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Red ball EKTELON play: A pro stop held a few weeks back was played entirely with the RED ball that has now been out for a short while. The WPH really built this event up. The fact is the ball which is made on the same equipment and with same materials on the only handball making machine in the far east (for the world) is not much different other then the label. Some guys got a hold of the balls like Don Brodie in early May and we tried it out. Not much success in the fancy cans, the balls actually bounced worse then the blue aces. Granted each can is different quality wise but the red ektelons have each side of the plastic container pressurized for purported better results. Anyway the jury is still out on that ball!! Perhaps it does how up better on the cameras inside with the lighting the way it is but anyway we shall see if it lasts.
NATIONALS 2011: Womens Pro stop combined with the National Mens Masters Singles in Long Island, NY.... see calendar at USHA for application... next spring. So its a coup of sorts for eastern handball. It would be nice to see people really come out for this and our Region and the Northeast support it in force. For the Allentown event we had over 130 participants which was although not huge one of the best in performance as far as numbers go in the last ten years!! As a comparison at Vegas the previous year had less then 90. Despite some Californian grumbles that it should always be west coast (see latest magazine) It showed that great competition exists here..yes STILL! Finally after 25+ years we are getting two events in consecutive years. Allentown Doubles atta boys FRANK, ZIMET AND BERMAN all won titles. In case most people dont know Joe Berman he is not a newcomer to the game for certain. Dating back numerous years it was his third title, two of which have been in doubles and another in 4 wall singles as well.
Dave Hinkleman and Terry Nett once again got into the finals of the 60+ in Canada (their nationals held in May) but losing a close one in the tiebreaker. Dave is undoubtedly on a path like Dan Zimet and Rick Anderson to win ten national tiles. The Holy Grail in some ways for Handball is to win a National event in the three versions of handball ie 1,3 & 4 walls but also to win a tenth title and get the Green Sweater that is awarded players for this accolade.
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Nationals a house for AUCTION in Florida..............surely a great idea for a florida vacation and the players there of course!! Sorta like the frat house idea the the Kansas City ballplayers have in there 3 wall courts in that town. Play a lot then party hearty!!!
Benefiting USHA's First ACE! Don't leave it up to chance! Bid on a week-long stay at a beautiful beach house in New Smyrna, FL. ($2,500 value) How it works: Email your bid to mstamp@ushandball.org. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Once a bid comes in, an update will be posted on our website and an email will go out to notify all parties who have placed a bid. The auction will end on June 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm (Pacific). The winning bid will be announced at the 2010 Four-Wall Nationals Banquet in Austin, Texas. (Minimum bid: $400)
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USHA Beach House Silent Auction
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Calendar of upcoming Events:
- Jun 12th - No Frills 3-wall doubles - Maryland - more information on
www.marylandhandball.com
- Jun 22nd-27th - USHA 4-Wall Nationals - Austin, TX - application attached.
- Aug 20-22nd - Eastern Regional 3-wall - Columbia, Maryland - more information on
www.marylandhandball.com
- Sep 2-6th - USHA 3-wall Nationals - Toledo, OH - more information at
www.ushandball.org
- Sep 23-26th - Vegas World 3-wall Outdoor Championships (Handball and Racquetball combined!). The Richest Outdoor Championships On The Strip.
LAS VEGAS RACKETBALL AND HANDBALL event after Toledo and Labor Day: see below AD. Who would have ever thought we would be associating with this lesser game :-) Players in there matches at the same time! Again the WPH active in its promotion for the game has combined with Racketballers for better promotion!! The ice does seem to be thawing and its welcome between WPH and USHA and even the Collegiate organizers. For some months last year and early this year there was a huge barrage of war of words between the organizations Its like.......... wonder why so much negativity when we are such a very very small sport The last thing we need is more divisiveness to make the public and fence sitting younger people dubious about the longevity of our sport!! Anyway I digress. Can you imagine playing in the heat of the desert even at night time say 8 or 9 pm when temperatures are down to 85-90 from 120! All on portable made courts in a parking lot? So again a novel idea but its not a certainty the best players will turn out although $$$ will bring out the pros.
-World Outdoor Racquetball and the World Players of Handball are pleased to announce the first annual World 3 Wall Ball Championships to be held September 23-26, 2010 in Las Vegas. A parking lot on world-famous Las Vegas Boulevard in front of the spectacular Stratosphere Hotel will be transformed with the construction of 10 outdoor courts to host the richest outdoor event in the history of the sport plus a first ever combined professional racquetball and handball event. Along with the professional divisions offering over $35,000 in cash prize money; amateur divisions for men, women, and junior players will be offered in both racquetball and handball singles, doubles and mixed doubles. . .the event will be extreme. . .
WOR Executive Director Hank Marcus in announcing the event, "There is no better place to make history then on the Las Vegas strip. This event is a tremendous step forward for both sports and will provide racquetball and handball professionals an incredible venue to display their amazing athletic skills." Fred Lewis, WPH President announced, "The World Players of Handball Foundation is very pleased to announce its participation in this event. In September of this year we will step outside the boundaries of tradition by partnering with World Outdoor Racquetball to co-sponsor this first of its kind extravaganza. This will be an attempt to increase the awareness of these two lifetime sports using the facilities of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas to stage the tournaments. We will attempt to introduce the sport of handball to a whole different group of people and spectators through positive marketing and innovation during this 4-day event. We congratulate World Outdoor Racquetball for taking the lead in creating this opportunity to market our great sports."
Along with the support of WOR and WPH, the event has been endorsed by the Classic Professional Racquetball Tour, Military Racquetball Federation, National Police Racquetball Association, World Firefighter Racquetball Association and will also provide charity contributions to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association. Ektelon also continues to show their support for both sports and will be teaming up with the WPH as they co-brand their innovative new Red Fireball Handball for this event. Number one ranked World Outdoor Racquetball men's professional Rocky Carson upon hearing about the event said, "This sounds like an event I would not miss and one of the most amazing events in the history of the sport, I will be there and would love to be first 3 Wall Racquetball World Champion!" Handball legend and 8-time National Champion David Chapman commented, "Vegas is the perfect home for a world class event like this. It is about time someone had moxy enough to work with racquetball. WOR and WPH teaming up is the biggest thing court sports have ever seen!"
Watch for releases of details and new information on each organization's website or contact Tournament Director Steve Lerner at (614) 361-7162 or steve@classicproracquetball.com. WOR is the parallel universe to the traditional sport of racquetball played by millions in clubs throughout the country. The rules are the same, the racquets and ball are similar but the attitude and action take this variation of the sport to a whole new level in the fresh air and bright sunshine. www.worldoutdoorracquetball.com.
WPH is a nonprofit organization using innovative methods and techniques to promote the sport of handball. They have provided hundreds of thousands of people all over the globe with many hours of viewing entertainment through their web casts of top handball events.
www.weplayhandball.com.
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