Preparation for the Men’s Pan American Championships (MPAC) in Aracaju, Brazil is in full swing for the US Men’s National Team. They recently completed a week of training at the Lakeshore USOC Training Center in Birmingham, Alabama and are now traveling to Brazil for additional training and 2 friendly matches (2 June vs a Brazilian club team and 4 June vs Greenland)

I’ve had some email contact with Asst Coach Chris Cappelmann and he felt that they had had several good practices under the tutelage of new Head Coach Isidoro Martinez. Cap indicated that he felt that if the US can stay healthy and continue to gel as a team they should have a good chance to finish in the top 3 and earn a World Championship berth for Germany 2007. Cap also noted that he very much regretted having to resign from his Asst Coach position due to work commitments as a result of staffing shortages with the Atlanta Fire Department. Dennis Berkholz will be assisting Coach Martinez in Brazil.

The US Team opens pool play against Mexico on 6 June at 1800 Local, 1700 EST.

TEAM ROSTER
David Thompson- Condors
Gary Hines- Condors
Tom Fitzgerald- NYAC (Garden City)
Danny Caparelli- NYAC (Garden City)
Divine Jackson- NYAC (Garden City)
Milan Ciric- NYAC (Garden City)
Mike Hinson- Los Angeles THC
Ryan Hansell- Atlanta Team Handball
John Kelly- Atlanta Team Handball
Troy Steffen- Atlanta Team Handball
Jeff Goss- Atlanta Team Handball
Patrick Oliver- Atlanta Team Handball
Gill Bozeman- Atlanta Team Handball
Mark Ortega- Miami Sharks
Muris Lacarivic- Miami Sharks

Note: The following players were originally on the team, but aren’t making the trip for the reasons indicated
Matt Van Houten (Retired)
Bobby Dunn (Work Commitment)
Radji Mateen (Work Commitment)
Joe Lamour (Injury)
Levi Henderson (Work Commitment)

Danish club Viborg defeated Krim Lubljana in Slovenia last weekend 24-22, so they have a two goal aggregate lead going into Saturday night’s 2nd leg match in Denmark. Viborg is a 2.5 goal favorite. Game time is 7:15 PM CET. Live internet viewing is available at www.eurohandball.com

[color=#0000ff]Part IV:[/color]

A missed opportunity.

How could this have happened?

The stage was set. The protagonists were there. The Town Hall meeting was the place to be that Friday afternoon…

Alas, noone came. Almost.

By my estimates, there were about 75 to 100 handballers in the audience. Atlanta was well represented. So was Houston. The eventual award winners and Q & A "volunteers" were the fillers. I was hoping that more would "trickle in".

So what does all of this mean?

It means that the "majority"of the "defunct USATH membership" remains numb to ALL the "off court" activities.
It means that the majority continues to feel that there is no reward in getting involved and being informed.
It means that the wounds, created by the recent high level turmoil, are not yet healed.
It means that each player, coach or parent associated with the sport of handball who did not attend, had better things to do.
It means, as it should, that actions speak louder than words… and those who were not in the audience sent in their message LOUD and CLEAR..
It means that slefishness is still alive and well amongst ourselves, the US team handballers.
It means that hypocrisy is an end to justify the means.
It means that we want to reap what we are not able to sow.

It means that we missed a great opportunity to show the USOC, and to each other, that we care. That, no matter what, we can and will do our best to promote the sport of team handball.

Sarcasm and individual agendas aside, the lack of interest displayed by those not attending the town hall meeting was the wrong message sent at the wrong time.
I'm certain that individual and collective excuses will be forthcoming in what should become another futile manifestation of misguided creativity and initiative.

[color=#0000ff]Part III:[/color]

Day One.

Friday featured a total of 29 games. The AM featured some very interesting matchups in the Elite division. The PLS Firehawks gave Cal Heat a darn good game, losing by only 2 goals. Conversly, the Stars rolled over and played dead against a very motivated and cocky ATH squad. The 13 goals margin of victory by ATH, stood as the most lopsided of the tournament, in either Men's divisions! On the women's side, the lady Condors (Condorettes?) ran and gunned down their Houston aviary counterparts (Firehawks) in convincing fashion. The morning matchups went as expected. No surprises and no fireworks. Lots of sportsmanship and good overall handball.

The most awaited "matchup" of the day however, was scheduled at 1:00 PM in the bleachers adjacent to court 3. The USOC/HCHSA was scheduled to take on the THE WORLD during the much awaited TOWN HALL MEETING. A must see and hear event. So I thought…

The setup was great. A small podium was assambled. It featured a long table and couple of mics hooked up to a clear and powerful PA system. Mike Cavanaugh, Jay Warwick and Cathy Dean presided. In the stands close to 100 people. Low turnout by my expectations but I figured more people were on their way. So I thought…

The meetings starts off with a brief introduction from Mike Cavanaugh. He follows it up with a public note of thanks to Cathy Dean and the HCHSA for her and their continued dedication to the sport of team handball and for stepping in when the going got tough, to host the USA Nationals for the 3 year in a row. Cathy Dean is presented with a Select team handball (men size) signed by all the teams participating at the 2006 Nationals. A very nice gesture, I thought.

With microphone in one hand and recorder on the other, I tripp and stumble to a spot under one of the PA speakers. It's from the front row of the bleachers that I capture the essence of the meeting for your listening pleasure. For convenience I have divided the recording in four "acts":

[link=/podcasts/Cavanaugh.mp3]Act 1[/link] covers Mike Cavanaugh's "state of hanbdall". The who, the when, the where, the why and the hows are covered succinctly. [link=/podcasts/Warwick.mp3]Act 2[/link] features Jay Warwick's introduction and overview of the USOC's involvement in our sport. A series of awards are presented and emceed by Mike Cavanugh in [link=/podcasts/Awards.mp3]Act 3[/link]. Finally, the Q and A is covered in [link=/podcasts/QandA.mp3]Act 4[/link]. Due to technical limitations, the Qs are not audible. The As on the other hand are loud and clear.

[color=#0000ff]Part II:[/color]

The Organizers.

If there ever was a term that could be defined as "damned if you do, damned if you don't", look up TEAM HANDBALL EVENT ORGANIZER.

Having been a member of the 2002 USATH Nationals LOC, I knew first hand how time consuming an event of this magnitude could be. Or ungratifying!

So much had to be done in so little time and with hardly any volunteers. Harris County Houston Sports Authority's Cathy Dean, alongside Mike Cavanaugh and Jan O'Shea and a number of "regular" volunteers worked very hard hard to ensure that this event lived up to everyone's expectations. A tough task. One which I would never want any part of.

I, for one, am very greatful for their work. I've oftened found myself thinking: "Better them than me." A little selfish, I'll admit…

These ORGANIZERS are and have ALWAYS been taken for granted. Every year, for three days in April/May, these men and women (mothers and fathers) agree to be everyone's pinata.

So please excuse me! I'd like to acknowledge ALL OF THEM. Thank you for doing whatever it is that you're doing! And thank you for doing it so damn well!

Thursday, April 27 2006

[color=#0000ff]Part I:[/color]

A great weekend for handball ahead.

It is hard to stay objective when opining on a sport in which you are more than a mere observer. Be that as it may, I will try – over the next few paragraphs – to convey what these Nationals were like.

I was thrilled when I found out that Houston was going to organize the Nationals for the 3rd year in a row. I admit, I am very subjective on this issue. Houston has been my home for the past 21 years. If it'd be up to me, Houston and the GRB will be hosting the Nationals for many years to come.

Most of our US readers know the setup. The GRB is a convention center. A huge one. I'm not sure how big the Titanic was but the GRB is bigger. And wider. And taller. It actually looks like a ship from the outside. It's TEXAS SIZED. Three full size handball courts, with room to spare, were setup again. The only thing different this year, was the court number assignments. Court 2 was the easiest to remember.

The tournament featured a relatively large number of teams considering the short notice. 28 team. 12 Elite, 8 D1 and 8 Women.
Texas registered 5 teams. 3 Men (Stars One and Too and Firehawks) and 2 Women (Shooting Stars and 'Hawks), Georgia did even better. 7 teams. 5 Men (Condors I and II, ATH, GS and Rock) and 2 Women (Rock and Condors). Two states one third of the competition. Would the medals follow the same pattern?

The Elite Champs en-titre were there as well: NYAC (Garden City). West Point men and women. Silva's North Carolina, Zaharia's Miami Sharks, Amir's Salt Lake Warriors and Jim's Air Knights. Chris Musso's "Globetrotter" Smurfs were the odds on favorite to win the Women Open.

The tournament was stacked with great talent. The batlle lines were drawn as there were plenty of "scores" to settle:
– Would ATH prove its 'on-court' prowess against the Condors?
– Could anyone dethrone NYAC?
– How would Chicago, Salt Lake and Firehawks fare in the Elite Division?

Subplots galore.