an inspiration for the three Americans to see what we would like to see the USA doing in the future.

There is no doubt the level of play is higher in France. I played in the second, third, and fourth division and at each level there were several incredible players that, had they been American, could have easily been the star of our national team. At the higher, professional level, like Division 2, some of my teammates had played for National Teams of other countries (Ivory Coast or Tunisia) and some that had been on the Youth National team for France. Athletically, they were good athletes, but not necessarily better than the girls on the US WNT, but their skills were just amazing. They saw the court better, they had three times as many moves in their repertoire, they had incredible foot speed and precision.

Even at the U-18 level, the sophistication of the play was better. But these athletes had also been playing since they were young kids, and there was a system in place to identify talented young kids and put them on regional teams "Pole Espoirs" (the regional hopefuls) so they could train and prepare for the National Team or professional level.

There was also a concept that within a large club, a talented athlete could move up through the club, from the U-16 to the Pre-National to the National 2/3 and eventually to the Division 1/2. There was upward mobility for talented athletes within a club and lots of opportunities to play at every level. Even the younger kids would play a full-season of 20-30 games against 12-14 different teams, not counting friendly matches and summer tournaments.

Kathy and I have also discussed how some of these concepts could be useful in USA handball. The older players from the Division 2 or National 1 team would often coach the younger kids of the club, and it gave coaching experience to the older players, saved the club money because they didn't pay for separate coaches for the younger teams, and also gave the young kids something to aspire to. The mentorship role of the older athletes in the club was great. I think if the USA WNT ever had a residency program again; it would be great objective to have the WNT players coaching the youth clubs in a particular region.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – I really am happy that you had the opportunity to witness and experience firsthand the developmental team handball process. I also believe that for all their work, the current US handball hierarchy continues to miss the point on what it takes to grow the sport of handball in the US. Yet, even to an American, the blueprint is rather obvious. How about your game. Has it improved?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I like to think I made some improvements. I definitely learned a different way of doing many things. I think it was really frustrating in the beginning because my coaches wanted me to un-learn many of the things I had learned in the USA. They didn't like the way I did some things, and would try to teach me a different way of doing things, which was very hard in the beginning. When you've always thrown one way, or jumped one way, and suddenly you have to re-learn how to do that, it can be difficult. I think the French coaches probably had a good laugh sitting around talking about all of the ridiculous things that the American kids did on the court.
The best part about playing in France was seeing what good handball looked like, at games and in practice every day. Being surrounded by better players, makes you better. When you have people playing harder defense on you, you have to work harder to make a pass or get to the goal. When you have better goalies, you have to be smarter and more precise with your shooting. That kind of everyday challenge makes you better, no matter what.
Tactically, defensive strategy was different as well. I learned a lot about what a good, team defense looks like. It is not an individual skill, it is a team skill, and I think the French did that very well. Offensively, I learned a lot of techniques as a circle, and how to watch my backcourts, because we didn't use a lot of plays. The offense was very fluid, and I had to learn how to move with my teammates. In the beginning I would run into them, because they moved a lot faster, or had better fakes and faster reflexes than what I was used to with the WNT, but eventually I picked up on it, and learned to adapt.

Even though I always struggled to be at the same skill level as my teammates, the one thing I definitely brought with me was a sense of hustle and dedication. My teammates laughed at me in the beginning because when the coach blew his whistle, I would run, because that's how things worked in the USA. Hustle and attitude is very important with the WNT, and I tried to maintain that even if it wasn't so much a part of French culture. Even if I couldn't be the best person on the court, I always wanted to work hard, and I think my teammates respected that.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – You make some great points. I too had a hard time adjusting to the American style of handball. As a pivot playing in Romania, I would always feed off of what the offense offered/showed. In the US, “coaches/trainers/experts” would often have plays set for the circle runner which took away from the beauty and fluidity of the game. Be that as it may – let’s change gears a bit. What have you heard from your French counterparts regarding this year’s Miami “Coupe De La Ligue”?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I was surprised that I didn't hear as much about this as I expected. To be honest, I think the idea was brilliant, and I was really looking forward to seeing how it turned out. I guess at that point in the season, my team was struggling to maintain their place in Division 2 after a couple of difficult losses, so my club and team were really focused on our own season. I will say that everyone definitely seemed to know it was going on in Miami, and all of them thought it was cool (and wish they could have been there!), but as far as how it turned out, I never heard much feedback from the French side of things.

As an aside, the year before, France hosted the Women's World Championship, and that was a REALLY big deal. I went to see a lot of games that were held regionally during the preliminary rounds and even made it to Paris to see the semi-finals and finals. The club got tickets for a lot of the early rounds, and we went to see the games as a team. When I was there, I recognized tons of people from around the French handball community, and it was great to see the stadiums filled with people. As a WNT, it was hard to watch since we had tried to qualify and lost, I couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to be on the court. But I had an amazing time as a spectator, and once again it was really motivating to watch these teams perform at such a high level. I think it gave us all a sense of where the US will have to be if we want to really compete on the world stage.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – What are you up to now?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I am back in the US now, finishing up a Master's degree that I began in France. I am also applying to medical school in the USA, so hopefully I will start that in the fall of 2010. Having spent the last 5 years doing nothing but handball, it is hard to see myself prioritizing something else in my life, but I am looking forward to going to medical school, since I've been wanting to do that for a long time. I hope I can find opportunities to play and be involved in handball in the US, and of course hope I can stay in the WNT pool as long as I am able, there really is no greater joy than getting on the court with my old teammates and putting on a USA jersey.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: Speaking of the USA jersey. What are your thoughts on the new US Federation and how do you feel that it compares with the former?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – It is funny, I feel so far removed from anything going on in USA handball right now. When I was with the WNT residency program, I think all of us felt like we were a major part of things, mostly because at the time there was no Federation, so everything we were doing, everything we wanted to do, we kind of had to do for ourselves. I think we were really resourceful during those years, with the support of a lot of great people in the handball community, including former players, WNT committee and members of the Foundation.

Now, I am not sure if I have actually even met anyone from the new Federation, and I feel like I'm way outside of the loop. However, based on what I'm seeing on their website, and twitter, it sounds like they have a lot of great things going on, so good for them. They are definitely getting things done, putting camps together, sending players overseas, so we've definitely come a long way from not having a Federation. I have to applaud their efforts to put their ideas into action.

I would like to see more happen with the WNT, in the two years that I've been gone, we have only gotten together once for a week-long camp in Chicago and then a competition in Mexico. I understand there is a lot going on in the development of regional camps and teams, but I think we need to keep a senior WNT in place, training, together on a regular basis, and playing games.

I am hopeful that this new Federation will move the USA in the direction of international success, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I would love to see the club system evolve to something like what I saw in France, with many players aged 3-50 playing at all different levels all over the country, even in the really small towns.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – What are your thoughts on the current USWNT situation.[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – I don't know what's next for the USWNT, but I hope there is more to come. By the sounds of it, there is some young talent coming up, and I think it is great that we still have a core of girls who trained in the residency program that are still interested in playing. We also have three girls, who played at the Division 2 level in France, and Jen Haubrich is in Germany now, no doubt making excellent progress, and I think that can only do great things for us.

However, individual skills will only take us so far, I think part of what we need to do is have more opportunities to play and train together. The foreign players I played with in France always spent the summers doing camps and tournaments with their National Teams, but we're not there yet.

I also think, in an ideal world, there will be another residency program for the younger girls, to get them opportunities to train and play on a regular basis so that they can eventually go to Europe. I really believe that we need to have 10-15 players in the Division 1/2 level in Europe if we are going to be competitive. Ivory Coast, for example, has almost their entire team playing in France right now, and that is how they are making progress at the international level. And trust me, having played with some of the Ivorian girls, their resources aren't nearly as good as ours are, so we should be making better use of them.

When I got back from France this summer, I talked with Marko, who is the head coach for the WNT, and I think he is hoping to organize more training and playing opportunities this year. I think it is nice that we have someone on staff full-time who knows who the players are, has been to competition with us, and is working closely with the Federation to organize things. It is not an easy job, but I think he is really dedicated to seeing results, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years.[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Bogdan: – Well Jen, you have certainly experienced, learned and certainly shared a lot with me and the THN readers. I must also say that you have sacrificed a lot in order to dedicate yourself to playing the sport you love. Your determination and personal sacrifice are admirable as both are qualities that are essential to the proliferation of team handball in the US. Players such as you, Kathy and Megan represent the new generation of US team handball trailblazers. Having said that – what is next for you?[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Jennifer: – Currently I'm going to school and getting my life together! For the first time since I graduated from college, I will be in charge of my own life, so I am looking forward to having a bit of a break from going to handball practice every day. At the same time, I will continue to work out and stay fit, and play handball whenever I get the opportunity. I will be in New York city this fall, so I will try to work with Cap (Cappleman, Chris) and Fitzy (Fitzgerlad, Tom) to see if we can get some women together to play!

In terms of future – I don't know what it holds for me, but I don't think I will be able to continue my life without handball in some capacity. I know I will not be an athlete forever, but I think because of what I've experienced with the WNT and being overseas, I have a lot to give back, and at some point I hope I can do that in a meaningful way. We have a lot of progress to make if we want to see this sport grow, and I think those of us that have been given a lot by this sport- especially the National Team athletes- should try to give back in return, in whatever role they can.[/color]

Lemgo Fires Coach in wake of Champions League flame out

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Apparently, I wasn’t the only one pretty surprised that Lemgo couldn’t even win one match at their Champions League qualification group tournament in Leon, Spain last weekend. In a swift reaction, by handball standards anyway, they fired their coach Markus Baur and their sports director, Daniel Stephan. Co-favorites to win the tournament with host Leon, Lemgo lost close matches to Kadetten Schaufhaussen of Switzerland and Celje of Slovenia before being drubbed by Leon 31-21 in the final match.

What makes the quick firings even more surprising are the long relationships Baur and Stepan had with Lemgo. Baur had played for the club from 2001-2008, was one of the more popular players on the national team and had returned to coach Lemgo after a 6 month stint coaching in Switzerland. Stephan had been with the club since 1994 and was the Handball world player of the year in 98. According to Handball-World, it wasn’t just the performance in Spain that led to their dismissal as the club had performed poorly in a number of preseason events.

EHF: Lemgo fires Baur: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2009-10/article/12573/Lemgo+fires+Baur
Handball-World: Lemgo: "Prolonged drought sporting" costs and Stephan Baur their jobs: http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news.php?GID=1&auswahl=21908
Wikipedia: Daniel Stephan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Stephan
Wikipedia: Markus Baur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Baur