Hurdle On Handball

The American Slate

By AHA

Monday, July 12, 2004

It is election time again – new quadrenium, same problems. I am not running for President because I have a personal vendetta against those in the current administration; I am running for President because it is my honest belief that there are numerous things we can do better. I want this sport to flourish across this great nation. I believe the resources, both financial and intangible, exist to make this a reality tomorrow. I believe the current administration has squandered time and financial resources without developing a sound business plan and has not devoted our efforts toward success. How do you judge the success of an administration? I think the easiest way is to ask yourself, “Are we better or worse off than we were four years ago”?

Let’s consider where we were in 2000 and compare that to where we are today. In 2000:

• Our Men’s National Team had just placed 4th at the 1999 Pan Am Games in which all of the top teams in the Western Hemisphere were in attendance (Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, & Canada).
• The Men’s National Team was the #1 team in North America.
• Our Men’s National Team qualified for the 2001 World Championships.
• 2000 U.S. National Championships in Tampa was the highest level of competition in history. Consider this:
  1. Each of the top 5 finishers had won Nationals at least once in the previous 5 years
  2. Foreign Olympians and International stars attended the tournament raising the level of play
  3. The Men’s & Women’s Gold Medal matches were professionally recorded and shown on Ticket 2 Sports
  4. The first “Elite” division was created and qualification rules were put in place for future years
  5. The format was conducive to quality handball by playing only 5 games in 2 1/2 days.
• The first Beach Nationals occurred in 2000 with 20 teams attending in 3 divisions – Men, Women, & Coed.
• The Southeast Team Handball Conference (SETHC) was a viable collegiate league with 11 men’s and 6 women’s teams.
• The Cobb Cup was the largest youth handball tournament in the country boasting over 1000 participants.
• The American Handball League, more commonly referred to as the “Bird League”, existed in Atlanta and had 8 teams participating in a 10 game schedule with playoffs over a 6 week span.
• An International Men’s Club tournament existed in Tampa and drew teams from across the country and Canada.
• There were 14 handball tournaments/events across the country during 2000 from January to December. The only 2 months that did not have handball event somewhere in the United States were July and September.

Now, let’s take a look at where we are today in 2004:

• Our Men’s National Team placed 3rd at the 2003 Pan Am Games without Cuba, Canada, or Greenland attending and barely beat Uruguay (who did not send a team 4 years ago).
• After our first international medal in quite some time, our national team program went dormant for 9 months instead of capitalizing on positive momentum.
• At the 2004 North American Qualifiers, our National Team finished 2nd behind Canada. As I write this, our National Team is in preparation for the Pan Am Championships and attempting to qualify for the World Championships.
• The Men’s National Team has dropped at least one spot to #2 in North America.
• At the U.S. National Championships, the competition level has steadily decreased as we become 4 more years removed from the 1996 Olympics. Consider this:
  1. On the top 5 teams, there were less than 10 players under the age of 25. Surprisingly there were as many players over 40 as under 25 and a staggering amount of players (the vast majority) over the age of 35. American players under the age of 25 could probably be counted on one hand.
  2. Not professionally recorded or televised, and has not been since 2000.
  3. 26 men’s teams attended vs. 24 men’s teams in 2000. That is an 8% growth over 4 years – equivalent to 2% annual growth.
  4. Tournament format established in 2000 has been abandoned and no standard has been implemented; the format has changed each year of the “Elite” division’s existence. In 2004, some teams arbitrarily had to play more preliminary games, which created a decided advantage for other teams.
  5. Foreign players have been banned from the tournament depriving our elite U.S. athletes of increased quality competition.
• 2004 Beach Nationals were canceled. During the past 4 years, USATH has hosted 2 Beach tournaments averaging 5 teams participating per tournament.
• The SETHC is practically defunct with only two remaining men’s teams.
• Cobb Cup is a shell of the tournament that existed 4 years ago with only about 300 kids participating.
• American Handball League no longer exists in Atlanta.
• There are 8 handball tournaments/events across the country during 2004 – a 43% drop in playing opportunities since 2000. There are now 5 months that do not have a handball event somewhere in the United States: January, July, September, October, & December.

I think the answer to the original question is quite clear, but I will allow you to come to your own conclusion. The next logical question is, “When do we hold people accountable”?

Vote the American Slate!

President – Mike Hurdle (Condors)
Vice President of Men – Jim Hop (Condors)
Vice President of Women – Kayla Paulsen (Univ of Nebraska Athletics)
Treasurer – Michelle Mosetti (CPA)
Secretary – Tony Fontenot (SETHC)

Board of Director – Mika Maunula (LA THC)
Board of Director – Dave Luck (Cal Heat)
Board of Director – Derek Brown (D.C. Diplomats)
Board of Director – Richard Jacobs (USA Deaf)
Board of Director – Amir Haskic (IHF Ref)
Board of Director – Fabian Hippe (Houston HC)
Board of Director – Mike Thornberry (Garden City)
Board of Director – Kevin McGlynn (Rock Handball)
Board of Director – Robert Sewell (USATH/Condors)
Board of Director – Pat Joyner (UNC)
Board of Director – Bjoern Brembs (European Consultant)
Board of Director – Steve Mosetti (CPA)