World Youth Championship: The Danes again!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Christer Ahl

Denmark-Spain: a strange but exciting final

If someone thought that Denmark’s strength in handball is primarily on the women’s side, then the results in the three men’s world championships in 2011 surely must make people realize how strong also the Danish men’s handball is. After a second place in what I described as a ‘dream final’ in the senior championship back in January, Denmark got the silver medals also in the recent junior championship. And today, the Danes crowned a wonderful year for men’s handball by winning the gold medals in the youth final against Spain.

In fact, the results from the three championships really paint an interesting and convincing picture regarding the current concentration of strength in the world of handball. The three medal winners today, Denmark, Spain and Sweden, each took a step up in comparison with the senior event, where they ended up in that order behind the winners France. In other words, exactly the same semifinalists. But there is more to it: all of these four countries were also in the quarterfinals in the junior championship; moreover, Egypt and Germany were at least in the quarterfinals in both events.

The four matches today were played in an unusually fair and peaceful atmosphere. Perhaps the early starting time for the 7^th place game Germany-Croatia may have contributed to a ‘sleepy’ affair despite the 29-28 score. Egypt won the 5^th place by also winning by one goal, 25-24 against Switzerland. In the bronze medal game, Sweden came out of the starting blocks with energy and determination. France managed to come close in the end, but the Swedes held off and pulled away again for a 28-24 victory.

The final had a really strange chronology. Spain played convincingly in the first half and had a 17-13 lead. But the second half saw a remarkable combination of a strong Danish defense and a sudden helplessness on offense by the Spanish team. They did not score a goal for the first 18 minutes of that half. Of course, the Danes scored just four goals during that same phase, so they only managed to reach a tie at 17-17. Then Spain regained a lead by two goals, but Denmark got the last three goals of the game, which was enough for a 24-22 win. A remarkable fact: Spain had no 2-minute suspension whatsoever; Denmark had only two and one of them was for an incorrect substitution. When did that last happen in a final!?

IHF experts and media reporters have commented on the high level of play throughout the Championship. They have emphasized the speed and the technical skills. But I think it is also fair to say that the speed and eagerness of these young and not so experienced players may have had something to do with strange ‘swings’ in the score line in a large number of games. Several consecutive goals by one team were often followed by a similar success by the opponents. Wild shots and failed passes accounted for some of this, as did the common tendency in this age group for individual players to try to do too much on their own. Nevertheless, they created a lot of excitement, and it is only regrettable there was not more of an international TV coverage available.

AUDIO: USATH Press Conference

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Ryan

Christer Ahl provided a good summary of yesterday’s press conference, but for even more insight check out the full audio of the press conference now available on the USA Team Handball website. In particular, I found the discussion towards the end concerning finances and training in the U.S. vs. overseas interesting. The audio clocks in at a little over an hour.

USATH (18 Aug 11): Audio from the Men’s national roster announcement: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2011/08/18/audio-from-the-men-s-national-team-roster-announcement/44212

(Note: The audio is a wma file (vice mp3) which will may not be compatible with some computer and mp3 players. You also may need to download/save the file first before opening to play.)

USA Men’s Team getting ready for PanAm Games

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Christer Ahl

Adam El-Zoghby fit for fight again

The squad for Guadalajara was announced today, in connection with a presentation and interview opportunity via a conference call. There were no surprises. Head coach Darrick Heath noted that all the players he had wanted for the squad were available, except that back-up goalkeeper Ivan Ignjatovic cannot make himself available at the training stage and is now an alternate. In any case, the limit of 15 players (as compared with 16 for other IHF events) meant that Heath had opted to go with two goalkeepers instead of three.

It is certainly good news that Adam El-Zoghby has been declared fit for fight after his unfortunate injury in the qualifiers against Canada last December. He will even be able to fit in some games with his Egyptian club team Al Ahly, before it is time to join the squad in the training camp that will precede the travel to Mexico. This camp will, as in the case of the women, take place in Lake Placid. It might have been more ideal to have it in Colorado Springs, as preparation for the high altitude in Guadalajara, but apparently handball did not rank high enough to get this wish accommodated by the USOC.

The training camp and the time after arrival in Mexico will not include the opportunity for any practice games. The focus will be on intra-squad scrimmages. Coach Heath indicated that he has a pretty clear idea of who will be his starting seven in the PanAm Games. But he also felt that he now has a lot of players at his disposal with both talent and valuable, continuous match experience from clubs in Europe, so he feels that they will be able to hit the ground running. He also commented on special efforts to achieve the all-important cohesiveness on the court. Moreover, film studies of the key opponents from Mexico and the Dominican Republic will constitute a high priority in the preparations.

While it will be tough to match up favorably with perennial powerhouses Argentina and Brazil, both Darrick Heath and USATH General Manager Steve Pastorino viewed it as a realistic goal to fight for the third place. There is really a whole bunch of teams who see themselves being in contention for that spot, not just because it might be as high as they realistically can hope to climb, but because that third place brings with it the eligibility for the IHF’s qualification tournaments next spring for the final slots in the 2012 Olympics.

Apropos the hypothesis of reaching the third place, Steve Pastorini indicated that while there is no special funding for these qualification tournaments, the money to ensure such participation simply had to be found. The team members were already substantially out of pocket in connection with the qualification games against Canada and the ‘last chance’ tournament in Guatemala. While they now have to set aside more than a month for training and for the event in Guadalajara, at least they will have their travel costs and related expenses paid. (Ed.: The players on the Canadian men’s team are being asked by the Canadian Olympic Committee to pay several thousand dollars each as a contribution to the expenses for their participation in Guadalajara).

When asked to describe the overall financial situation of the USATH at this point, Steve Pastorino used the telling word ‘precarious’. He noted, without getting into details that, following the recent severe cut-backs in staffing, ‘some of the remaining staff’ were now operating on a volunteer basis. Contrary to the hope which was expressed previously, that part of the amounts cut in the funding from USOC during 2011 might be restored, Steve suggested that it might instead be more realistic to expect a further cut of 20% in 2012. The budget submission from the USATH for 2012 is currently being prepared.

Steve Pastorino implied that USOC seemed to want to ‘have it both ways’, by stating that they would insist that funding be used for development and grassroots activities, while at the same time using the lack of results on the part of the national teams as the main rationale for the reductions in funding. He appeared to suggest that the emphasis on medals as the only thing that matters is just getting stronger. This dilemma is, of course, not a new one to handball in the U.S. It remains to be seen how the USATH leadership intends to deal with this situation, presumably in collaboration with its membership.

The link to the USATH press release, including the roster: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2011/08/17/men-s-national-team-roster-for-pan-american-games/44121?ngb_id=42

Important question to debate: sleeveless or with sleeves?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Christer Ahl

should tattoos also be uniform?

Several media reports suggest that a ‘dispute’ has arisen between the European Handball Federation (EHF) the Danish top club AG Copenhagen. It is all about the missing sleeves! AG Copenhagen played in sleeveless shirts last season in Danish competition. They would very much want to do so also in the 2011-12 Champions League, but the EHF does not agree. The EHF has a contract with key sponsor Velux regarding the advertising rights for the sleeves of the player shirts. Similar contracts are normal also in IHF competition and undoubtedly in many national leagues.

Of course, the EHF is entitled to have such contracts and to have special regulations for the Champions League which all the teams that want to participate are required to respect. So unless there is some ‘loophole’ under those regulations, or unless some compromise solution can be found, it seems that AG has no choice.

But it raises the interesting question: how far could or should a federation go in requiring a specific uniform design. If you ask players or spectators in today’s handball, they will all say that the norm is to play in shirts with short sleeves. This is different from when I started in handball some 50 years ago, when the standard was long sleeves for the players (and also for the referees) in indoor games. BUT, the fact is that the official worldwide playing rules do NOT provide any guidance or any restrictions whatsoever.

The playing rules simply talk about a ‘uniform’, as if it is universally understood what this means, or as if teams have the right to decide what they mean by a uniform. There is not even a mention of shirt and shorts; the only specification involves sports shoes, and of course the colors and the numbers of the uniforms. In fact, the only dispute or issue I can remember is the desire raised by Muslim women’s team regarding permission for uniform designs that match their religious concerns.

So clearly the playing rules do not require that player shirts have sleeves, or that the sleeves should be short. Teams cannot be prevented from wearing sleeveless shirts (in ‘basketball style’), unless the organizing federation has introduced a regulation that specifically or implicitly (through agreed space for advertising) requires it. But my interest is not in interfering in the ‘dispute’ between EHF and AG.

Instead I want to raise the issue, what do we think should be the norm in handball? Has the time come to change universally to the habit of playing in sleeveless shirts? Does it look more ‘athletic’ to use shirts without sleeves? Are there any esthetic considerations? Do we want to continue to market handball as something different from basketball by virtue of insisting on sleeves? Etc. Etc.

I am interested in opinions from all of you; although I must say that on this issue I would really give more weight to what the players themselves think. What makes them more comfortable? I suspect that, as is often the case, there will be an inclination to resist change, but perhaps the players would soon find a sleeveless shirt more comfortable. The only opinion that I myself would venture is that it would not look so attractive to see a mix, meaning one team with sleeves and the opponents with sleeveless, or some players on a team with sleeves and others sleeveless. But perhaps that is an old-fashioned way of looking at it… Opinions, please!

Argentina successful as organizer but not on the court

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Christer Ahl

It tends to guarantee more excitement until the very end of the preliminary round, when one uses the format of the Youth World Championship, with only two teams from each group qualifying for quarterfinals. This compares with the format of four teams from each group qualifying for 1/8-finals as in the recent Junior Championship. However, today’s final matches in the groups became mostly anticlimactic, as the pairs of qualifiers where already known in three of the four groups.

Group A had a much more dramatic finish, where the Swedish team started the day with a slight edge over the three rivals from the Balkans. In the first game, Croatia and Serbia tied 22-22, which eliminated Serbia but left Croatia hoping for the ‘right’ result in the subsequent Sweden-Slovenia game. Sweden could here afford to lose by three goals and still win the group. They were behind by four goals late in the game but managed come back and tie the game at 30-30.

This means that Slovenia missed out on the quarterfinals in a dramatic fashion and just barely avoided sliding down to fourth place in the group. This almost happened, as Sweden missed a clear scoring chance in the final seconds. On the other hand, if Sweden had ‘refrained’ from scoring their last goal, they would have helped keep Slovenia in the semi-finals. Talk about intrigue! Sweden will now play against Egypt in one quarterfinal, while Croatia will face France, with these match-ups becoming clear after France defeated Egypt and won their group.

Germany and Denmark had already advanced from their group, just like Spain and Switzerland in the neighboring group. The Swiss coach indicated he desperately wanted to win against Spain, to avoid playing the supposedly superior German team next. The Swiss did their part by winning by one, after scoring five straight goals at the end! Denmark-Germany played their game immediately after the Spain-Switzerland game, so there was some speculation in the media that it would create an opportunity for some ‘gamesmanship’, in terms of being able to ‘choose’ the next opponent. Germany beat Denmark more easily than expected, after having pulled away early. This means that the remaining quarterfinals will now have Switzerland-Denmark and Spain-Germany. I can only hope that people will refrain from thinking that Denmark took it easy or that Spain somehow gave up towards the end….

The quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday, as will the first round of the placement matches for 9^th-12^th, 13^th-16^th and 17^th-20^th. Hosts Argentina, who had undoubtedly hoped to find themselves in the quarterfinals, will now have to fight for 9^th place, initially by trying to beat Korea. The Koreans, who had earlier played Russia to a tie, in their final group game managed to edge the Russians in the ranking with one goal’s margin. The remaining combatants for the 9^th place are Slovenia, and Brazil who managed to beat Qatar in the final group game despite a poor start. This sets up the possibility of an Argentina-Brazil battle for 9^th (or 11^th…) place; not great for PanAmerica, but at least a little bit better than in the Junior World Championship.

This means that Russia finds themselves, just like recently at the Junior event, in the bottom region, something that cannot be very reassuring during a period when their senior national team is well below their usual level. Tunisia came in last in their group, a sharp contrast to the superb performance of their team in the Junior category. Should we expect a strong fight between Gabon and New Zealand in an effort to avoid the very last place of the Championship?

Finally, there seems to a widespread view that Argentina has done very well as an organizer of this event. In fact, there are reports that they feel so encouraged by the experience that they may want to apply for the right to host another World Championship soon again. Similarly, there are some unconfirmed rumors that Canada might be bidding for the opportunity to host the Men’s Youth Championship in 2013.

How should USATH decide where to locate our National Teams?

Posted on August 13, 2011 by John Ryan

Edmond, Oklahoma: The future home of USA Team Handball. Really?

At the USA Team Handball (USATH) press conference held a couple of weeks ago I was a little surprised to hear that Edmond, Oklahoma is being considered as a potential location for our resident National Teams. Having grown up on a farm in Iowa, I certainly don’t consider myself to be one of those snobbish types that views everything in between California and the East Coast to be “fly over country.” There are some distinct positives about Midwestern locales like Iowa and Oklahoma. Still, there’s probably more than a few reasons why I live in Las Vegas now as my gut reaction was, “Oklahoma? Really? This is the best we can do?”

Upon further reflection, though, I decided that a gut reaction wasn’t the best way to make an important decision like this. No, an important decision like this should be carefully made, after a full evaluation of how well several locales meet key criteria. And as I see it, here’s some of those criteria that should be considered:

– Quality and Availability of Facilities: This may seem like a given, but experience has shown that nothing can be taken for granted here, especially when it comes to gym access. Bait and switch, whereby the best gym facility is no longer available in the winter due to other athletic teams having priority has been known to happen. With many gyms being sized for basketball, access to a full court is never a given either.

– Local support: For the most part this criterion refers to how much support the host university will provide. For instance, will the host school aggressively market itself as the home of the U.S. National Teams? Will it help secure sponsorship? Will it seek to host National Team matches on semi-regular basis and work diligently to bring in new fans? Will it engage the local media? Beyond, the school itself, what are the chances that a region would embrace being the U.S. Home of Team Handball? The answer to this last question might actually work to a smaller city’s advantage as being that home could be a big thing in a small pond, vice just one more activity lost in the shuffle of a big city with lots of activities.

– Ease of Travel: Where ever National Resident Teams are located players, staff and hopefully visiting clubs and national teams will need to travel to and from that location. If you take into account all those potential trips we’re talking about some serious cash adding up over time. For the foreseeable future it’s hard not to envision quite a few trips back and forth to Europe and geographically this clearly makes the East Coast advantageous in terms of money and time. Certainly, the departure of the National Teams from Colorado Springs in the 1990’s to Philadelphia and later Atlanta was due in part to this factor.

Additionally, about half the population of U.S. lives in the Eastern Time Zone. As it’s more densely populated in the East there are a number of locations where driving would be more of an option for athletes and teams traveling to the training center. That doesn’t mean any location on the Eastern seaboard will do. (If you’ve ever flown into Burlington, VT to get to Lake Placid, you know what I’m talking about.) No, the location should be relatively near a major airport with a major hub for European flights being the ideal option.

– Academic Opportunity and Quality: When it comes to our top sports, NCAA collegiate athletes will pick their college based on the coach, the team and the level of financial support (scholarship) they will receive from that college. In quite a few cases an athlete will end up at a particular school simply because it’s the only one that offered a full scholarship. For many of those athletes the academic opportunity and quality they get takes a back seat to the athletic opportunity. When one goes lower down the pecking order in terms of NCAA sports, however, the value of the education at a particular school starts to become more important to the student athlete. For Team Handball there will be a few potential athletes who’ll pack their bags and go to any college for the opportunity to develop their skills. I’ll venture to guess, though, that the program will lose out on some prospects that aren’t willing to relocate to what is perceived to be a subpar institution.

– Athlete Financial Incentive: Of course, the possibility of a scholarship will certainly be an enticement. As a minimum, the selected university should have some form of financial incentive. In the case of public institutions, athletes should at least be able to get in-state tuition rates. And for private school, there should be a minimum grant. (Although, I would think that the costs of private schools may put them out of the discussion from the get go.) Free room and board would certainly be highly desired as well, but barring that it would be nice to get some reduced rates and/or a guaranteed location for the team to set up house in one of the dorms.

– Work opportunities: While I think the focus should be on a good college/university to sponsor the program, not all our athletes will necessarily want a four year degree. Accordingly, there should be opportunities for professional training and 2 year degrees. Additionally, I don’t think, that we should be overly concerned with ensuring that the location has multiple opportunities for young college graduates entering the work force. As I’ve written before, I envision this National Team Residency program to be focused on athletes that are 23 and younger.

– USOC Support: The benefits of co-locating with an Olympic Training Center such as the ones located in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid shouldn’t be discounted. Edmund is a designated Training site as are the facilities in Birmingham, Alabama that have been used previously. It’s not clear what the what the difference is between a “center” and a “site” or what the overall financial incentive is for going with the USOC approved locations, but they’re probably significant. Additionally, there’s the added benefit of having a big brother (USOC) around to help you out should there be problems with a location reneging on aspects of their arrangement

– Intangibles: There are some other factors that could play into this decision. For instance, maybe there is another Dieter Esch out there somewhere who will donate several million dollars if the National Teams are located in Town X. (After all, Salt Lake City didn’t just magically become the HQ for USATH, if you know what I mean.)

You can also factor in “gut reaction” into this fuzzy category. For better or worse, there will always be locations that will garner instant positive or negative reactions. Negative gut reactions can be overcome with the right sales job, but it’s certainly easier to not have to fight that battle. And trust me, if Edmond, Oklahoma were to be the new home of our national teams, such a sales job would be a requirement for every athlete not living within 200 miles of there. That doesn’t mean you can’t convince top athletes to move to Oklahoma. After all, if I’m not mistaken there’s a little town called Norman with a University that’s been doing it for years in sports like football and basketball.

So, that’s my list of criteria. I’m sure there are others that need to be factored in. Regardless, it can’t be understated just how big of a decision this could be. The right deal in the right location could create a lasting hotbed for the sport with a local community turning out in significant numbers to support their U.S. National Team. Conversely, a bad decision or a hasty one could wind up being a dead end that alienates a generation of potential athletes.

Youtube: Sarcastic home video “Welcome to Edmond”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuaHXYef9c

Big boys feeling lots of pain

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Christer Ahl

it really hurts;I cannot possibly get up; at least not until my opponent has received a yellow card...

Judging from both the internet broadcasts and reports from those who were present, the recent Men’s Junior World Championship in Greece was a predominantly positive experience. The performance of many teams and the skills of individual players showed a lot of promise for the future. Moreover, the attitude of most players and team officials reflected an unusual sense of sportsmanship in most respects. Teams generally seemed to put an emphasis on technical and tactical weapons rather than on physical or rough play.

But as a contrast, it was impossible to ignore a certain prevalence of ‘acting’ on the part of players who were (or wanted to give the impression of being) fouled, and then spent a considerable amount of time on the floor, writhing in pain and grimacing frantically. On many occasions, the ‘acting’ seemed to be totally out of proportion in relation to the very modest body contact that had taken place. And, of course, it caused many seemingly unnecessary and protracted stoppages in the action. The referees tried their best to get the game going again, but often without much success. All in all, a frustrating component of an otherwise attractive game.

Clearly, this is not a feature that we find only, or mainly, in handball. It is not surprising that the best photo illustration I found was from football. Here the players, especially at the professional level, have turned it into ‘gamesmanship’, using it systematically to cause unwarranted refereeing decisions, including punishments against opponents. It was interesting to note, however, that the problem was less common in the recent Women’s World Championship in football. Are the women sturdier, or are they simply more inclined to adhere to a spirit of fair play?

Similarly, in handball the problem tends to be less severe at the youth/junior level than among the adult players. This may have something to do with a ‘macho’ attitude among the younger players, or it may simply mean that they have not yet been ‘brainwashed’ by coaches into adopting the unsportsmanlike methods instinctively. But it has also been quite clear to me over the years, as a participant in numerous senior and junior events, that the issue is also ‘cultural’ in nature. The tendency to this unattractive acting is much stronger among players and teams from certain regions, particularly North Africa and West Asia.

Here again one may wonder what is the cause. Is it an indication of particularly bad sportsmanship in those regions, and if so why? Or, if it happens so often at the youth level, is it really ‘cultural’ and something that comes with upbringing and engrained habits? I have no expertise in such matters; I simply find it puzzling. In recent months there has been worldwide admiration for the courage, maturity and physical/mental resilience on the part of the youth in precisely these regions, with a totally absence of self-pity and ‘drama’. How can it be that the tendencies on a football field or handball court are so completely different?

USATH Press Conference: Insight into future plans

Posted on August 8, 2011 by John Ryan

Veteran Sarah Gascon wants to win now.

USA Team Handball (USATH) held a phone in press conference on July 28^th to announce the Women’s National Team roster for the PANAM Games in October. Here are some highlights along with some commentary.

Playing to win (2016): Head Coach Chris Cappelmann indicated that he thinks the team has a realistic chance of beating Uruguay and the Dominican Republic in pool play, but that they would be hard pressed to beat Brazil. It was also noted that the roster contains several younger players who will benefit from this experience and hopefully apply what they learn at the 2015 PANAM Games in Toronto, Canada. I think Coach Cappelmann has targeted a realistic goal, even if I do give Uruguay and the Dominican Republic more of an edge due to the more experience those sides have playing together as a unit. Without question, if the USA does make it to the semifinals it will be a major accomplishment for a program that’s been whacked pretty good in recent PATHF competition.

Playing to win (now): National Team player, Sarah Gascon, made it clear that from her perspective London 2012 was the goal. This is certainly the right attitude for the players to have, even if the challenge is very daunting. It’s also worth noting that a 2016 Olympics is less likely for several of the players in the “old guard” as many of them will hit the age of 30 between now and then. If history is a guide, it’s likely that “life decisions” will put Team Handball on the backburner for some of them.

5 Weeks of Preparation: USA Team Handball will hold a 5 week long training camp at Lake Placid prior to departing to Houston, TX (the USA staging city for all sports), enroute to the PANAM Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. This will be the USA’s most extensive training camp prior to a competition in several years.

Lack of Games: While 5 weeks of dedicated practice time will allow the team to gel, there will unfortunately, be a lack of competition. USATH looked at several options for competition and training in Europe and appeared on track for a trip to Spain, but this option fell through due to lack of USA funding and the economic struggles in Spain causing the sponsoring club to withdraw much of its hosting support. A lot can be learned in practice, but the USA may not see how well those lessons are being learned until their first game in Mexico. This lack of competition may well be the difference between winning and losing a close game.

7 Week Commitment: With a 5 week training camp and 2 weeks at the PANAM games, athletes with be dedicated almost 2 months to the USA National Team and a shot at the 2012 Olympic Games. This is a massive time commitment for amateur athletes, most of who are either working or going to school. It’s simply not sustainable and the U.S. will either need to have a stable of athletes who are playing professionally in Europe or who are receiving some level of compensation from USATH.

Resident Programs coming back?: The reality of the 7 week commitment problem isn’t lost on the Federation and the possibility of restarting a nation team residency program was highlighted. The women’s team staff was impressed with the facilities and the support of the University of Central Oklahoma’s (UCO) staff during their training camp. UCO has been designated a Para Olympic Training Center and they were some preliminary discussions about the possibility of setting up a permanent resident program similar to what was done previously at Cortland University in New York. Other locations in the U.S. are also being considered and it was noted that it’s likely a men’s and women’s program would be co-located as this would have advantages in terms of staffing.

The exact nature of the resident program is still to be defined, but it does seem to be similar conceptually to what I proposed in an article a couple of years ago in that this would be more of a development program and that top players would still be encouraged to play with overseas clubs. The details as to who, what, where, when and how seem pretty sketch at this point. Hopefully, we’ll hear and read more of this important development in the coming months.

Finances: U.S. participation in PANAM Games qualification events was not fully funded by the Federation and relied heavily on financial support from the independent USA Team Handball Foundation. In light of this fact, I asked GM Steve Pastorino to give a grade as to the financial health of USATH. Steve’s answer was that things were still “fluid” and this understated response certainly warrants further analysis. More financial data has been released in the past few months on the Federation website, but it’s still hard to get a complete picture as to what exactly will be funded (and to what level) in the coming years. I’ll be trying to track that that down in the coming weeks.

USATH (GM Steve Pastorino Blog) (28 Jul 11): 15 Women Named to Team USA for Pan Am Games: http://usateamhandball.org/blogs/steve-pastorino-on-handball/posts/3077-15-women-named-to-team-usa-for-pan-am-games

USATH (28 Jul 11): Women’s National Team Roster for Pan American Games Named: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2011/07/28/women-s-national-team-roster-for-pan-american-games-named/43816?ngb_id=42

Edmund Sun (16 Jul 11): Team USA sets up camp at UCO: http://www.edmondsun.com/sports/x1241065109/Team-USA-sets-up-camp-at-UCO

THN (15 Aug 09): A Framework for Creating U.S. National Team Success (Part 3: National Development Teams): https://teamhandballnews.com/2009/08/a-framework-for-creating-u-s-national-team-success-part-3-national-development-teams/

Embarrassing outcome for PanAmerica in Junior Championship

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Christer Ahl

Iran and Algeria - levels above Canada and Venezuela

For the first time in a World Championship of any category, PanAmerica was entitled to have five participants in the recently concluded Men’s Junior event. Perhaps some in the PanAmerican Federation felt some pride in this. But as has typically happened in the past, whenever PanAmerica had more than the automatic allocation of two or three teams, the additional number only served to highlight to the handball world the weaknesses of the PanAmerican continent.

During many years now, we have been used to seeing Argentina and Brazil put in strong, or at least respectable, performances. But rarely has another team managed to avoid getting a final ranking at the bottom. This is also what happened to the other three PanAmerican participants. Only the weakness of the team from Benin saved PanAmerica from occupying the last three places. Now we saw Chile as 21^st, Canada as 22^nd and Venezuela as 24^th.

I am not saying that it is a surprise, because I had not expected much better. The story of Canada’s truly amateur team has been reported here earlier. And Venezuela had to fill in at the last moment, as a replacement for Uruguay, and their completely inexperienced team had no chance. But it is really revealing that a continent with more than 30 member federations continues to be in a situation where it does not have more than two teams that are competitive internationally.

And to make it worse this time, Brazil and Argentina had their worst showing in many years. After Argentina’s strong performance in the senior World Championship earlier this year, it is a bit surprising, and worrisome for the future, if the ‘under-21’ team cannot do better than a 20^th place, ranking behind teams such as Iran, Algeria and Qatar. Brazil managed to qualify for the 1/8-finals but finished in a modest 11^th place. By contrast, Tunisia and Egypt qualified for the bronze medal game, where the Tunisians turned out to be the strongest.

Clearly it is a disadvantage for most countries in PanAmerica that the caliber of play at the national level is too weak to provide strong development opportunities for the younger talents. And the opportunities for continental events are very infrequent, moreover with the typical scenario of Argentina and Brazil being superior and the remaining teams finding it difficult to gain much useful experience. Regrettably, it is going to be a very slow process before any change can be seen in this situation.

The young European players have a much more favorable situation, both nationally and at the continental level. The European Championships and qualifying events in the junior and youth categories are grueling and constitute a tough and beneficial preparation for those who qualify for a World Championship. A wild idea would be to try to put together some kind of ‘non-European’ championship for the top 4-5 countries from each continent to gain some similar experience.

However, when one sees the success of Tunisia and Egypt this time, these other continents may see little merit in such an idea, which in any event would be difficult to finance (although of course it would deserve the support of the IHF). The North African countries and the Gulf States have an advantage financially, and they also have a closer proximity to Europe with better opportunities to develop players and team through more frequent interaction with the Europeans. The risk is that PanAmerica will gradually fall further behind.

Former USA coach Isidoro Martinez on Junior Worlds and Liga Asobal

Posted on August 4, 2011 by John Ryan

New Ademar Leon Coach Isidoro Martinez

French Handball website, Handzone, has a short, wide ranging interview with former U.S. Men’s National Team coach, Isidoro Martinez. In the interview Martinez reflects on Spain’s performance at the Junior Worlds (he was their coach), his new job coaching Spanish club Ademar Leon and the state of the Liga Asobal.

Martinez was the U.S. Men’s National Team Coach at the 2006 Pan American Elite Championships. The U.S. lost to Greenland 30-29 in the bronze medal match, narrowly missing qualification for the 2007 World Championships. Martinez did a credible job of putting together a competitive U.S. side in a short amount of time and also helped Gary Hines secure his first professional contract in Spain.

Handzone: Isidoro Martinez: looking towards the Liga and Montpellier http://www.handzone.net/asp.net/main.news/news.aspx?id=55734

THN (15 Apr 2006): USA Hires New Men’s National Team Coach: https://teamhandballnews.com/2006/04/usa-hires-new-men%E2%80%99s-national-team-coach/

VIDEO: Men’s Jr. World Championship Semifinals and Finals available “On Demand”

Posted on August 1, 2011 by John Ryan

Egypt and Germany played a semifinal match that's worth a second look.

The Men’s Jr. World Championships concluded on Saturday and the IHF and Greek organizers have made the full matches available for “On Demand” viewing. The video quality is pretty good and one can only hope that better quality video is a trend that will continue for other online viewing options such as the EHF Champions League.

VIDEO Link: http://www.laola1.tv/en/int/ihf-juniors-wch-thessaloniki/video/273-1647-.html

IHF Junior World Championships Website: http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/MensJuniorWorldChampionship/XVIIIMensJuniorWorldChampionship2011/tabid/5683/Default.aspx

Canada at the Jr. World Championships

Posted on July 30, 2011 by John Ryan

Canada's Daniel Audette in action vs. Hungary at the Jr World Championships

The Canadian Men’s Jr. Team participated at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Junior World Championships in Greece. They placed 22^nd out of 24 teams with an overall record of 1-0-6. In Group Play they were not competitive, losing by an average score of 20-47. In consolation play they fared better beating African representative Benin and losing to Chile in an overtime penalty shootout. Casper Bilton, who plays club handball in Denmark, led the team in scoring for the tournament with 36 goals. Alexandre Touzel was the 2^nd leading scorer with 21 goals.

The IHF website and French handball website, Handzone, have a couple of feature articles on the team and it’s noted that each player had to pay around $10,000 (Canadian dollars) to participate in qualification competition in Venezuela and the final tournament in Greece.

Handzone Article:”Tough learning for Canada” http://www.handzone.net/asp.net/main.news/news.aspx?id=55715

IHF: “Canada: Our boys are fantastic”: http://www.ihf.info//MediaCenter/News/NewsDetails/tabid/130/Default.aspx?ID=722

There’s also some pretty good footage from the match against Chile available on Youtube.

Video Highlights (Canada vs. Chile): http://www.youtube.com/user/GreeceHandball2011#p/u/18/cWWxNNj8FV8

Commentary: While the results for the Canadian team weren’t the best, from an American perspective it’s worth noting that are neighbors to the North were still able to put together a team of 19 and 20 year olds to participate in it. Judging by the footage of the Chile match this was a credible team that knows how to play handball. Not to mention the fact that a few of these players are already contributing members of their senior national team.

At this point in time I think the U.S. would be hard pressed to put together a similar team. Other than our collegiate programs at West Point, Air Force and North Carolina we only have a few other players scattered around the country and a few based in Europe. I doubt also, whether we have very many players willing to shell out around $10,000 to play. In short, our talent pool is thinner and without some European transplants we may have well lost to Benin and Chile by 10 goals. But, I could be wrong about this. Perhaps we should start a yearly competitive series for Junior and Youth teams against Canada at Lake Placid/Montreal in the Summer months to find out.

Canada Results (Group Play)
Portugal 17:49 (5:25)
Sweden 20:40 (10:20)
Hungary 21:42 (9:19)
Iran 24:45 (16:25)
Spain 17:54 (11:27)

Consolation Play
Benin 23:22 (12:12) (Crossover 21-24^th place)
Chile 26:27 (10:11) (Match for 22^nd place)

Canadian Roster: http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/119/pdf/CAN.pdf
Canadian Cumulative Stats: http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/119/pdf/CANTOTAL.pdf

Handball and Basketball at the Beach

Posted on July 25, 2011 by John Ryan

Venice Beach Handball (foreground) and pickup basketball (background)

The Ryan family was vacationing in Santa Monica for a few days and one day we decided to take a stroll south towards Venice Beach. Venice Beach is an iconic location featured in numerous movies and TV shows for its skateboarders, weightlifters and Southern California ambiance. Also part of that scene are the Handball and Basketball courts near the pier. While watching those two sports being played simultaneously a couple of whimsical thoughts crossed my mind….

1) What’s funnier, a) the fact that many Europeans are puzzled and somewhat insulted that most Americans have no clue as to what their “handball” is or b) the fact that most Americans have no clue about the Handball the rest of the world plays?

It never fails to amuse me the confusion that almost always ensues when an American and European meet and the topic of conversation turns to Handball. As one who has witnessed and participated in this comedic dance I’ve seen it play out in a number of different ways. I’ve seen Europeans absolutely bewildered; even angered that their beloved sport can’t even be comprehended by an American who can’t figure out how 7 people get in such a tiny space. I guess if they traveled to Venice Beach and seen the hundred or so people watching and playing this version of Handball they’d get the picture. Not to mention the several thousand casual observers who stroll by and witness this sort of spectacle here and in other regional locales around the U.S. Team Handball has an increasing awareness quotient in the U.S., but it should be readily apparent to all, that there’s a reason why to most Americans our “Handball” is at best “the other handball” and more likely, the “unknown handball.” It shouldn’t be this way, but make no mistake that’s the way it is. There are a lot of folks to pin the blame on in regards to this reality, but it stands to reason that no one would benefit more from a campaign to change this reality than the Europeans trying to make a living playing, managing and promoting the sport. So yes, the answer to my question is that it’s funnier that Europeans are puzzled.

2) It’s not practical to play pick-up Handball and the fact that you can play pick-up basketball has inevitably led to its ever increasing popularity.

As a middle aged athlete with diminished skills I watched the basketball games being played and immediately assessed that I could step right in and play. One of the games I’d probably have dominated and in the other I’d been a role player. I wasn’t about ready to step in and play, but if I wanted to I could. Which, of course, is the beauty of pick-up basketball?. Just about anywhere in the U.S and increasingly the rest of the world, it’s possible to find a game at your level in which you can just walk right up and start playing. Whereas, as far as I know, there’s nowhere in the world that you can do that for Handball. There are a number of reasons why that’s true. Here’s a few:

– Handball’s a rough game. Accordingly, you generally don’t want to play with just anybody.
– Handball’s a young man’s game. Once you get north of 40 years old Handball gets to be pretty hard in terms of recovery. This is true in basketball, as well, but based on personal experience it’s manageable.
– You got to have 14 people to play the game the way it’s meant to be played. You can sort of make do with 12 and you can scrimmage on a half side of the court, but it’s a poor, unsatisfactory compromise. And 2 of those 14 better be legitimate goalies. Whereas in basketball, even 2 on 2 can be fun.
– “Call your own” officiating in basketball is problematic; in Handball it’s even worse.

This whimsical thought is not meant to validate the concept that basketball is a superior sport. No, just to merely point out the obvious: The great sport of Handball has got some limitations when it comes to casual, spur of the moment participation.