Scoop_Sept_2015 - Northern California Handball Association

Transcription

GET THE SCOOP - JOIN THE
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HANDBALL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER June 2015 VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.NORCALHANDBALL.ORG
THE SCOOP
Published by the
Northern California
Handball Association
790 Clydesdale Drive
Hillsborough, CA 94010
NCHA OFFICERS
President
2015 NorCal
Hall of Fame
Inductees
5 NorCal Men
clinch 7 World Titles
Tom Sove
Vice President
Mike McDonald
Treasurer
Kevan Del Grande Ed Campbell
80 Singles/Doubles 65 Singles
Roy Bukstein
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Tom Sove
Mike McDonald
Jesse Ward
Tom Fitzwater
Cherylann Mendonca
Bill Conlon
Nacio Delgado
Mike Linnik
Lennart De La Torre
Sean Haley
Past President
Roy Bukstein
MANAGING EDITOR
Mike Linnik
Membership is from
January 1st through
December 31st.
Membership fee is $20
per year, $50 for 3 years,
$5 for juniors, payable
January 1st.
For membership
information, contact the
NCHA at the address
listed above.
David
Al
Roy
Wyrsch
Sandoval Bukstein
To be inducted at the San
Mateo Elks Saturday October
31st, 2015 (more on page 25).
Also: Read “Beers With … David
Wyrsch” (more on page 11).
Jim Smith
70 Doubles
(more on p.48)
Lance Myers
60B Doubles/
Terry Britt
60B Sgls/Dbls
Calgary, Alberta, Canada- Paul Brady - World’s Men’s Open
Greatest Champion – 5 straight! (more on page 56).
2
NCHA SCOOP SEPTEMBER 2014
Contents
1960's ... Learning About Handball at the Oak Park YMCA .......................................................... 3
Sean Lenning, "King of the Courts, King of the Beach" .................................................................. 6
Da Wife's Corner ................................................................................................................................. 10
Beers with …. 2015 NorCal HoF Inductee Dave Wyrsch ............................................................. 11
The Nickname Game ........................................................................................................................ 16
Thoughts from the Back Wall ............................................................................................................ 17
Wayne's Way: Mike Treacy the Ultimate HoFer … ........................................................................ 18
Great Matches Remembered ... ..................................................................................................... 22
Circa 1904 … Women in Handball .................................................................................................. 23
2nd Annual "Handball in Golden Gate Park" Fun Day ................................................................. 24
2015 Inductee as Player: David Wyrsch.......................................................................................... 25
2015 Inductee as Player: Al Sandoval ............................................................................................ 27
2015 Inductee as Contributor: Roy Bukstein................................................................................... 28
40th Annual Top Gun Handball Doubles Tournament and “Dennis Moser Invitational” ........ 30
1st Annual “Last 2 Standing” Doubles Tournament ...................................................................... 36
2015 Fresno Open Handball Tournament ...................................................................................... 41
NorCal Men win 7 Gold Medals at the World's Handball Championships in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada ............................................................................................................................................... 48
"O Canada" ... the World Handball Championships Experience ............................................... 53
Paul Brady - Greatest World's Handball Champion of All Time .................................................. 56
Improve your Game...Learn to Win ................................................................................................. 58
In Memory … Hayam “Hi” Fujii.......................................................................................................... 59
2015 Boosters of the NCHA … much appreciated! ...................................................................... 60
Next World Handball Championships … Alaska in 2018 .............................................................. 61
Tournament Schedule ....................................................................................................................... 62
From the Editor .................................................................................................................................... 64
3
1960's ... Learning About Handball at the Oak Park YMCA
Oak Park, Illinois"How did you get into handball?" I was asked by a
young man naively. Hmmm, well I'm an old man
now. Been 50 years. But ... we're not going
nowhere right now, so here's the long & rambling
story, why not?
My Dad was a dentist, but was always a fitness
guy, and proud of it. Running was his thing. He
used thin track shoes, with spikes, and went out in
the noon heat to run on a hard cinder track. Fun?
That's debatable. But he made us all get out there.
If you didn't sprint in, he'd grab your collar and
"assist you".
So one day he drives us North, on the Dwight D.
Eisenhower expressway, to a YMCA in Oak Park,'
Illinois. Along the way, he'd light up a Salem and
let the smoke curl out a small window in the car
that had to be physically rolled out ... no buttons
back then. I remember being fascinated by the
lighter that would be pushed in, get red hot, then
popout for use. Seemed dangerous.
Handball started actually a week before ... with me
sitting at a "rotary" phone at 9:55am to begin a furious 15
minutes of dialing and re-dialing to reserve the court. This
was a really stressful time for a kid, because if you called
in and "no courts were available" it was somehow you're
fault. So we dialed like a insane person, over and over,
using a pencil to help crank the phone dial until we got
through pass the mind-numbing "busy signal" and heard
a human voice. Well, sort of human. "Yea? Wadda
want? A court? Wad time?".
We'd always walk by the courts to see who was playing.
Back then, they used a heavy black ball. There was
always someone playing "paddleball" too (not
racquetball), which sounded godawful when hit. The
paddles were made of wood, had holes in them, and
looked like they could come in handy to paddle kids
who got out of line. We tried to stay within those
imagined lines.
So it was always odd to see old men watching, butt
naked, checking out the action along side other
viewers. Woman were only allowed on Sundays or on
Tournament days, so the old men would just stand there
on other days, holding a ratty old towel, drying off, and
catch some of the action. No big deal.
As kids we would look into the courts and think "how they
heck did they get down there? Ladder? Jump?". See we
weren't really allowed to go down there for a long time
... we could only watch. Who knew the dingy old metal
stairs at the far end went down to them? So 1st
impression of handball players ... they must have done
some kind of circus trick to even get down to the court
to play.
We'd come in the YMCA and he'd stick his card
into a slot. Back then someone "in the cage" had
to see it and buzz you in. Sometimes we'd waited
and waited and Dad would get a tad hot. Again,
nothing was automatic back in those days.
In the locker room there was a massage facility
where 2 or 3 heavy set men lay (just these huge
mountains of flesh) with a towel around their waist,
and a skinny male masseuse, dressed completely
in white - pants, shirt, maybe even the shoes,
would slap and thump their calves and back.
Every now and then they'd squirt some kind of
cologne/lotion/oil on them that had names like
"Lilac Vegetal". Seemed like those guys laid there
for hours. But onto the handball.
Then we walked pass "the cage" ... some old dude who
looked like he never saw sunshine would bark out the
usual "buck a ball, buck a court", meaning he would turn
on the lights for one hour and a new ball would cost you
a dollar. Balls back then came in square cardboard
boxes. Who needed pressure with the weight and
thickness of a black ball? Sometimes the cage guy
would turn off the lights 5 minutes early and the players
would run up and "vent". The lights would come back on
for 10 more minutes.
4
legends.
So as my Dad got dressed, his next door locker mate
Don Hurd would say "Hey TJ!". Don was an old man,
whom my father said had "the worst case of halitosis". I
always thought Don looked healthy to me, and didn't
have this thing that sounded like cancer.
So my Dad would line up guys like Benny Costello,
Phil Elbert and Tony Pasquesi. Didn't know at the
time that Benny was a great doubles player and
helped run the AAU (before there was a USHA),
Phil Elbert was a National Doubles Champion who
espoused "the running game" which my Dad
would say "whatever the hell *that* is", and Tony
Pasquesi was a professional football player, who
played with the Chicago Cardinals (before they
became the St Louis Cardinals, on their way to
becoming the Phoenix Cardinals and finally the
Arizona Cardinals). The team, according to my Ma,
had a player called "Night Train Lane" on the
squad about the same time as Tony. That's just a
cool name, period.
I forgot ... as we drove in my Dad would talk about
"Johnny Sloan's got a bar" or "Paul Haber doesn't
even have an ounce of fat on him" ... this was
really my introduction to the great players, which
I'd learn later were THE players, and handball
So we go down to the courts. Let me re-phrase that ...
Dad goes into the court, for what seemed like 3 hours.
Kids stayed off the courts. You could sneak in for a
moment, hit a hard black ball and feel waves of pain
coming up your arm, then you'd better run like hell to
get out. A right fine and proper way to pick up the
game ... this was the 1960's. Where the kids played was
in the dark, dank, stagnant cellarway BEHIND the courts.
There was pipes, rust, drainage systems, and a thousand
ways to get bruised or cut. There was only a red light
bulb in a metal cage giving us shred of illumination.
Prisoners tunneling to escape the Siberian work camps
had more light to guide them. THAT'S where we hit our
black balls, in a narrow 6x60 foot alleyway. Ball get pass
you? Start jogging baby. So that was what was used for
"child care" back 50 years ago.
No water fountains. Drinking water was for weaklings.
You played for hours, hit balls for hours, and called it a
day. So when my Dad would emerge, we'd walk the
rusty metal stairs back out of the "hole". You'd have to
get used to the bright lights of the locker room again.
Then off to the steam room where you'd get scalded.
There was a hose to cool off the "comfy" lava-hot
marble bench. Some guys would pick a rubber hose off
the dirty floor and use it to wash down the walls (men
think they are Merry Maids inside a steam room), give
themselves a quick shower like some kind of elephant,
then drink out of it. The drinking part did not seem
appealing to me. Also, the door stuck, which made you
panic when you're trying to leave the scalding room
and the door's not moving. It actually struck my brother
Dan on the heel and he bled all over to the joy of our
Pops. Yes, I'll get back to the handball.
After a couple years of this I was handed my 1st pair of
gloves. Well, he said those stiff, yellowed, stained things
were "gloves" so you would just jam them on your hands
and try to hit the ball. My Dad placed me in a small
corner of the court, a space about 4x4 in the right
corner. Everything that came my way Dad will yell "Got
It!" and smack it. I tried to walk around and look tough,
but that was hard when you're weren't allowed to
hit anything. Again, back then winning was the goal.
Camaraderie? Eh! Back in those days "killing the ball"
5
was a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do. Volley
was king. Yet my Dad killed the ball a lot and was
considered a great player because of his aggressive
play. Back in those days when a player asked for
advice, he got very little in return. All knowledge was
won the hard way. Today, you ask for advice and
they start a fund-raiser. Back in the 60's, we got a few
meager tidbits like "wrap the ball around the walls".
Else you were on your own.
There were guys who played an easy game and used
a sweatshirt to get a sweat going. One large player
was Morrie Grinbar, who'd "play a couple games then
go down to the lunch counter downstairs". I thought
this was a great game if you get to play and eat ice
cream afterwards. Back then "eating out" was a big
deal. We'd get a sack of burgers and fries from
McDonald's and their sign proudly said "10 million
served!". Years later it was "20!" then "30!" then finally
they just gave up "All the hell with it we sell a ton of
this stuff!". Anyways, I'd see Morrie and sometimes
Angie my Swim Instructor eating ice cream. We never
stopped, because a "proper" dinner waited back at
home. Our extremely weak protests got no traction
with Dad.
Next to Oak Park was River Forest, which everyone
knew was famous for their Cappo's (Mafia). These
guys had it all ... the fancy cars, the dollies, the cash
.... but what they didn't have, what drove them crazy,
was to win a handball tournament and receive one
of those silly little silver trophies with the handball
player on top. They'd almost kill for one. They were
business men, and didn't have the time to work on
their game. One guy insisted my Dad be his partner ...
they did win. The guy promised my Dad "a favor,
anytink ya' wants Doc!". For years my Dad often
wondered what he could have asked for ...
Then came Paul Haber, National Champion. He was
watching one of the River Forest gangsters playing
doubles. I was standing right next to him, and my Dad
pointed him out to me. The guy on the court tried a
killshot with a fist, then Paul bellowed "You dumb ----,
use your open hand!". It was the worse curse word I'd
ever heard, and even as a kid I thought Paul would
get roughed up. But in those days Haber was King,
and the player looked up and apologized to Paul.
Even as a kid you knew there was a strange male
pecking order going on here.
Back to handball ... yes my Dad played doubles with
me. Like I said I owned a 4x4 square in the upper right
corner. Balls would whistle by and as I raised my arm
he'd bark out "Got it! Got it!". He did kill everything. I did
get one ball and managed to hit it back to the front
wall. They all looked surprised, maybe they forgot I was
actually playing. It did hurt like hell
but at least I got one point.
On the way out we'd usually see an old Jewish lawyer
playing, Jerry Spitzer, whom my Dad said was famous
for his "broken wing" shot. That cracked him up every
time. He used that line for 20 years at least.
In the lounge, sometimes he'd make me wait for him.
This was a YMCA. But men were smoking cigars!
One old man had palsy and every time he tried to light
his cigar he'd shake and put the match out.
It was fascinating. Should have helped, but what does
a kid know? Probably was a WWII veteran.
Sometimes I'd get on a bus to come to the YMCA. It
was a 40 minute ride, cost about 35 cents, and they
would drop me off on Harlem Avenue. Just me and my
African American brothers. After swim class, I'd walk to
the bus stop, late at night, just this little white kid and all
the hard-working Brothers who were trying to get to
*their* homes. No biggie. After the bus ride, I'd walk
through the dark night and let myself back into the
house. The 60's ... they were a different time. Yet at the
same time, in San Francisco, the hippies, poets and
beatniks were just getting started. But how would I
know, this little suburban white kid from Chicago?
Dad showed me the sport, his message to me was "This
is a Man's Game", and fast forward 50 years I'm still
pounding the little blue ball. Almost forgot! My Dad's
name was Thomas Walter Linnik, and that's how I
learned about handball.
Submitted by Mike Linnik
6
Sean Lenning, "King of the Courts, King of the Beach"
Fresno, CAU.S. Handball Pro Sean Lenning is
quite simply having another
"freakish" year, as he has
stepped up his game and
dominated the sport in the last
year.
Sean was invited to play in the
2015 Fresno Open where he won
the Men’s Open title with
overwhelming power and unthinkable shot-making.
Sean has renewed his passion
for the game by enjoying the
sport more mentally, and
strengthening himself physically,
and the results are epic:
Mike Flores, Emmett Peixoto, Sean
Lenning, Nacio Delgado in Fresno
Sean shoots against Emmett
in the Fresno Open Finals
1. 2014 3-Wall Small Ball National
Handball Champion in
Maumee, Ohio
- In Toledo, Sean outlasted
Braulio Ruiz and Tyree Bastidas
to regain his 3-wall title.
2. 2015 WPH "Race-4-Eight" Pro
Player's Champion in Salt Lake
City, Utah
- Lenning is very proud of his
WPH "Race-4-Eight" title,
because it "represents a
consistent effort over an
extended period".
Nacio Delgado and Sean
Vic Perez and Sean
3. Winner of the WPH 3-wall
Small/Big Ball "Xrossover
Revolution" at Venice Beach
- After playing in the US
Nationals, Sean brought his
game out to "The Beach" ... the
historic Venice Beach, and won
the "Xrossover Revolution" by
winning the Small Ball over
Braulio Ruiz, and getting a
quarter-final finish in the Big Ball
with a 11-10 tiebreak win over
Rudy Cruz.
Match point in the 2015 Fresno Men’s Open Singles.
7
Sean Lenning, "King of the Courts, King of the Beach"
(cont.)
4. 2015 Jr Vasquez 3-wall Small
Ball Champion
- Then at the "Junior Vasquez 3Wall" tourney, Sean joined in
with a high school buddy Mike
Ewing, and bested Samzon
Hernandez/Braulio Ruiz in the
Semi's, and Vic Perez/Armando
"Mando" Ortiz in the Finals.
5. 2015 Fresno Men's Open
Champion Champion
- Sean dominated Open play
against Pro's Vic Perez and
Emmett Peixoto.
Sean Lenning wins “Xrossover” 3-Wall Small/Big Ball at Venice Beach
We asked Sean about the
upcoming World Championship:
he was "ready to play, but also
looking forward to watching
his Dad (Larry) play as well".
Psychologically, he enjoys the
role of a dark horse come-frombehind more than going in as a
front-runner.
The US Open is also coming
soon, and that's "the one I really
want". It has been within his
grasp in the past, and with his
recent wins comes confidence,
and confidence begets shotmaking. Can anyone really bet
against the hottest hands in
handball?! Just stand back and
enjoy the show.
WPH’s Dave Fink presents trophy for “Race-4-Eight” Small Ball Champion
2015 USHA 3-Wall Finals: Sean shoots against Tyree Bastidas
8
Sean Lenning (cont.)
[Update]
Since the original article was written, Sean has
stepped up his game to truly superhuman status.
Sean "The Freak" Lenning is simply tearing up the
handball world. All codes, all walls, all balls. Below
is a blow-by-blow description of his World One Wall
title, and his USHA 3-Wall National titles ... (yes, he
SLAMMED there). One could argue this was the
greatest one year performance by ANY handball
player EVER ... winning 1, 3, 4, and Big Ball titles in a
single year. Added bonus: these all included
not only singles but a doubles title as well. The only
other modern day player to approach this was
Tyree Bastidas when he won 1wall, 3wall, and
a 4wall doubles title at the National level. One has
to go back to the days of the all-time great Vic
Hershkowitz to see that kind of athletic
achievement.
Sean Lenning shocked many that were unaware of his
cross over prowess in making the 1-Wall small ball final,
defeating former national and world champions Cesar
Sala and Joe Kaplan en route to the final. Victor LoPierre
entered the 1-Wall Small Ball singles playing in his first
singles event in more than three years and wasted no
time in announcing the next force in the game,
defeating current national champion Tyree Bastidas and
former national champion Willie Polanco in
11-8 tiebreakers to make the final. Lenning continued his
1-Wall momentum in the final, keeping Lopierre offbalance with a bullet serves and kills from virtually
everywhere on the court. Lenning won the first game 2116 and cruised in game two, 21-7. “Sean’s serves were
just phenomenal,” revealed LoPierre. “His control of the
ball is really amazing.”
Note:
To see this American athlete go for one of
handball's biggest titles/prizes, the "Simple Green
2015 US Open of Handball and 25TH Naty Alvarado
Classic", come out to the beautiful Los Caballeros
Club in Fountain Valley CA Oct.22-25th.
Ok ... now about Sean's latest wins:
2015 World Handball Championships
Calgary, Alberta, Canada1-Wall Small Ball Men’s Open
Victor LoPierre and Sean Lenning
2015 USHA National 3-Wall Handball
Championships
Maumee, OhioSean Lenning was nothing short of dominant winning his
seventh 3-Wall National Open Singles title over Tyree
Bastidas, 21-10, 21-0. On Monday, Lenning and Marcos
Chavez completed the slam by defeating Nikolai
Nahorniak and Tyree Bastidas in the doubles final, 216,21-7. The reigning 4-Wall doubles champions didn't let
their opponents into the match behind Lenning's
devastating serves and the cagey play of Chavez.
Victor LoPierre, Guy Martin, Con Moore, Sean
Lenning (Photo courtesy of Keith Thode)
9
Sean Lenning (cont.)
Scorching heat and humidity greeted the best 3Wall handball players in the world at the 2015
USHA National Three-Wall Championships in
Maumee, Ohio, as players faced temperatures in
the upper 80’s with on-court temperatures
approaching 100 degrees. Fitness would be as
important as 3-Wall strategy and execution for
players targeting elusive championships in
Maumee.
Men’s Open Singles
“Sean was serving and shooting and just not allowing
Tyree to get into the rallies,” stated
Lenning’s 3-Wall doubles partner and # teamR48 reporter
Marcos Chavez.
Game two was a continuation of the second half of
game one, as Lenning completely dominated
all facets of the action. Lenning raced to a 7-0 by
serving aces, executing kills and controlling the
backcourt rallies. “Tyree was asking himself (out loud)
why he was trying to play deep with Sean,” reported
Chavez. “Sean cannot be matched from the deep
court.”
Lenning continued to cruise, scoring points at will against
an exhausted and completely
overwhelmed Bastidas. Bastidas needed to take a
timeout at 13-0 to throw up in a trashcan.
Unfazed, Lenning maintained the pressure by executing
deep pass shots, fly kills and service
winners. Lenning ended the match by scoring 33 of the
final 34 points in the match, including all 21 in game two.
Tyree Bastidas and Sean Lenning
(Photo courtesy of USHA)
Sean Lenning entered the USHA Three Wall
Nationals as the six-time defending champion,
winning his first 3-Wall national title at 19 in 2004
and collecting five more championships between
2005-2014. Awaiting Lenning in the final for the
second consecutive year was Tyree Bastidas, one
of the game’s most exciting and decorated
outdoor stars and winner of the 2013 USHA ThreeWall Championship. The current 3-Wall National
Champion, WPH R48 Player’s Champion and 1Wall World Champion met the current 1-Wall
National Champion and former 3-Wall National
Champion for the third time in the 3-Wall National
Final since 2012, with Lenning winning the previous
two encounters.
Bastidas started well in the pair’s third 3-Wall final
clash, matching Lenning shot-for-shot en route to
an 8-6 first game lead. Bastidas pushed Lenning to
an 11-7 tiebreaker loss in 2012 and the pair
appeared to be headed towards a similar type of
thriller. Lenning tied the score at nine and
completely dominated the second half of the
game one, scoring 12 of the final 13 points to take
a one-game lead, 21-10.
Lenning’s incredible 2015 season continued, as he
added his 7th USHA Three-Wall Singles
Championship to his 2015 WPH R48 Player’s
Championship, 2015 WPH Outdoor Xrossover
Championship and 2015 1-Wall Small Ball World Title.
Courtesy David Fink WPH Senior Writer
WPH Youth and Donor Development Director
10
Da Wife's Corner
Las Vegas, New York, Boston, etc my husband attended.
If he did well, he'd beam, and we'd hear all about it,
"best game in the world!!". If he did poorly, he'd decry
the sport, say he stank, swear to give it up, until the next
phone call asking him for
a game, of course.
Drying gloves … not exactly a rose
bush, a field of lavender, etc … but is
beauty in the eye of the beholder?
So, you'd like me to write about MY take on the
game? Once again I ask myself, "what would life
be like without handball?"
Thirty years ago when my husband was playing
golf and handball every weekend, and I was
expecting our first child, I told him to pick o-n-e
sport, the time element would be crucial. Guess
what he picked????
It became a 3x per week activity, with heavy piles
of sweaty, stinky attire to deal with along with
diapers and baby clothes. The kids are now grown,
out of the house, doing their own laundry but
somehow those sweaty, stinky clothes are still filling
my washer, like clockwork.
In our ever-changing lives, Handball has been a
constant. IT is always there. The phone call to
arrange games, the phone calls to discuss the
shots and plays after the games, etc etc. Only now
the phones are not attached to the kitchen wall,
but these crazy little rectangles we keep
misplacing. Then there are the games themselves,
the stretching before hand, the stretching
afterwards..... it goes without saying that
handball is always on the agenda.
Over the years, how many tournaments? Cinco de
Mayo, St Paddy's Day at the SERC, the most
quaint and congenial club in the world, without a
doubt! Then there's the Top Gun at the San Mateo
Elks, the Labor Day in San Jose, Hall of Fame at the
Olympic Club, the various tournaments in Idaho,
More than a game, it's a culture, and not just for excons!! Happily, I've met the most amazing people, as I
sat in the hard wooden stands. Wonderful woman, like
Joan, her daughter Barbara, Kristine, the 2 Mary's,
Cheryl, Sharon, Jennifer, Kristine, Heidi, Joni, Laurie, to
name a handfull ... all grand to sit and chat and
(pretend to) watch a game with. No, really, did I
just say that?
It goes without saying that we've all shared some of the
same experiences with our handball-addicted
husbands. As time goes on, the topics have begun to
revolve around injuries and surgeries, rehab, and then
the ultimate question: will he be as good a player WHEN
he comes back to handball ??? Not IF but WHEN. And
finally the universal chorus: "Just get him back on that
court, he's driving me crazy sitting around!".
I'll admit, I used to be jealous of HANDBALL, she was a
demanding mistress, 2 nights a week, Saturday or
Sunday mornings, all-consuming weekend-long
tournaments ... life revolved around her. But now, I
appreciate the excellent people we've befriended
through the sport, the camaraderie my husband enjoys,
and the fact that our son is now playing at the SERC,
enjoying it immensely. After all, he grew up watching it,
it's imprinted in his brain and body.
Lastly, due to the rigorous nature of the game, an in
spite of the couple of beers consumed afterwards, my
husband's waist is the same size it was in high school!!!
Better than a diet.
So, back to the first question: what would life be like
without handball? Can't imagine, it was only rhetorical
anyway.
Submitted by Claudine Ward
April 2nd, 2015
11
Beers with …. 2015 NorCal HoF Inductee Dave Wyrsch
Dave “The California Cannon”
Wyrsch
Fort Myers, FloridaDavid Wyrsch was force of nature in
the handball world, dominating
NorCal from 1980's to the 2000's. With
his aggressive style, his fearlessness to
seek out the bottom board with flat
killshots, his massive reverse hops,
and his running conversations with
the audience made him a fan
favorite everywhere. He rattled
cages at the Pro level as well, with
wins over the games greats such as
John Bike, Poncho Monreal, Fred
Lewis, Vern Roberts, Rick Christian,
Eric Klarman, Randy Morones, and
Richard Lopez.
Even a quick summary of his
achievements takes up space, but
for the record here goes:
. "19" = He dominated Bay Area
Handball from 1982 - 2001 (19 years)
. "2" = Junior National Titles (17yr,
19yr)
. "1" = Collegiate National Title (over
John Bike Jr)
. "2" = On the cover of USHA's
Handball magazine two times.
. "4" = Open Singles/Doubles SLAMS:
1986 Santa Cruz; 1988/1991 San Jose;
2004 Kuaui
. "2" = Carried two family members,
Howie and Billy, to Open Doubles
Titles
. "2" = NCHA Regionals Open Titles
(Singles/Doubles)
. "3" = California State Champion
(1 Singles/2 Doubles)
. "6" = NorCal Hall-of-Fame
Doubles Champion
. "5" = Dave Was ranked as high as
No.5 on the Spaulding/Gatorade
Pro Tour
. "1" = Receives honorary title "The
Big Kahuna" (2004)
. "1" = Mixed-Doubles Title
. "33+" = Open Titles (Singles &
Doubles)!
With his 2015 induction into the
NorCal Hall-of-Fame, we got a
chance to connect with Dave to
get some of his thoughts on his
handball upbringing, his
spectacular wins, and his life
playing handball.
Howie & Dave (15yr old) win
“Father and Son” tourney at SERC
[Scoop] What was it like when
growing up? When did you first see
a handball, when did you start
playing.
[Dave] I remember handball back
when I was five years old. My Dad
would be playing with Paul Haber
at the South End, and us kids
would run out onto the courts
during timeouts and between
games. That was the only time we
got to play handball back then. I
was small at the time, and the ball
was always bouncing over my
head. When I got a little older,
people would cheer for me all
the time because I looked
younger than I really was. People
would say "Look at that little 12
year old kid play!" (when I was
really about 15 years old). I
played with my Dad (Howie) in
the "Father and Son Handball" at
the South End (in 1980), and when
we won I remember my Dad
hugging me. He would let me
actually play. Some fathers would
put you in a corner and take most
of the shots. My Dad split the
court and let me take my shots.
We also played in the "C's" at the
Elks (San Mateo) and we were in
the finals. My Dad let me run
around and hit my shots, we won
in a tie-break and he hugged me.
[Scoop] Who was a better player
growing up, you or brother Billy?
[Dave] Billy was about 19 years
old when I was about 5 years old.
Billy was amazing, he went from
being a "C" player to an "Open"
player in about
a year or two.
[Scoop] When you were old
enough to first beat your Dad,
how did he respond to that event
in your life?
[Dave] He was very good about
it. Some guys are frustrated
athletes, and would have
responded different. But my Dad
was a top athlete, he was good
in basketball, baseball, and
handball - he was just fine with
me winning. He just wanted to
get back on the court.
[Scoop] Who was your first
coach? What did he tell you?
[Dave] My Dad was probably my
first coach, and he told me to
play offense. Shoot the ball. I lost
12
Beers with …. 2015 NorCal HoFer Dave Wyrsch (cont).
for four years! He would point to
players Mike Kelly and Frank
Spiller to see how they hopped
the ball. The hop was
"insurance", that even if a player
managed to get to the ball, it
would move away from him and
give you the point.
Billy, Dad Howie, and David Wyrsch
Rudy Stadlberger & Dave
I also remember a guy George
Dillian who helped teach us kids.
Don Davies had a Juniors
program, and I remember Rudy
Stadlberger helping out as well. I
played games with Brendan
McDevitt, and with Rudy's son
Freddie. Dave remembers the
day Rudy said "this next game is
for a sandwich!". In Dave's words
"I would always beat Freddie
until Rudy offered a free
sandwich and Freddie dove
Jon Kendler, Mike McDonald, David Wyrsch, Lennart Delatorre
13
everywhere and killed me 2 and
5. Another crying moment. I was
surprised that I still played
handball (after that)".
In Dave's words "I lost a lot
matches for years because I
was shooting the ball so much
and couldn't keep a rally going.
It took me several years later to
finally be able to kill the ball
when I wanted anytime. On
Saturdays at Southend I would
play doubles with George Dillian
and Milt Coleman. On Sunday I
would play Freddie Stadlberger
and after that I would play my
dad and afterwards we sat on
the floor of the court and talked
handball strategy. He would
offer me a Mickeys big mouth
beer. Great moments and I only
had one and slept good for the
ride home."
David Wyrsch, John Bike, Al Delatorre, Richard Lopez, Jaimie Paredes
[Scoop] How would you
describe your game?
[Dave] I'm a pitcher, you're the
batter. I hide the ball, use all
kinds of offspeeds, pass when
you think I'll kill the ball. Always
keep the opponent guessing.
[Scoop] Who was your toughest
opponent?
[Dave] I remember facing Rick
Christian. He'd get at least 10
aces a game off his serve. It's a
mental thing until you beat a
guy. You're thinking too much
when you get a shot, should I do
this? Do that? I finally found the
way to beat him - keep him on
the court and get him tired.
Then the serves wouldn't crack
out as much. That was a big
deal when I first beat him.
Editor's Note: David was 21 years
old when he beat the great Rick
Christian in the Santa Cruz
Suntan Singles in 1985 21-15,(1221),11-1.
Dean Crispen, Chris Tico, Artie Ward, and David Wyrsch
Lennart Delatorre, Wayne Salo, Artie Ward, and David Wyrsch
14
[Scoop] Going through your Pro
showings, we were especially struck
by your result in 1987
in Albany, New York at the "Colonie
Court" for the "Spalding/Gatorade
Pro Tour". In the event:
1. David Wyrsch qualified!
2. Beat No.2 seed Vern Roberts in
Round-of-16!
3. Beat Jon Kendler in Quarters!
4. Makes Semi's, only beaten by
Poncho Monreal 11-7 in a tiebreaker!
[Scoop] What did you do to
prepare for the Pro Tour?
[Dave] I loved doing drills. You got
to practice - and you need to
know *how* to practice. Handball
is also a lot to do with "form". You
got to visualize your swing. I would
watch the No.1 player Naty
Alvarado Sr and practice his
swing. When actually playing a
match, forget about the score. I
would repeat in mind several
simple phrases to relax and play
the game.
Can you tell us a little about this?
[Dave] It was great but also the
beginning of the end. In Dave's
words "In the qualifying rounds in
Albany (New York) I knew I was
playing good because I was able to
give several doughnuts out and was
in the zone. Those moments are
rare."
I remember shooting the ball well
against Vern and Jon. I was actually
up 12-4 in the 2nd game against
Poncho when I started to cramp up.
After the match I was supposed to
play Fred Lewis. He had just finished
playing a rough match against Naty
Sr and was spent. I was bruised from
hitting the floor ... my knees were
bleeding, my elbows were roughed
up, I was beat up. But I went over to
Fred, jumping up and down, drinking
Gatorade, saying things like "I can't
wait to get in there and play our
match!". Fred took one look at me
and said he's done. I came home
with about a grand in prize money
and blew it on "mags (ie. rims) and
wheels". That's when it sunk it to me
... I beat myself up, and there's
just no way to make a living on the
Pro tour. That's when I began to play
more local tournaments, to have
more fun and entertain the crowds.
1. "Let the ball drop".
2. "Take your time".
3. "Follow through".
4. "Bend your knees".
These thoughts put me in a state of
"flow", which is a beautiful thing.
There are a lot of books on this
topic. Don't think about the score.
Sometimes I'd walk around with my
head down during timeouts and
just focus on my “phrases” to help
stay in that state of flow.
Also, use your timeouts to stop the
other guys' rythm. Don't use them
for getting your breath back, that's
what 'wet gloves' are for, if you
know what I mean :)
[Scoop] Dave, another unbelievable draw was in 1988, at
the "NCHA Hall of Fame Doubles"
at the Olympic Club. Do you
remember:
1. Quarters: David Wyrsch/John
Bike d. Mike Dunne Jr/Rich Dunne
2. Semis: David Wyrsch/John Bike
d. Don Chamberlin/Jon Kendler
11-10 tiebreak.
3. Finals: David Wyrsch/John Bike
d. Jaimie Paredes/Richard Lopez
21-8, 21-15.
[Dave] Yes, I remember ... I
actually played on the right, with
John on the left. I normally played
the left. We both hit the ball
300mph. If a guy got in our way,
we'd hit them in the back. They'd
back off and we'd blow it by
them.
[Scoop] One of your best doubles
partners was Lennart Delatorre.
You won at least 7+ Open
Doubles titles with him. How did
you guys mesh?
[Dave] I was basically played "Dr.
Phil" to Len ... he had all the shots,
had great power and placement.
He was always in good shape.
Yes, I know he just won the 2015
USHA National Men's 50's title.
[Scoop] We have a trivia question
for you. The first Venice Beach
event in '94 featured pro and
junior events. Brothers Octavio
and David Silveyra won the pro
and 17-and-under events. In the
pro event, then current three-wall
Open singles champ was
unceremoniously ousted in the
first round. Who beat Eric Klarman
at Venice in '94? Answer: David
Wyrsch beat Klarman. Do you
remember that match?
[Dave] Did you know I played and
beat Vern Roberts with my left
arm in the 2nd round? My right
arm was sore, Vern hit a lot of
defensive shots. I served lefty and
was able to win. Played John
Libby after that and cramped up
in the 3rd game. You know in 3Wall it's all offense. You have to fly
everything. You need to always
be going forward.
[Scoop] We were also surprised to
know that you traveled to Kuaui
and slammed to get the royal title
"Big Kahuna". It was reported in
15
the Kuaui papers that "Californians
David Wyrsch and David Balestrieri
won the open doubles and Wyrsch
won the open singles Sunday in the
Kaua'i Open Handball Tournament
at Kaua'i Athletic Club."
1. Open Singles: David Wyrsch d.
Gary Sternberg, New Zealand.
2. Open Doubles: David
Wyrsch/David Balestrieri
(Burlingame/San Mateo) d.
Bob Lozito/Jack Brier (Sacramento).
[Dave] Yes, I remember they offered
cash and I needed that doubles win
to help pay for
the trip!
[Scoop] Besides "The Big Kahuna",
did you have any other nickname of
The Tour?
[Dave] My name on the pro tour was
the "California Cannon".
[Scoop] What do you do for exercise
now? Is there any ballplayers in your
area?
[Dave] There are no players where I
live (Fort Myers). There are a *lot* of
3-Wall courts here yet they are not
being used - people don't even
know they were built
for playing handball. I'd like to get a
program started here. My current
work schedule has irregular hours, so
it's difficult to put out a schedule.
Meanwhile I do a lot of Big Brother
volunteer work, taking kids out and
providing an adult figure in their
lives. There are also a lot of golf
courses here which I get on on, and I
teach tennis. Florida gets very
humid, and I'm constantly reminding
my clients to hydrate. Some of the
players in our league get quite
competitive. I remind them "are we
playing for cash? Here, why don't
you just take the point!". Life is going
by quite quickly out here, and every
day is precious, you know?
[Scoop] You've taught a lot of
players, players at every level
trying to get better. What is that
experience like?
[Dave] I coached everybody and
anybody. From 5 years old to a
hundred on how to hit a ball.
Sometimes there was more
satisfaction teaching then playing.
When I was playing, I enjoyed
when the crowd would get all riled
up. I'm an entertainer, and played
to entertain the crowds. That's why
I peaked on the Pro Tour, then
dropped back into playing all the
local Open tournaments.
Sometimes a handball match can
drag along. I liked to pull people
into the match, wanted them to
enjoy themselves.
[Scoop] Is there anything else
you'd like to add to this interview?
[Dave] I'd like to thank Joe
McDonald for making it possible. I
started in San Mateo, then moved
to Burlingame. Joe helped get me
a membership to play and train at
the club. I'd like to thanks Don
Davies for holding the Junior
events. Ray Voight for a great
tournament at the San Jose
YMCA, I always looked forward to
that one. Also the SoS Club ... we'd
sit by the pool, drink some beer,
and play. I remember Marty
Goffstein at that tourney. Like to
also thank Al Delatorre for the work
he did on the newsletter. Oh and I
remember the Jerry Cooke Open,
great tourney.
In Dave's words "There were
several young players I played
with and against as I was growing
up. Mike McDonald, Lennart
Delatorre, Fred Stadlberger,
Brendan McDevitt, Cris Tico, Ray
Voght Jr, Eric Voght, Chris
McDonald, Mark Ohleyer, and Al
Sandoval. I had great times with
these people shaping my
handball career on and off the
court. Thanks guys for the great
stories."
Mark Ohleyer, Player, Lennart
Delatorre, David Wyrsch
David Wyrsch and Joe McDonald
16
The Nickname Game
You may need to invite your local Old Timer into this trivia game - and he may need to invite
his father, too. Google? Fuggaboutit. Can you match the player with his nickname? (Answers
at the bottom) .
NorCal Players:
1. Rick Christian
2. Tom Fitzwater
3. Arturo Suarez
4. Erik Torres
5. Raphael Massocarro
6. Bob Blanco
7. Bob Scherer
8. Lennart Delatorre
9. Billy Wyrsch
Pro Tour players:
10. David Chapman
11. Luis Moreno
12. Naty Alvarado Jr
13. Emmett Peixoto
14. Naty Alvarado Sr
15. Paul Brady
16. Sean Lenning
17. David Wyrsch
Great Champions from History:
18. Al Banuet
19. Angelo Trulio
20. Jim Jacobs
21. Joe Platak
22. Johnny Sloan
23. Bob Brady
24. Mike Treacy
... and their Nicknames:
A. Chino
B. Bamm Bamm
C. The Great One (aka TGO)
D. The Professional
E. RoboCop
F. Bullet Bob
G. SF Flash
H. King of the Beaches & Little Giant
I. The Gunner
J. El Gato
K. Rubber Man
L. Lefty
M. Speedy
N. The Slammer
O. Blond Panther
P. The Natural
Q. The Rock
R. Strong Boy
S. Windy City Whiz Kid
T. The Freak
U. The Magician & The Ghost
V. Baby Howitzer
W. “Bottomboard” & “Backwall” ---X. California Cannon
Answers to "Nickname Game":
1-N, 2-K, 3-L, 4-A, 5-M, 6-B, 7-E, 8-V, 9-W,10-C, 11-P, 12-D, 13-Q, 14-J,
15-I, 16-T, 17-X, 18-G, 19-H, 20-R, 21-O, 22-S, 23-F, 24-U.
17
Thoughts from the Back Wall
with the third game pending. The
loud shouts were heard upstairs,
and a spectator rushed up to the
Chief, to inform him what was
going down. Both Chief Scott and
Deputy Chief Keays went down
and "discussed" the situation with
the uniformed officers. They
directed one officer to stand at
the front door and the other at
the back door, and the third
game was played, with cheers
and enthusiastic clamor.
“Thoughts From the Backwall”
Handball in the 70’s was a mixture
of great players, great events, and
great drama. Memorial Day
Tournaments at the South End and
The SOS Club in Modesto attracted
all of the above. One Memorial
Day Event, at the South End, sticks
out in my mind, as one of the most
talked about finals day ever.
The current 5 times National Singles
champion, Paul Haber, and his
partner Paul Morlos, were playing in
the finals against the current number
2 ranked Open team, from the
Olympic Club, Geoff Capell and
yours truly (Jeff Capell). The gallery
was packed, and spectators were
hanging through the sidewall
window, in the upper right hand
corner of the court. Besides the usual
cast of characters watching,
two SFPD leaders were present. Both
handball players, they were Police
Chief Don Scott, and Deputy
Police Chief, and Hall of Famer, Bill
Keays.
The games had gone on for over
two hours, and everything that
could have happened in a
grueling match, had. Paul Haber,
despite his unmatched skill, was
always scorned and ridiculed, for
his awful on court behavior. The
verbal abuse he usually received
was fuel for his game, and the
South End crowd just added to the
fire. During the match he had
yelled at spectators, argued with
the referee, and insulted almost
everyone else, and the crowd
members were in a frenzy, and
actually were screaming their
support for the "enemy Olympic
Club Team."
With the games tied at one and
one, and during the short break
between the second and third
game, two San Francisco police
officers entered the Club and
approached Haber, who was at
the bar, having a beer and
smoking a cigarette.
They served him with an arrest
warrant, (I won’t say what the
charges were), and started to
escort him out. The crowd was not
going to let them take him away,
To the crowds disappointed,
and ours, Haber prevailed in that
"tiebreaker" 21-19. Haber was
immediately taken away, showerless, but with another title to his
credit. Even with all the
theatrics, Haber’s on court
behavior towards his opponents
was usually good. There were no
blocks, double bounces, or
personal insults, unless he didn’t
like you!
Just another great weekend of
handball entertainment at the
South End.
Submitted by Jay Capell
18
Wayne's Way: Mike Treacy the Ultimate HoFer …
WaynesWay_2015-08-09
Golden Gate Park, San
Francisco“GGP_pt.deux”
WaynesWay staff doesn't
get out to handball
tournaments much
anymore. We find
hypothesizing on the
mental aspects of
handball much more
thought provoking. EA
Sports is currently in
negotiations with us for
WayneWay_2015_Rollout
Tournament. Could xBox
and ps4 be the next
handball bastian with
courts vanishing faster
than the polar ice cap?
We haven't even
attended a HoF
tournament or banquet in
ages. Shoulder and elbow
rubbing is always great
fun at these star studded
affairs. I once got to talk
with Steve Evart, the only
fella to build a 3-wall court
in Castro Valley/bay area,
he extolled fascinating
tales of aliens in gamma
quadrant or laser beam
tech to battle the
martians.
I don't think enough got
waxed about one of the
truly great masters of the
black orb and HoF status.
Yes he was a blackball
player, and did not play
much with the new blue
one in the late 70s-early
80s when it was intro'd. I
once heard Mike Kelly
say that the new blue
ball was just a piece of
plastic, terrible, in that
Kelly drawl. Most players
today could not tell you
that they have ever
witnessed this mysterious
ghost of HB lore(No, not
Mike Kelly). The so far
unnamed player could
massage and
manipulate a handball
like no one you may
ever see again. If you
were lucky enough to
watch Mike Treacy
launch into a serve, your
mouth had to be closed
manually with both
hands. Oh, come on,
really? Just listen
grasshopper!
The Great Mike Treacy
at the Golden Gate Park
Handball Courts
WaynesWay, before he
had a staff or a Way,
arrived at Golden Gate
Park in 1978. Anyone
that was hooked on
handball, this is the
equivalent of arriving at
Haight/
Ashbury(not far from the
courts) to get an LSD
prescription from Dr.
Timothy Leary.
Dr. Timothy Leary
As a D class player
sitting in the stands at
GGP and watching in
awe at the variety of
talent, and listening to
stories of Mike Treacy,
Mike Kelly, Eddie
Coleman, and Gary
Ryan were the most
entertaining. I can't
remember how long it
was before I actually
saw the legend
everyone talked about,
but it was memorable.
Paul Haber with Gary
Ryan, GGPark Great
I was playing Mike
Carlisle(circa 1978-9?), a
competent B player, on
the B court at GGP, and
The Magician(his most
common nickname)
tapped on the glass to
call winners. That is how
games unfolded at the
park, violent affairs
played at tournament
fury that resulted in the
loser sitting out or going
home because the wait
was interminable. Go
home, have lunch, and
return for the cocktail
show maybe. I thought,
I've got to win this game
so I can play The
Magician. This is like
getting to be in the
same room with the
Dalai Lama in a
Nepalese cave. Cool
and nerve racking all in
one. I won the game,
whew, then Mike walks
in the court! If you ever
looked him square in the
face, he has eyes that
say something to effect
that he knows what you
are going to hit before
you think it. He looks
right through you, and is
mesmerizingly hypnotic.
I think he went easy on
me, because I got 8
points, no really, I'm not
fudging like I usually do.
Ok, that was not the
punchline, that I lost and
got a whopping 8
points. Maybe he
hypnotized me and told
me I got 8 points.
Somewhere during the
first few points he hit a
ball off the backwall
towards the left corner,
and I had a pretty good
D level lefthand
backwall kill. I struck the
backwall shot and
thought to myself, ooh,
19
Wayne's Way: Mike Treacy the Ultimate HoFer … (cont.)
take that you ghostly
magician. I knew it was
gold somewhere very low
to the left side of the front
wall. Hey, what the....!?
Mike is standing closer to
the front wall than anyone
I have ever seen before.
He Google mapped my
game before google was
invented. He is so far past
the serve area I could
have lobbed it over his
head for a winner. Good
guess Mike. Somewhere
just a bit later in the
game, he hits me the
same leftside backwall
shot. I'll show him, I'm
going so downtown
bottomboard on this bad
boy. Come on, seriously, I
think he could have been
leaning against the front
wall when he rekilled my
flat kill. He's in my head,
get out of there! He's
crushing me with
ridiculous court position.
Part three happens
sometime in the latter part
of the game. He hits me
the same backwall to the
left AGAIN. The
WaynesWay computer
was smoking by now,
what the heck do I hit
now? Lower is somewhere
into some wood. I went for
the Vern Roberts Ace
Handball Magazine Vpass
on the right wall. Where's
Mike, he's in lawn chair
two feet from the front
wall on the left side.
Damn, he was going to
change my game to his
will. There is a lesson here.
Probably the most famous
match Mike Treacy ever
played was NOT his
doubles National Final in
Vegas with Mike Kelly. I
think this duo was the
first Nor. Cal. players
team to make the
doubles National
Championship. Stories
say that Vegas did them
in, and those stories
stayed there. Someday I
want them stories.
Players for years talked
about the money
match between Mike
Kelly and Mike Treacy,
which probably had
more spectators than
the Nationals in Vegas,
for $100. I think that is
over a $1000 in 2015
money. I believe Mike
Kelly won the match by
a point. What a hop fest
that must have been.
They didn't know how to
hit a straight ball.
Championship pool
players hitting masse
shots on every shot. Look
up masse.
After my first lesson
against Mike Treacy, I
probably did not play
him again for another
year at GGP, so I was
quite a bit better by
then, and had seen
some of the other hop
masters at GGP.
Hopefully I could
improve on my 8 points
from the previous round.
The game progressed,
and I was doing better,
but realized I was still
out-classed. About half
way through, I noticed
that he was dialing up
the torture to another
level. I gotta dig in. Mike
hits a serve from the
right side of the service
box to the middle of the
court. Normally this is not
a dangerous place to
hit a serve or return one.
But if you ever saw Mike
serve, you knew that his
violent gyration with
100% of his body behind
it, was an ominous thing.
Well, this one looked like
he put nuclear power
into it. I twisted to hit this
with my left hand. The
ball went from the
middle line down the
court 90% to the left side
wall, not the backwall!
Holy **** Batman how
do I return this? The
Magician had done
something with mirrors or
smoke or something not
earthly. Was he worried
about the more-than-8points I was getting?
That was maybe my
only hope at a moral
victory, getting a King
Cobra to even
acknowledge me as a
threat.
This is where the story
gets better. Better than
a serve that defies
human logic and
physics? Yes, beer
breath! As the ball is
heading to the
leftsidewall, I think I can
retrieve it, foolishly. I
don't believe I got within
6 feet of it. I'm not
kidding! I stood up from
an all out prone dive
through the air at
fruitlessness, and looked
down at my Converse
tennis shoes. I had
ripped right through the
side of my right shoe. All
the way out of my shoe,
and not just a toe or
two! My whole foot was
out of the shoe. I had to
borrow Renard
Perucho's(only one that
had a 13) tennis shoe to
finish my demoralizing
match. I cannot
remember the score
because the SERVE
over-wrote any other
memory of this event.
Well, that must be all the
Mike stories we have,
NOT!!
Mike had backwall
killshots with both hands
that also broke all laws
of human body
movement. We marvel
at David Chapman or
Gary Beaver backwall
kills for being able get
their hand down to the
floor.
Gary Beaver
Mike took the backwall
to a new low with the
same the violent twisting
and turning while
20
Wayne's Way: Mike Treacy the Ultimate HoFer …(cont.)
sweeping off dust cleaner
than a broom. Mike not
only got his hand to the
floor, his elbow would
nearly bang the wood
surface. The left hand kill
went to the right corner,
and the right went to the
left, with either backwall
kills or regular kills. Now if
you stole his theory of
getting close to the front
wall when he had a
backwall, he just hit the
ball over or by you. Eyes in
back of head? The corner
kill was devastating and
you needed to cover it
when the trade mark arm
went up over his head.
Yes, he could roll it out
from over his head too.
If only I had some more
Treacy lore to pass on.
Wait we just found a lost
folder in the archives.
Here it is. I think at this
point it is interesting to
note that I saw Mike
Treacy, sometimes called
The Ghost(ghosts were
seen more often) too, only
a handful of times, ever,
to come up with these
amazing tales of orbness.
Mysterious people need
their mystique in tact.
These other worldly
experiences do not come
from hundreds of
sightings, but less than ten
in total. That is amazing in
itself. Almost every Mike
Treacy sighting comes
with a jaw dropping story.
I think I had finally made it
to the C level doubles at
a Sacramento Open one
year, maybe 1979, and
Mike was entered in a
tough field that
included a National
Open winner of Cliff
McCorkle and Kevin
Soulies.
Kevin Soulies
That was the finals by
the way, with Kevin
winning easily in two
games. My thought of
that match, someday I
want to be able to roll
out backwall kills from a
foot of the floor in any
back corner like Kevin
did, wow. OK, back to
Mike, I don't know who
he lost to, but he didn't
win the tournament.
Kevin said he never
played Mike, so I'm
guessing Cliff beat him.
Frank Chavez(HoF'er)
and I were watching the
Magician tackle a local
Sact'o player in the
second round that
looked like he had two
hands coming off the
pro tour, Angel Muela.
Frank and I were the
only two to witness what
was again something
physicists have been
unable to duplicate to
this day in a lab with
million dollar equipment,
seriously! Mike is serving
from the far leftside of
the box. I don't
remember him doing
this often either. Angel is
standing in the middle
of the court to receive
something he's never
seen before. Mike
uncorks a body whirling
serve to Angel's right. To
beyond his right arm!
Angel takes one big
step to hit the ball with
his right arm. Neither
Frank or I could speak
for several seconds after
what unfolds. Angel is
sure of his swing and is
ready to unleash, and
he had a strong arm
too. The serve lands on
the floor beyond his
body, and completely
changes direction to the
middle of the court.
Read last sentence two
more times. Those of you
doing the math on this,
get your T-squares and
triangles out, and I think
you will agree with the
WaynesWay
Pythagorian theorem,
we witnessed a 120%
hop from the hardest
angle to achieve such
physics defying hops.
This ball went away from
its natural flight path to
the right and went left
against its natural
momentum. The other
boggling fact, Angel did
try to put his left on it,
and wasn't even close!!!
It was like someone on
the right caught it and
threw it 120% left?! After
a considerate amount
of morning for poor
Angel, I looked at Frank
Chavez and said, "Did
you just see what I
saw?", and all he could
mutter was, "YES". No
one has ever, in my
knowledge performed
the ultimate handball
magic trick. The Penn
and Teller Show would
send him to Vegas and
declare him the magic
finals winner after one
one act. Penn wouldn't
even confer with Teller
and say, "We don't know
how you did it!" Mike
actually told me once,
and it requires using your
entire hand to pull off
the trick.
Is that it? NO!, but we
are close to the end. A
match I never witnessed
is also famous among
the park crowd for
containing one of the
gutsiest park shots of all
time. As the story goes,
Mike Treacy and Billy
"Bottomboard" Wyrsch
were batlling in the
open finals at the OC. I
don't know what the title
was.
Billy Wyrsch
It is a knockdown drag
out battle to the bitter
end of a three sets of 21.
21
Wayne's Way: Mike Treacy the Ultimate HoFer …(cont.)
Yes, real men played
marathons to 21 points for
three games. To make this
short, it is 20-20 in the third
game and Billy has hit a
low drive to the left deep
corner to hopefully get
the serve back. As much
as I like the park shots
mind numbing power with
its 3-wall angle kill,
sometimes it is not
advised. Mike did not
heed the laws of low
averages in any part of his
game. Mike took this
decent drive to the left
corner and immediately
did the unthinkable, hit it
into the left sidewall. What
is he doing!? The ball
rockets over to the front
rightwall a foot from
frontwall down low, and
then kisses the frontwall
going sideways away
from a diving Billy. Game,
match, champion, done.
We are near the last of my
candle waxing
endeavors. This story
comes via the Quail Lakes
Club in Stockton, circa
1979. I'm pretty sure this is
around my initial year or
two of GGP playing and
still a Z player. Hey, I'm
getting closer to the C's
again as time goes by. So
I had obviously lost my
matches whatever they
were, and wandered
down to the glass court to
watch the Magician play
in the open finals. This is
the first time I got to see
another future HoF'er,
Jerry "killshot" Fagundes.
HoFer Jerry Fagundes
I had never seen Mike
play in a tournament at
this point. I was in for a
treat. To this day, Jerry
may agree, it was one
of his worst defeats. I
believe he scored 3
points the first game. I
was glued to glass in
utter shock. I don't
remember Jerry scoring
only three against
anyone ever, to this day.
He had tough matches
with everyone from Rick
Christian on down the
line.
Rick Christian
Now think back to the
story about the foot
coming out of the shoe.
Mike does not serve one
ball to Jerry's right side,
what a sportsman. Well,
yes and no, after you
see what happened. He
served every ball in the
middle to left side, with
90% hop inducing
directions. Jerry would
lean left and sometimes
the ball would pass him
down the middle.
Sometimes he would
wait for the hop, and it
was already
disappearing into the
left wall. I played Jerry
three times, and I think if
you added up the
points it could go either
way for the most total
points. In fact if you had
to pick a guy to watch
at a tournament, it
would be Mike or Jerry.
Both are the most
amazing. Mike went on
to win that next game
and the match, but you
could also see Mike dial
it down a notch. You
don't dial it down a
notch against Jerry.
He'd run ten points on
you if you try coasting.
Mike could do that
though.
You watch handball
enough and there are
memories that you
cannot sledgehammer
out of your head. Other
than these stories here,
I've seen Mike Treacy
only a few other times,
either playing or
watching. So what is
that, 75% of what you
see from a guy is HoF
stories that are over the
top great. I'd have to
think hard who could
muster up an array
novels this deep in the
universe of handball.
The Ghost or Magician,
was special. I just had
an interesting thought.
He never trained, and
was one of the best in
the world. I have no
doubt he also could
have taken his magic
act out to three wall or
one wall and blown the
no-wall doors off of the
best guys playing that
game during his day. I
did not even get to see
him before 1978-9 to see
how much more
awesome he was then.
The park is quiet now
and no one has stories
other than the raccoons
clattering around on the
roof.
Do it WaynesWay, and
put a hop in your step.
Stay tuned for
GGP_pt.Trois(3)
Handball helps keep
me youthful and
relevant ☺
22
Great Matches Remembered ...
Columbus, OhioPerhaps the most technically perfect
match was at a three wall National
Tournament. I was in Columbus Ohio
in one of the two years (72 & 73)
before the Toledo crowd took things
over. I think it was in the quarter finals
in the Open. Paul Haber vs Steve
Sandler. Both just a tad past their
prime.
But, they put on a clinic. Sandler had
beaten Wally Ulbrict very easily - just
always kept him moving in the
previous round (Wally often played
with Joel Wisotsky or Fred Munch or
John Sabo and was a multi time
winner of the Open 3-Wall. Steve
had help from Wally who kept trying
to pass Steve --- translated - he hit
everything to Steve on a fly. You do
NOT do that to a one wall player,
especially perhaps the best one wall
player of all time - Sorry Joe (Durso).
Perhaps with that in mind, Haber hit
EVERY ball to Sandler on a bounce.
This allowed Haber to control the
rallies. Sandler got one point in two
games. Steve looked like he went
into shock at the end of the match.
What a rout!
San FranciscoIn 2nd place were two matches that
took place in successive years at The
Olympic Club. They were for our
Open Singles Championship in the
early nineties and featured Al
Sandoval and Jon Kendler.
Paul Haber
Jon Kendler
I called them the "Alamo
Matches." By that I mean -everyone kinda felt that Jon
had too much for Al and he did.
Jon was younger, faster
stronger, and probably ranked
# 1 in the world around then. Al
matched him toe to toe scoring
between 14 and 18 points a
game. The rallies were exquisite
to watch, a chess match really.
Although Al was inevitably
dragged over the edge of the
cliff, those matches made me
think that maybe, just maybe Al
should play left side when he
and I played our "Hennessy"
doubles matches Friday
afternoons against Jay Capell
and Vic Aissa.
Submitted by Bernie Samet
Scott Sandler
Al Sandoval
23
Circa 1904 … Women in Handball
24
2nd Annual "Handball in Golden Gate Park" Fun Day
San FranciscoGreat day at the park. We had
20 players show up. Olympic Club
members Dean Crispen and Bob
Del Torre organized the annual
event. Everyone played several
games during the day then
enjoyed a great BBQ. Players
from the South End, San Mateo
Elks, Petaluma Club, and Santa
Rosa Club showed up. About 50
people who were visiting the park
walked in through out the day
and watched the games.
Submitted by Bob Deltorre
25
2015 Inductee as Player: David Wyrsch
defeated Poncho
Monreal 21-9,19-21,11-5 to
become the 19-andunder Junior National
Champion. I can still
remember that day, it was
one of the greatest
shooting days I have ever
seen. I remember how
sweaty Dad and I were
and how proud my Dad
was of David. If you were
playing great, Dad would
say, "That’s my Son playing
just like me." If you missed
a shot Dad would say,
"That is not my son. He is
adopted, I was overseas."
David Wyrsch
2015 NorCal Hall-OfFame Inductee
Dave Wyrsch is a Bay
Area legend who
dominated NorCal
handball for 20 years
from 1982 to 2001. He
made it to the Pro level,
and was ranked as high
as No.5 on the
Spaulding/Gatorade Pro
Tour. In his prime Dave
had wins over the best
players of his day such
as John Bike Jr, Poncho
Monreal, Fred Lewis,
Vern Roberts, Rick
Christian, Eric Klarman,
Randy Morones, David
Steinberg, and Richard
Lopez.
David started playing
handball at the age of
5. Our Dad (Howie)
would take David to the
South End Rowing Club
every Saturday and
Sunday. David played
Freddie Stadlberger or
Lennart Delatorre. You
could see he had
natural talent. He was
lucky he inherited my
Mother’s left hand.
Sometimes he would
play older players,
George the Waiter and
Jean Parrett with a
racquetball. Dad took
David to all the
tournaments. During
timeouts David would
run on the court with his
kneepads and eye
guards on and start
hitting the ball. All the
fans would cheer for
David and boo the
players when they tried
to come back. Every
year you could see him
getting stronger.
In 1980, David teamed
up with his dad Howie to
win 1st place at the
"Father and Son"
Handball tournament at
the South End Rowing
Club.
As he got older he was
winning all the
tournaments. Then
came the Jr. Nationals,
he had won the 17’s
already. In the 19’s, my
brother Howie Jr., my
sister Noreen, Dad and
me told David if he
trained really hard and
won we would all chip in
and buy him a Chevy
Camaro that he had his
eyes on. David, never
much of a trainer,
trained really hard and
beat Poncho Monreal in
three games. It was 1983
in Burlingame,
California, Dave
In the 1986 National
Collegiates, Dave faced
the future USHA HoFer
John Bike Jr. The match
was played at the
University of Berkeley
(California) and Dave
defeated John 21-2,21-2
to earn the Men's "A"
National Collegiate
Champion title.
David’s great nemesis was
Rick Christian. When
David was still young and
coming up, Rick would
work David over. Dave's
breakthrough came in
1985 when David was 21
years old beating the
great Rick Christian in the
Santa Cruz Suntan Singles
21-15, (12-21), 11-1. Once
David beat Rick you
knew there was a new
king on the court.
David’s most devastating
loss was in the NorCal
Doubles against Joe
26
2015 Inductee as Player: David Wyrsch (cont.)
McDonald and me.
David was playing with
Lennart Delatorre.
Before the match Al
Delatorre was
interviewing David and
Lennart for The Scoop.
They said we were a
bunch of Twinkies and
then they lost the
match.
[From Pro David
Steinberg] "A bit more
history for David Wyrsch,
he and I qualified in a
Pro doubles event in
Tuscon, 1986, coming
from behind against
John Bike and Gordie
Pfeiffer, down 17-3 in
second, Wyrsch goes
nutz flattening every
shot to win 21-17 11-8."
In 1987 Dave qualified
for the Pro Tour beating
No.2 seed Vern Roberts
in Round-of-16, Jon
Kendler in Quarters, and
was just edged out in
the Semi's by Poncho
Monreal 11-7 in the
tiebreaker. Also in this
year David teamed up
with John Bike Jr and
made it to the finals of
the US Nationals
Doubles in Baltimore,
Maryland losing by only
5 points in the tiebreaker
to Jon Kendler/Poncho
Monreal (11-21),21-9,116.
Dave was involved in
the toughest draws ever
seen in NorCal. One
epic battle took place
in 1988 at the "NCHA
Hall of Fame Doubles"
on the famous wooden
courts of the Olympic
Club. Dave's matches
were:
- Quarters: David
Wyrsch/John Bike d.
Mike Dunne Jr/Rich
Dunne.
- Semis: David
Wyrsch/John Bike d. Don
Chamberlin/Jon Kendler
11-10 tiebreak.
- Finals: David
Wyrsch/John Bike d.
Jaimie Paredes/Richard
Lopez 21-8, 21-15.
Dave won numerous
NCHA Regionals Open
Titles, California State
Championships, at least
six NorCal Hall-of-Fame
Doubles, and overall
captured an incredible
40+ Open Titles winning
in Singles and Doubles
divisions. He won at the
SoS/Modesto Memorial,
the San Jose Labor Day,
the Park Point Turkey
Shoot, the Sacramento
Open, the Santa Cruz
Suntan Singles, Chabot
College, and the
San Mateo Elk Lodge's
Top Gun to name a few.
Special thanks go out to
Joe McDonald for
sponsoring all the Juniors
back then. He gave
gloves and uniforms to
all the kids. Thanks Joe!
David lives in Ft. Myers,
Florida with his girlfriend
Mila. David is a certified
tennis instructor in his free
time. In ending this story, I
wish my Mom, Pat and
Dad Howie were here to
see David inducted into
the Hall of Fame. I would
have loved to have had
my Dad on stage with
me so we could have
made fun of David
together.
"May your next shot be a
kill shot".
Submitted by Billy Wyrsch
27
2015 Inductee as Player: Al Sandoval
Monreal, and made it to
the finals in the Open,
losing to David Steinberg
21-16 and 21-18.
Al Sandoval
Olympic Club
Al began his career
following in his older
brother Carlos'
footsteps. Being a threesport star, at Westmore
High School, he saw his
first tournament, at the
Olympic Club. It was the
Hall of Fame gathering
in 1977. To quote Al, "I
was watching a B group
and Carlos said, Al
come over and watch
these guys." It
happened to be the
Capell brothers
playing against Henry
Chaparro and Bob
Brady. At that moment,
he was hooked.
He played his first games
at Golden Gate Park
and was tortured by
many of the Park
veterans. What could
be more fun then
abusing a beginner?
It probably was here,
that he became the
intense, never say die
competitor that I have
known for years.
Al joined the San
Mateo Elks and fell
under the tutelage of
Hall of Famer, Howie
Wyrsch. Knowing
Howie's "kind and
gentle approach," Al
became even tougher,
and carried this
"attitude" for the rest of
his career.
After several years of
playing at the Elks, and
continuing his
"initiation" at the Park,
Al joined the Olympic
Club in 1981. He
breezed through the
lower classes and
became an Open
Player quickly,
competing against
many of the Olympic
Club greats, such as Jon
Kendler, David Wyrsch,
Chris Tico, Dean Crispen,
and many others.
Victories at St Patrick's,
Cinco, Memorial Day
tournaments and a host
of other events polished
his game for future
National runs. In 1988 he
played in his first big
tournament, a pro stop
in Santa Rosa. He
fought his way to the
quarters where he beat
the current number two
pro Vince Munoz, 21-20
and 21-20. He lost in the
semis to the current
National champion Naty
Alvarado. That year, at
the Nationals in
Berkeley, he entered
both the Pro Division
and the Open. He lost in
the 4th round Pro
Division to Poncho
His later career included
four National titles. Two
National YMCA titles, one
in singles and one doubles
in 1994, and two USHA
Master Double's titles in
North Carolina and New
Mexico. In his New Mexico
run, he beat Fred Lewis in
the doubles finals. Lewis
later commented that,
"Al's performance was the
best exhibition of two
handed offensive
handball, that I have ever
competed against."
Al's career was cut short
by continuing serius back
issues. Had it not been for
this, many more victories
surely would have
followed. Lately, he has
donated numerous hours,
of his personal time,
teaching young players at
the Olympic Club.
It was my privilege to play
against Al for many years,
every "Hennessey Friday."
For 10 years he dominated
our game. He was a
great player, great
competitor, and even a
better person.
Congratulations Al, you
are a true Hall of Famer!
Submitted by Jay Capell
28
2015 Inductee as Contributor: Roy Bukstein
Gene Craft, Joe Thomas
and Landon Curry. He
played every day at the
Gregory Gym; it did
wonders for his game.
Roy Bukstein Biography
Roy Bukstein’s first
exposure to handball
was at age ten when he
found treasures in his
dad’s closet, an old
black "Ace" Handball
and some crusty old
gloves. He asked his
father what were these
"things", and his father
explained the game of
handball to him.
Roy was raised in South
East Missouri in the little
town of Cap Girardeau,
and went to Central
High School,
graduating in 1971. He
preferred tennis to
getting hit on the
football field. After high
school graduation,
he attended the
University of
Pennsylvania, but only
for one year. He spent
the summer between
his freshman and
sophomore year of
college in Dallas, Texas.
He quickly decided
that Dallas was the
place to be, so he
transferred to Southern
Methodist University
(SMU) where he started
playing handball
seriously. According to
Roy, the coaches were
always fun to play, and
he would always have
a game. After
graduating from SMU,
he worked for a year.
Roy stayed in the Lone
Star state where he
attended the University
of Texas graduate
business school earning
his masters in
accounting. In Austin,
he met up with
handball greats Pete
Tyson,
In 1978 he married and
because his wife lived
on the West Coast, they
moved to Northern
California. He was the
12th hire at Larry Elison’s
newly formed company
Oracle, and was their
first CFO. Because of his
workload and raising a
family, he didn’t play
handball for over fifteen
years; in fact, he didn’t
do anything but work.
His wife told him to get a
life, and that led him
back to the courts.
Hillsborough was close
to the San Mateo Elks
and The Olympic Club,
so he joined both clubs,
two of course being
better than one. He had
won several
tournaments, once
slamming at The
Olympic Club winning
both the "A" singles and
doubles. His big claim to
fame though, and
something very few
people have ever done,
is he beat the current
number two world
ranked handball player
Emmett Peixoto. There is
a little side note to this
story, he did it in a "B"
tournament when
Emmett was only 11
years old, BUT STILL very,
very impressive.
The transition to becoming
a top contributor came
very innocently. When you
are super hyper (Type A),
having been raised by a
mother who never could sit
still, love the game of
handball, want to give
back, and can not say NO,
it was a no brainer. He fell
victim. Roy was asked to
help out at the Northern
California Regionals
Handball Tournament held
at Joe McDonald’s Royal
Racquet Club, and was
forever hooked. He then
took over as treasurer of the
Northern California
Handball Association in
1999, and when asked to
moved up the line to
president in 2004, he
accepted, and was, and
still is, part of that on-going
handball contributing
history. Anyone who
participated in Northern
California handball
tournaments from 2000 to
2010 has probably met Roy.
He was the guy always
"hawking" you to join the
NCHA.
Roy is the ultimate giver. He
took over the Northern
California Handball
Association when there was
very little going on. There
were a lot of qualified
people who were just too
busy to give back. Roy dug
in and quickly brought the
association back, but at a
29
2015 Inductee as Contributor: Roy Bukstein (cont.)
big price: he got burnt
out doing everything
himself. He
painfully endured and
finally, with a recent
push for more
participation by the
membership, people
responded and things
started looking up. Roy
survived, and so did our
association, probably for
the better.
Roy has always believed
that you have to give
back to something that
has done so much for
you. You want others,
especially those coming
up, to have the same or
better benefits and
rewards that the perfect
game of handball
has given. He believes
that giving back is:
promoting handball,
running tournaments
and play days, raising
money for youth
programs, and getting
kids to tournaments. It’s
about writing,
communicating,
recruiting, donating,
organizing, and that is
what Roy has done and
is still doing.
Roy loves handball and
everything about it.
According to Roy,
handball is about the
friendships, the
competition, being able
to hit the ball with both
hands equally, it’s about
sweating with your
buddies, and it’s about
really getting to know
players especially in
defeat. It’s physical,
using all parts of the
body, and it’s about the
adrenaline rush before,
during, and after. It’s the
perfect game.
Roy is head and
shoulders above his
peers. He has been involved
with the NCHA as treasurer,
secretary and president
(sometimes all at the same
time), for over 14 years. He is
still in the trenches, we
being the lucky ones. But
Roy’s
most endearing quality, as
far as I’m concerned, is his
ability to listen, and that my
friends is a breath of fresh
air now-a-days, the true
formula for success.
Thanks Roy for all you do for
handball, and
congratulations on being
inducted in the Northern
California Handball
Hall Of Fame.
Submitted by Geoff Capell
30
40th Annual Top Gun Handball Doubles Tournament and
“Dennis Moser Invitational”
Men’s Open Finals: Erik Torres, Loren Collado, Nacio
Delgado, Luis Bustos
Men’s A Finals: Sean Haley, Alex Tico, Albert
Negrete, Gabriel Negrete
Men’s B Finals: Matt Davey, Tom Aller, Randy Witte,
Lars Rustman,
San Mateo- The annual
handball bash/party at
the San Mateo Elks
Lodge happened once
again on a sunny
weekend July 11-12th.
The tourney is also
referred to as the
Dennis Moser Invitational
in respect to one of their
handball legends and
Hall-of-Famer (’08) who
passed away on New
Year’s Day, 2015. Players
came from all over
NorCal ... Santa Rosa,
Fresno, Granite Bay, San
Jose, and San Francisco.
There's nothing like
balling at an Elk’s
Lodge. A glorified ManCave (a good thing),
guys can relax on worn
out coaches, drink & spill
adult beverages, gnaw
on grilled meats
(including dry rub ribs)
from Frank Vasquez's
Texas Barbeque, and
watch players square off
and pound the ball into
rubber dust in one
grueling match after
another.
For those that ventured
outside, the sounds of
swimming, laughs from
the nearby Cantina
grill/bar, and a warm
breeze made it tough to
get into warrior mode beware of the
distractions of summer,
or you can easily be
booted out of the
tourney and finish the
day refereeing matches.
Actually, is that so bad?!
A brief look at some of the
action:
Mens Open's:
The 1st round pitted Mike
McDonald/Jessie Ward
against Mike's long time
sparring partner Lennart
DeLaTorre/Coleman
McGrath. First of all,
did someone lose a bet to
pit 2 powerhouses against
each other in the 1st
round? It was a
tremendous battle of
course, great for the fans,
with Mike directing traffic
for his partner Jesse "I got
da' legs" Ward like the
great 50's player Johnny
Sloan "The General". Of
course the match came
down to a tiebreak. Of
course it also came down
to 10-10. It went back and
forth a couple times, but
Mike/Jesse got rewarded
with the win.
In the Semi's, a valiant
effort got McDonald/
Ward close to victory in
game two, but an athletic
Luis Bustos, and a fresh
Nacio Delgado kept the
pressure cooker lid on
tight. in a fantastic rally,
Jesse got a clear shot at a
game winning kill. But if it
was not a McDonald
rollout, Luis was digging
them back, and he
flipped back a soft pass,
with reverse, down the left
to elude the speedy
Ward. Match to Luis/
Nacio.
31
40th Annual Top Gun Handball Doubles (cont.)
Men’s 50 Finals: Ray Graham, Tom McGrath, Tom
Fitzwater, Mike Linnik
Luis Bustos, Albert Negrete, Nacio Delgado, Gabriel
Negrete
In the Final's .. a
confident team of Loren
Collado and Erik Torres
played most of the
1st game in 2 gear
against the somewhat
weary team of Bustos/
Delgado. Collado was
serving and killing the
ball flat, allowing his
partner Erik to work the
ball around the court
which kept Nacio/Luis
guessing as to where to
stand and where to
place the ball. Erik has
an easy but explosive
wrist snap that can send
a ball into a corner kill or
a screaming pass. As
the Nacio/Luis team
pressed, Loren and Erik
continued to elevate
their game, tightening
the passes, and lowering
the kills.
On what seemed to be
a great kill by Nacio that
got re-killed by an even
greater kill by Erik,
all Nacio could do was
stand and smile at the
Pro Torres and concede
to the next generation
of superstar players.
Collado/Torres won
easily in two games
to become the 2015 TOP
GUNS CHAMPIONS!!
Men's A's
Loren Collado, Raul Jasso, Erik Torres, Adam
Gonzales
Mens A's is always a
slugfest ... the 2015
version was no different.
Pitting hard-hitting
Alex Tico/Sean Haley
versus San Jose's Albert
Negrete/Gabriel
Negrete. Alex is fearless
when sizing up a killshot,
regardless of degree of
difficulty. Sean had a nice
balanced game, and can
hit the floor and keep a
rally alive with the best of
them. But Albert is an
intelligent playmaker,
constantly adjusting the
strategy. His partner
Gabriel used to train
MMA, had a bad muscle
pull, yet fought through it
to play inspired handball.
Tiebreak? Of course. 1010? Expect anything else?
The steady play of the San
Joseans carried them to
victory and the Top Gun
Men's "A" title.
Mens 50's:
Want another tiebreak?
Sunday battles were
fierce, and the 50's were
no exception. The 2015
Men's 60's National
Doubles Champion Tom
Fitzwater joined forces with
Mike Linnik to face Tom
McGrath and Ray
Graham. Great rallies, lots
of pounding by Graham,
finesse shots by Tom
Fitzwater, fist wraps by
Linnik, and sharp killshots
by McGrath peppered
each rally. In the tiebreak,
the constant pressure and
pace of the shots gave
McGrath/Graham the
edge and the victory.
Men's 70's:
One more tiebreak! Bob
Braine is b-a-c-k after a
small hiatus, and coupled
with the fierce play of the
athletic Jerry Schiffman,
faced off against Tom
32
Ricci and Tom McGee.
The seeds held as
Braine/Schiffman won
the tiebreak 11-4
against the speedy and
agile Ricci/McGee.
Scores:
Men's Open Doubles:
Round-of-16:
Raul Jasso/Adam
Gonzales d. Steve
Chen/Rene Lopez 2118,21-17; Mike
McDonald/Jesse Ward
d. Tom McGee Jr/Oscar
Aviles 21-14,21-7.
Quarter-finals:
Erik Torres/Loren Collado
d. Jasso/Gonzales 218,21-0; Raphael
Mascorro/Joel d. Alex
Tico/Sean Haley 2113,21-15; Atanacio
Delgado/Luis Bustos d.
Albert Negrete/Gabriel
Negrete 21-12,21-20;
Lennart Delatorre/
Coleman McGrath d.
McDonald/Ward 2112,(19-21),11-10.
Semi-finals:
Torres/Collado d.
Mascorro/Joel 21-15,216; Delgado/Bustos d.
McDonald/Ward 216,21-20.
Finals:
Erik Torres/Loren Collado
d. Atanacio Delgado/
Luis Bustos 21-12,21-8.
Men's A Doubles:
Semi-finals:
Alex Tico/Sean Haley d.
Tom McGee Jr/Oscar
Aviles 21-15,21-13;
Negrete d. Steve Chen/
Rene Lopez 21-19,21-6.
Finals:
Negrete d. Alex Tico/
Sean Haley 21-12,(1821),11-10.
Men's B Doubles:
Quarter-finals:
Richard Perez/Kyle
Knapp d. Tom Aller/
Randy Witte 21-15,21-19;
Tom Brunette/John
Stelmach d. Clyde
Minter/Julio Fabien 213,21-6; Travis Poindexter/
John Field d. Lars
Rustman/Matt Davey
21-10,21-17; George
Mendiola/Mauricio
Jiminez d. Mark Haskell/
Betty Fabien 21-11,21-10.
Semi-finals:
Perez/Knapp d.
Brunette/Stelmach (1321),21-11,11-2;
Mendiola/Jiminez d.
Poindexter/Field 21-7,2110.
Finals:
Richard Perez/Kyle
Knapp d. George
Mendiola/Mauricio
Jiminez (6-21),21-17,11-1.
Men's C Doubles:
Semi-finals:
Tom Aller/Randy Witte d.
Clyde Minter/Julio
Fabien 21-10,(10-21),1110; Lars Rustman/Matt
Davey d. Mark Haskell/
Betty Fabien 21-12,21-19.
Finals:
Tom Aller/Randy Witte d.
Lars Rustman/Matt
Davey 21-14,21-4.
Men's 50+ Doubles:
Quarter-finals:
Francis Breining/Jim Silla
d. Frank Vasquez/Rory
Moore 21-15,21-12;
Ron Strausbaugh/Mike
Barna d. Artie Ward/Lou
Barberini 21-10,21-15;
Tom McGrath/Ray
Graham d. Augie
Herrera/David Kennedy
21-11,21-20.
Semi-finals:
Mike Linnik/Tom
Fitzwater d. Breining/Silla
21-13,(5-21),11-10;
McGrath/Graham d.
Strausbaugh/Barna.
Finals:
Tom McGrath/Ray
Graham d. Mike
Linnik/Tom Fitzwater 217,(16-21),11-4.
Men's 60+ Doubles:
Quarter-finals:
Billy Wyrsch/Ed
Campbell d. Dennis
O'Donnell/Dave
Balestrieri 21-10,21-9;
Mike Rodriguez/Roberto
Chavez d. Roy Bukstein/
Julio Monge 21-9,21-12;
Rene Collado/Steve
Williams d. Paul Casale/
Isaac Burns 21-7,(821),11-0; Frank
Lazzaretto/Martin
Arredondo d. Randy
Badler/Tom Capen 2118,(18-21),11-6.
Semi-finals:
Wyrsch/Campbell d.
Rodriguez/Chavez 2112,21-8; Lazzaretto/
Arredondo d. Collado/
Williams.
Finals:
Billy Wyrsch/Ed
Campbell d. Frank
Lazzaretto/Martin
Arredondo .
Men's 70+ Doubles:
Quarter-finals:
Bob Braine/Jerry
Schiffman d. GP Van
Vraken/Bill Gilbert 214,21-0; Jay Latona/Gary
Zackovitch d. Joe
Pearce/Dave Rios (2021),21-15,11-4;
Mike Dunne Sr/Dick
Keltner d. Sheldon
Sugarman/Larry Miller 215,21-9; Tom Ricci/Tom
McGee d. Tom O'Donnell/
Bernie Dulburg 21-7,21-9.
Semi-finals:
Braine/Schiffman d.
Latona/Zackovitch (2021),21-18,11-5; Ricci/
McGee d. Dunne Sr/
Keltner 21-2,21-20.
Finals:
Bob Braine/Jerry
Schiffman d. Tom
Ricci/Tom McGee 2117,(13-21),11-4.
Submitted by The Scoop
Larry Gerrman works
nonstop at The Desk
2015 HoF Inductee Roy
Bukstein helping run
matches
33
Tom
Fitzwater
Sean
Haley
Raphael Moscorro, Joel, Alex Tico
Michael Fabien, Tom McGrath,
Coleman McGrath
Julio Fabien and Adam Gonzales
Jesse Ward and Billy Wyrsch
Maxine Strausbaugh
Jesse Ward and Erik Torres
Loren Collado
Steve Williams
Jim Silla and Sue Crothers
Mike McDonald and Artie Ward
Alex Tico and Sean Haley
34
Sheldon “Shel” Sugarman,
aka ‘Beer Dude’
Jerry Schiffman
Bob Braine, Jay Latona, Gary
Zakovitch, Jerry Schiffman
Gary Zakovitch
Mike Dunne Sr and Steve Williams
Mike McDonald, Luis Bustos,
Nacio Delgado
Frank Vasquez BBQ
Margo Zakovitch
Nacio Delgado, Mike McDonald,
Loren Collado, Luis Bustos
Steve Chen
Larry Miller, Dick Keltner, Mike Dunne
Sr, Sheldon Sugarman
Cheryl McDonald
35
Ray Graham, Nacio Delgado
Somehow Big Ball broke out at a Small Ball Tourney
Billy Wyrsch (left) in the Men’s 60’s.
Mike McDonald and Artie
Ward/Tournament Director
36
1st Annual “Last 2 Standing” Doubles Tournament
StocktonOn a beautiful summer
day on July 18th a "Small
Ball" tourney broke out in
"Big Ball" country, the
brain child of Inshape's
club Handball Manager
Angel Hernandez. The
invite went out and the
response was
overwhelming ... some
of NorCal's finest Open
players were coming to
Stockton!
Gabe Delao (left) and Mike Ramirez (right)
congratulate the Men’s Open Champs “Lefty”
Suarez & Isidro Garcia
Tourney directors congratulate Raul Jasso and
Danny Solorio on winning the Men’s “A” Doubles.
Pro Erik Torres and Big
Ball "Commish" Nacio
Delgado clashed with
tournament directors
Gabe Delao/Mike
Ramirez ... National
Champ Luis Bustos and
a tough lefty Jeremy
Lasater squared off
against Fresno standout
Alphonsus "Al"
Quitoriano and Hugo
Lopez ... veteran
Raul Jasso and Danny
Solorio squared off
against Sac Open
Finalist Paul Delao and
ballcrusher Adam
Gonzles ... finally Fresno
players Sam Olivares an
Chuck Riojas had to
face current 2015
National 40's Champion
Arturo "Lefty" Suarez and
the talented 3-wall
baller Isidro Garcia.
No where to hide in the
Open/A. Game on, if
you weren't ready, you
were crushed,
pounded, wrapped up,
and dropped into the
referee's chair to call the
next round. B/C was just
as competitive as Big Ball
players showed off their
Small Ball skills and refused
to be beaten.
With 21 point games, and
Games 2 out of 3, players
were getting great
matches and knew that
this format truly rewarded
the players with the
strongest legs, freshest
arms, and best teamwork.
The showcase court at
InShape is a great venue
for the fans, but the
challenges to the players
quickly separated the
wannabe's from the more
skilled players. From the
dark glass, the slick side
walls, the crazy bits of
carpentry that made for
crazy back wall bounces,
and the front wall logo's
that camouflaged the
balls, Court # 1 demanded
the best out of the players.
The Hawaiian BBQ came
in at 1pm, which helped
fuel the players to finish
the day strong. That
combined with the 80's
music (Elton John, Boy
George) gave the tourney
a relax-and-chill feel that
helped offset the epic
battles happening inside
the courts.
Lots of tournament
directors came out and
pitched their upcoming
tourneys ... Sam Olivares
from Fresno (the Fresno
Open is August 1st/2nd),
Everettt Leon Guerro/John
Field from Modesto,
u
37
1st Annual “Last 2 Standing” Doubles Tournament (cont.)
Mike Linnik (the
Campbell 3-wall Small
Ball Doubles is August
29th/30th).
What a day ... lots of
tired but happy players
enjoyed the high level
of competition, the
ability to see Small Ball
showcased at the
Inshape Club, and for
the players to see the
variety of swings, shots,
and strategies used by
some of the best Small
Ballers in the country.
Tourney directors congratulate Angelo Mendez
Christian Gonzales winning the Men’s “B” Doubles.
1st time tournament
directors Gabe Delao
and Mike Ramirez,
along with Club
Handball Manager
Angel Hernandez, did a
great job getting
Stockton Small Ball
handball back on the
map, and players will
certainly be looking
forward to the 2nd
Annual. Great job, good
times.
Men's Open:
Betty Fabien, Christian Gonzales, Julio Fabien, and
Angelo Mendez
John Field & Dorothy Ramirez Dorothy & Nacio.
The Open Final was set
as the number one
seeded Erik Torres and
Atanacio Delgado
squeezed passed
Luis Bustos and Jeremy
Lasater. The youngsters
played well and fought
tooth and nail to try to
knock off the number
one seeded team. On
the other end of the
draw, the number two
seeded team of Arturo
"Lefty" Suarez and Isidro
Garcia made good on
their seed with a win in
the semi finals over Adan
Gonzales and Paul DeLao.
The first game seemed to
be an easy win for Suarez
and Garcia as it seemed
Delgado and Torres were
still fatigued from the
battle that had ensued in
the Semi Final. With
effortless motion and
smooth moves the
younger Isidro seemed to
put balls away with both
his left and his right hand
with ease. Isidro has
always been a force to be
reckoned with on the
court, and with Lefty
taking shots out of the air
as is his "claim to fame" if
you will, the two seemed
to push Torres and
Delgado around the court
like two bullies on a
playground picking on a
helpless "wimpy kid". The
first game was over before
Delgado and Torres even
knew what was going on.
Game two seemed to
start off the same as
game one. Something
had to be done if
Delgado and Torres didn't
want to fall two straight.
Scratching and clawing,
collisions on the court
between the veterans
Delgado and Suarez, the
younger Torres and Garcia
seemed to be involved in
their own cat and mouse
game of sorts. Both
shooting in front of each
other as though they both
had to prove something to
one another. By the end
of the second game,
there were controversial
calls, two semi-injured
38
players, and a partridge
in a pear tree.
Game two finished with
Delgado and Torres
coming out with 21
points first. This one was
going down to the
TIEBREAKER!
The tiebreaker started
with a quick side out.
Torres and Delgado
seemed like they could
come into the breaker
off of the momentum
and make a 11-0 run for
the win. But this was not
to be the case. The
punishment of a one
day tournament got the
best of Delgado. He
could no longer help
Torres. If you could call
what he was doing help
in the first place. (= The
number one seeded
team would have to
take a bow to Suarez
and Garcia as they
walked off the court at
11-5. Winning the first
annual "Last 2 Standing"
Handball Tournament
and proving why they
should have carried the
number one seed to
begin with. Just a few
months back, Isidro
and Arturo played at InShape West Lane where
this tournament was
held and were the
Champions at that
tournament as well.
Good job guys. See you
all at the next one.
Submitted by Nacio
Delgado
Can the Big Ballers
elevate and bring them
down? Seeing the
tenacity and their desire
to master both balls, it's
just a matter a time. But
for now, hail The Kings ...
Lefty "Chau!" & Isidro.
Scores:
Men's Open Doubles:
Round-of-16:
Gabe Delao/Mike
Rodriguez d. Mike
Linnik/Joe Sandoval 2120,21-19.
Quarter-finals:
Erik Torres/Nacio
Delgado d. Delao/
Rodriguez 21-9,21-15;
Luis Bustos/Jeremy
Lasater d. Alphonsus "Al"
Quitoriano/Hugo Lopez
21-14,21-10; Paul Delao/
Adam Gonzales d. Raul
Jasso/Danny Solorio 2119,21-16; Arturo "Lefty"
Suarez/Isidro Garcia d.
Sam Olivares/Chuck
Riojas 21-9,21-19.
Semi-finals:
Torres/Delgado d.
Bustos/Lasater (2021),21-13,11-3;
Suarez/Garcia d.
Delao/Gonzales 2111,21-16.
Finals:
Arturo "Lefty"
Erik Torres/Atanacio
Delgado 21-15,(6-21),115.
Men's A Doubles:
Semi-finals:
Alphonsus "Al"
d. Mike Linnik/Joe
Sandoval (13-21),2110,11-10; Raul Jasso/
Danny Solorio d. Sam
Olivares/Chuck Riojas.
Finals:
Raul Jasso/Danny
Solorio d. Alphonsus "Al"
(8-21),21-13,11-9.
Men's B Doubles:
Round Robin:
Angelo Mendez/
Christian Gonzales: 8
wins/0 losses; John
Field/Everett Leon
Guerrero: 1 wins/3 losses;
Angel Hernandez/Bob
Deltorre: 1 wins/6 losses;
Betty Fabian/Julio
Fabian: 7 wins/0 losses;
Robert Carranco/
Dorothy Ramirez: 2
wins/5 losses.
Erik Torres, Gabe Delao,
Mike Rodriguez (swinging).
Angelo Mendez/
Christian Gonzales went
undefeated in Round
Robin play, 8-0.
Hawaiian BBQ!
Erik Torres in the Open’s
Arturo “Lefty” Suarez
2015 US 40’s National
Champion
Al Quitoriano, Nacio
Delgado, Sam Olivares
39
Nacio Dlgado, Gabe Delao, Mike Rodriguez, Erik
Torres
Paul Delao, Danny Solorio, Raul Jasso, Adam Rodriguez
Jeremy Lasater, Luis Bustos, Nacio Delgado, Erik
Torres
Everett Leon-Guerrero &
John Field
Paul Delao, Lefty Suarez, Isidro Garcia, Adam
Gonzales
Michael & Julio Fabien
Everett Leon-Guerrero, John Field, Bob Deltorre,
Angel Hernandez
40
Angel Hernandez, Betty Fabian, Bob Deltorre
Angelo Mendez, Christian Gonzales, Robert
Carranco, Dorothy Ramirez (airborne!)
“B” action
“B” action
“B” action
Angel Hernandez making the magic happen
41
2015 Fresno Open Handball Tournament
Fresno-
Fresno’s Centerpoint AC (formerly 4WallsWest)
Mike Flores, Emmett Peixoto, Sean Lenning, Nacio
Delgado
Anthony Sullivan, Luis Bustos, Armando Ortiz, Vic
Perez
The 2015 Fresno Open
produced fireworks on
the court all weekend
with exciting Pro
Handball action. The
Open Singles produced
names like Sean
Lenning, Emmett
Peixoto, Armando Ortiz,
Vic Perez, and Erik
Torres. Anyone who
stood in these tough
competitors way met an
unfortunate fate to fall
to the top seeds. "It's not
very often that we can
play against a Pro and I
probably would've paid
twice the amount I paid
to play in the Fresno
Open to do so" said
Greg Perez of Fresno
Ca. The fire power of
these top players
proved to Fresno's
"Open" level handball
players that there is
definitely another level
of handball out there.
"It was definitely a once
in a lifetime experience
to get to play against
Lenning in a
tournament" said
Atanacio Delgado of
the Fresno Handball
Club. Delgado plays
tournaments on a
regular basis and is used
to making the final in
most of them. Producing
only 8 points in the first
game against Lenning
and 10 in the second, it
was evident that the
Pros meant business.
With their eyes on the
prize the top two seeds
forged
their way to the final
round of the tournament
on Sunday. With 24
Open/A Singles entrants,
both Lenning and
Peixoto had to play 2
matches on Saturday and
2 matches on Sunday.
Along with the Open
Doubles category,
this made for a LOT of
handball play. Both men
were fighting for first in a
fiery finals match. In the
end, Sean came out
victorious. Winning 2
games straight over
Peixoto. A big thank you
goes out to Sean Lenning,
Emmett Peixoto, Armando
Ortiz, Vic Perez, and Erik
Torres for showing up to
our local tournament.
Hopefully we can get
these players to return for
another local event. 2016
anyone?
The B/C Singles was a "full"
draw as well with a round
of 16 play. This field could
have been conquered by
any ONE of the entrants.
With familiar names like
Coromac and Ruiz, Matt
Sullivan (yes Sullivan, the
dad, not the son), and
Jorge Mendiola, these
athletes definitely show
how hard our sport really
is. With relentless rallies
and gruesome gets,
nobody was ready to give
up. Scratching and
clawing their way through
the crowd to reach the
next tier of the tourney,
each competitor tired
from matches that
seemed like they would
last a lifetime.
42
2015 Fresno Open Handball Tournament (cont.)
3 Fresno players and
one from Los Angeles
would comprise the
Semi finals. On the top
side, Gabriel Castro of
Fresno faced Emilio
Rosales of Fresno. While
on the bottom bracket,
Dave Rodriguez of
Fresno faced Marco
Coromac of Los
Angeles. Coromac
fought off a tough Dave
Rodriguez with an 11-6
tiebreaker. Nobody
seen this coming.
As "Hat Dave" as he is
known around Fresno
has been making his
way up the handball
ladder around Fresno,
he surprised everyone to
make it to the Semi Final
of the B Singles. Good
showing Dave. On the
other side,
Gabriel Castro was
another surprise in the
B's. Besting the veteran
Mendiola in the first
round of play, he
would go on to face
Hugo Lopez of Fresno in
the quarters. Lopez
recently won the C
Singles in the SOS
Memorial Day Handball
tournament. At 17 years
old and only playing
small ball handball
tournaments 4 times, this
youngster was fighting
to become the B Singles
Champion in Fresno.
However, Castro
wouldn't make it that
easy. It was an exciting
quarters going 21-15
and 21-20. The young
Lopez nearly had his
chance to pull it out in a
tiebreaker but a hand
error on 20-20 sealed his
fate. Castro advances.
Castro faced Emilio
Rosales of Fresno and
seemed a little more
confident against
Rosales. Castro's quarter
final match seemed like
his Semi and vice versa.
Castro cruised to a
victory over Rosales and
into the final. Castro
pulled off what Fresnans
thought he probably
couldn't. Winning the B
Singles just 6 months
after starting to play
with the small ball.
Castro defeated Marco
Coromac 21-15, 21-7 to
become the B Singles
Champion of the 2015
Fresno Open.
Running a Singles and
Doubles tournament in
the span of 22.5 hours is
no easy task. With 13
divisions to play on 8
courts and very limited
time, it can get a bit
hectic. With the help of
every single person
lending a hand with
refereeing games,
serving food, posting
results up on draw
sheets, helping out with
the juniors, donating
time, donating money,
donating food, and
going above and
beyond, we ALL made
this tournament possible.
I personally want to
thank Sam Olivares and
his entire family. His wife
puts up with the
countless hours Sam
puts in to making these
tournaments a success.
She was also there
helping serve the food.
His sons were also
on deck to help serve
and prepare some of
the food. It takes an
army of hands to help in
these things. If you
ever want to know how
much effort it takes,
volunteer to help run a
tournament. GET
INVOLVED. A thank you
nod goes out to you all.
Because without the
players, there would be
no tournament. I am
ever so grateful to the
handball players before
me that started this
tournament. I am
honored to help keep it
alive. Thank you Mr.
Frank Zuniga. Until the
next one, from Fresno,
thanks a bunch.
Submitted by Nacio
Delgado
player, Sam Olivares. Sam
is a former soccer player,
is fearless with his shotmaking, has a quick
hands, and goes on
offense with either hand.
He would need those skills
as Mike Linnik, Joe
Sandoval, and Ron
Strausbaugh threw down
against Sam. Endurance
combined with mental
toughness to withstand
the hot courts and brutal
rallies gave Sam the edge
he needed to not only win
the 50 Singles, but partner
with Chuck Riojas and win
the 40/50's Doubles to nab
the rare handball "S-L-AM". Playing is tough
enough - playing and
running the tournament?
That's one heck of a
weekend, congrats
to Sam and the Fresno
Handball Club.
AddendumWith 8 courts, and lots of
help, matches were
timely and well
organized due to the
efforts of the Fresno
Handball Club. Mike
Flores, Sam Olivares,
Nacio Delgado, and
Danny Solorio not only
helped direct the event
but played as well.
Thanks to all the Ladies
who supported the
Guys, and who helped
with the BBQ, managing
the desk, and greeting
the visiting players thank you.
Men's 50's:
In the Golden's, San
Jose sent three of their
best and brightest at the
lone Fresno
Scores:
Men's Open Singles:
Round-of-32:
Nacio Delgado d. Larry
Aguiar; Isidro Garcia d.
Osvaldo Torres 21-14,21-12;
Greg Perez d. Ricardo
Palma; Arturo "Lefty"
Suarez d. Nick Coronado
21-11,21-16; Travis Greer d.
Andrew Garcia 21-11,2112; Alphonsus "Al"
Quitoriano d. Gabe Delao
21-6,21-17; Melchor Santos
d. Rene Guiterrez 21-10,2114; Martin Garcia d. A.
Ruiz 21-13,21-20.
Round-of-16:
Sean Lenning d. Nacio
Delgado 21-8,21-10;
Isidro Garcia d. Ric
Rodriguez;
43
Erik Torres d. Greg Perez
21-15,21-4; Vic Perez d.
Arturo "Lefty" Suarez 215,21-5; Armando
"Mando" Ortiz d. Travis
Greer 21-5,21-9;
Anthony Sullivan d.
Alphonsus "Al"
Quitoriano (18-21),2119,11-5; Luis Bustos d.
Melchor Santos 21-20,2110; Emmett Peixoto d.
Martin Garcia 21-1,21-7.
John Field, C. Arciniega, Guy Hoover, Rich Polson
Quarter-finals:
Lenning d. Garcia 213,21-7; Perez d. Torres 218,21-8; Ortiz d. Sullivan
21-3,21-1; Peixoto d.
Bustos 21-13,21-7.
Semi-finals:
Lenning d. Perez 2114,21-9; Peixoto d. Ortiz
21-6,21-5.
Ron S., Mike Olivares
Hugo Lopez, Bob Deltorre
Finals:
Sean Lenning d. Emmett
Peixoto 21-11,21-14.
Men's Open Doubles:
Nacio Delgado and Sean Lenning
Luis Bustos, Brandon Ramirez, Anthony Sullivan,
Martin Garcia
Round-of-16:
Larry Aguiar/Geoff
Smythe d. Andrew
Garcia/Ricardo Palma
(8-21),21-12,11-1
Ric Rodriguez/G. Perez
d. Nacio Delgado/
Gabe Delao 21-20,(1521),11-0.
Quarter-finals:
Anthony Sullivan/Luis
Bustos d.
Martin Garcia/Brandon
Ramirez 21-11,21-5
Arturo "Lefty"
Ramirez; Sean Lenning/
Alphonsus "Al"
Quitoriano d. G.Perez/Ric
Rodriguez 21-0,2106.
Semi-finals:
Bustos d. Larry Aguiar/
Geoff Smythe; Vic Perez/
Armando "Mando" Ortiz d.
Arturo "Lefty" Suarez/Isidro
Garcia 21-3,21-5.
Finals:
Vic Perez/Armando
"Mando" Ortiz d.
Bustos 21-3,21-6.
Men's "A" Singles:
Quarter-finals:
Gabe Delao d. Andrew
Garcia 21-13,21-20
Larry Aguiar d. Nick
Coronado 21-13,(1521),11-5
Osvaldo Torres d. R.
Guiterrez 21-20,21-14
Semi-finals:
Osvaldo Torres d. Gabe
Delao (15-21),21-11,11-4
Ricardo Palma d. Larry
Aguiar (17-21),21-12,11-6
Finals:
Osvaldo Torres d. Ricardo
Palma.
Men's "A" Doubles:
Finals:
Ramirez d. Atanacio
Delgado/Gabe Delao 2118,21-19.
Men's "B" Singles:
Round-of-16:
Emilio Rosales d. Dorothy
Ramirez 21-4,21-7
44
D. Rodriguez d. G.
Garrido 21-1,21-3;
Emilio Rosales d. Elias
Zandate 21-19,21-18;
T. Weinschenk d. Chris
Coronado 21-5,21-4;
M. Coromac d. L. Ruiz
(20-21),21-12,11-6;
G. Castro d. E. Rosales
21-15,21-10; Elias
Zandate d. Bob Deltorre
21-6,21-10
Quarter-finals:
D. Rodriguez d. Matt
Sullivan 21-18,21-20
G. Castro d. George
Mendiola Sr 21-6,21-6
Hugo Lopez d. L.
Russman 21-16,21-19
M. Coromac d. T.
Weinschenk 21-20,21-16
Semi-finals:
G. Castro d. Hugo Lopez
21-14,21-20
M. Coromac d. D.
Rodriguez (19-21),219,11-7
Finals:
Gabriel Castro d. Marco
Coromac 21-15,21-7.
Men's "B" Doubles:
Round-of-16:
Tannan/Spohier d.
Borja/Elias Zandate 214,21-10.
Quarter-finals:
George Mendiola
Sr/Matt Sullivan d.
Tannan/Spohrer 2119,21-6. Span/Guitierrez
d. Lopez/Deltorre 2118,21-12; Marquez/Ruiz
Sr d. Garrido/Rodriguez
(19-21),21-12,11-4.
Rodriguez/Rosales d.
CA/Chavez 21-4,21-1.
Louie Ruiz/Marco
Coromac d.
Marquez/Ruiz Sr 2112,21-10.
Ron Strausbaugh d. Joe
Sandoval.
Ron Strausbaugh d.
Mike Linnik 21-13,21-16.
Juniors:
Semi-finals:
Gabriel Spann/Rene
Guitierrez d. George
Mendiola Sr/Matt
Sullivan 21-5,21-19.
Louie Ruiz/Marco
Coromac d. Rosales/
Rodriguez 21-9,(1921),11-7
Winner: Samuel Olivares
3 wins/0 losses
Finals:
Louie Ruiz/Marco
Coromac d.
Gabriel Spann/Rene
Gutierrez.
Mark Zamora/Red d.
Joe Sandoval/Ron
Strausbaugh 21-6,(1421),11-1.
Men's "C" Singles:
=> 40/50 Doubles Round
Robin was won by Sam
Olivares/Chuck Riojas.
Quarter-finals:
Bob Deltorre d. Dorothy
Ramirez 21-9,21-15;
Matt Sullivan d. C.
Coronado 21-11,21-7;
L. Russman d. L. Ruiz 2113,21-16.
Semi-finals:
Matt Sullivan d. Bob
Deltorre 21-10,21-12;
George Mendiola Sr d.
L. Russman 21-5,21-8.
Finals:
George Mendiola Sr d.
Matt Sullivan 21-9,21-13.
Men's "C" Doubles:
Finals:
Bob Deltorre/Hugo
Lopez d. Rodriguez/
Gonzales (9-21),2111,11-2.
Men's 50's Singles
(Round Robin):
Samuel Olivares d. Mike
Linnik 21-14,21-17.
Finals:
Won by Mike Flores/Jes
Lopez 11-6 tiebreaker.
Men's 40/50's Doubles:
Samuel Olivares/Chuck
Riojas d.
Danny Solorio/Willie
Murrietta 21-6,21-13.
Pablo d. Frankie
Strausbaugh 21-17,21-7.
Winner was Isaac
Fagundes, grandson of
Jerry Fagundes d.
Maxine Strausbaugh by 2
points.
Submitted by The Scoop
Men's 60's Singles:
Quarter-finals:
Lance Meyers d. P.
Calabriesi 21-10,21-4.
Semi-finals:
Danny Carrillo d. Lance
Meyers 21-10,21-9;
Geoff Smythe d. Joe
Pearce 21-5,21-1.
Finals:
Danny Carillo d. Geoff
Smythe 21-10,21-7.
Men's 60's Doubles:
Rudy Guzman/Garrison
d. Eng Nichols 21-8,4-2
Injury Forfeit
Guy Hoover/Rich Polson
d. C. Arciniega/John
Field 21-3,21-2.
Mike Flores/Jes Lopez d.
Guy Hoover/Rich Polson
21-13,21-15.
45
Martin Garcia, Emmett Peixoto
Isidro Garcia, Sean Lenning
Mando Ortiz , Emmett Peixoto
Erik Torres, Vic Perez
Luis Bustos, Emmett Peixoto
Sean Lenning, Emmett Peixot.
Vic Perez, Arturo Suarez
Emmett Peixoto, Mando Ortiz
Match point
Vic Perez, Sean Lenning
Mando Ortiz, Emmett Peixoto
The famous glass wall.
46
Women’s Pro-Players-In-Training
Anthony Sullivan, Mando Ortiz
Linda and Danny Carrillo
Vic Perez, Mando Ortiz, Al
Quitoriano
Vic Perez, Mando Ortiz, Luis
Bustos
Anthony Sullivan, Mando Ortiz, Luis
Bustos
Joe Sandoval and Ron
Strausbaugh
Sean Lenning, Jorge Mendiola
BBQ!
Ron Strausbaugh and
triumphant Sam Olivares
Ron Strausbaugh and Mike
Flores (Tourney Director)
47
Gabe Delao and Dorothy
Ramirez
The Fresno Handball Club ran an exciting tournament.
Matt Sullivan and Bob Deltorre
Gabe Delao, Nacio Delgado, Brandon Ramirez, Martin Garcia
Ron Strausbaugh, Geoff
Smythe
HoFer Jerry Fagundes watches
grandson Isaac
Luis Bustos, Nacio Delgado, Mike Flores, Anthony Sullivan.
48
NorCal Men win 7 Gold Medals at the World's Handball
Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
Saturday August 22nd
2015 ... the World Finals!
Starting at 8am, and
going throughout the
day, tired but proud
players shook off their
aches and pains
to compete one more
day to decide which
color they would bring
back to their country ...
silver or gold.
Kevan receives the gold medal from
Tournament Director Guy Martin
Kevan, Guy Martin, Curt Creed
Kevan, Lew Buckingham
Kevan Del Grande
Los Gatos, CA
Grand Master and the
reigning World
Champion Kevan Del
Grande was competing
for two medals, in the
Men's 80 Singles &
Doubles. Kevan had
been playing multiple
matches down at the
San Jose YMCA against
legitimate "A" players to
polish his game for
Canada. It worked.
Kevan played Lew
Buckingham
(Greencastle, PA) in the
Semi's. Lew used a Pro
Lob Serve that would
have made David
Chapman jealous. But
Kevan is the ultimate
competitor, and tried
various ways to cut off
the serve and get Lew
out of the front court. In
the finals, Kev faced the
crafty southpaw Curt
Creed (Wichita, KS) who
has a nice hop and pass
shot. Kev cut off volley
shots, and kept Creed
deep in the right side
with a "reverse fist" serve
that faded into the back
corner. Kev won 21-10,217. When asked about the
match, Curt could only
say "same guy, same
result".
Kevan took that
momentum into his Men's
Doubles Finals, and along
with dream partner
Charlie Wicker (Tucson,
AZ), bested Ben
Marguglio/Lew
Buckingham (Dallas,
TX/Greencastle, PA) 215,21-13 to get the rare
World Championship
SLAM. A tired but happy
Del Grande remains the
World Champion, he
continues to beat Father
Time, and remains the
"guy to beat". Inspiring ...
amazing ... insert your own
adjective! Like the Rockies
outside the courts, Kev
continues to "hike every
mountain, ford every
stream". Congrats to the
Grand Master and current
US National/World
Champion!
Keith Thode
congratulates Kevan
49
Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (cont.)
Ed CampbellL
Granite Bay, CA
One of the most
stunning performances
at the World's belongs
to Watsonville-nowGranite Bay resident Ed
Campbell. An unseeded
(!) Ed faced the best of
the best, on his march to
the Gold Medal. In the
Men's Singles Small Ball
Veteran Super (65+)
Ed defeated:
Quarterfinals:
(# 1 Seeded) Dan Scilley
(Red Lodge, MT) 21-9,218. Dan has numerous
National titles.
Eugene Kennedy and Ed Campbell
Eugene congratulates Ed on the win.
Semifinals:
Greg Raya, with many
National titles, (Las
Vegas, NV) could not
keep up with Ed in the
tie-break losing 21-2,1121,11-4.
Finals:
(# 2 Seeded and former
World Champion)
Eugene Kennedy
(Dublin, Dublin) 21-15, 621, 11-7. This was a 2
hour Battle Royale. In
the dictionary under
"toughness" you'll see
Eugene's picture. There
is no quit in this proud
Irishman, who was
fighting to hold onto his
World title. Ed Campbell
was also feeling the
pressure of the long
week, the 3,500 foot
altitude, and the deep
Kennedy crack serves.
At one point in the
match, the referee
"donated" a timeout to
the players, who were
fighting to keep conscious
after multiple 20 shot
rallies. In the end, the
"sprinters" legs of Ed
Campbell allowed him to
weather the storm and fire
in a few more kill shots for
the win. Both men
struggled to simply get
through the court door
after leaving everything
they had on the court.
Great for the spectators,
rough on the players
because Eugene had a
doubles finals in the next
hour! (...and yes, he won!
How?! These guys are just
made of "different stuff").
An amazing triumph for
Eugene and the Kennedy
family, a World title in the
Men's 65's Doubles, and a
Silver Medal in the Men's
60+ Singles Big Ball One
Wall 60+.
Dan Scilley and Ed
Campbell
50
Jim Smith
Watsonville, CA
In the Men's Doubles (70+), Watsonville handball star
Jim Smith teamed with Bill Morse (Boise, ID) to defeat
Thomas Olson/Dennis Tallman (Vergas, MN/West
Fargo, ND) 9-21,21-14,11-7. Jim is a USHA Grand Master,
a 4-and-3wall specialist,
was coming off of knee surgery, and was still doing was
he does best - win. Great job Jim, congratulations on
your World title.
Jim “Smitty” Smith fires in a backwall shot.
Jim’s bolo fist punch kept his opponents in the
backcourt.
Somehow the ball is still-up-in-the-air while Jim is
shaking hands with his opponent.
51
Terry Britt
Castro Valley, CA
Terry Britt and Jack Prather
If you ever played in the
Super Bowl Tournament
in Pleasanton, California,
you'll have seen the
hand and foot work of
the fiery Terry Britt. World
new comer Terry
decided to try the Men's
Singles Super Master B
(60+). Terry was
unseeded, and never
lost a game. In the finals,
he played the
tenacious 3-wall player
Jack Prather (Hamilton,
OH). This was probably
Terry biggest challenge,
and as he admitted "my
offhand (ie. right) did
not miss". Along with
killshots and diving
paddleshots, Terry kept
the tall Prather in the
backcourt, owned the
"red carpet", and never
let up to get the title
21-18,21-11.
Lance Myers
San Ramon, CA
In the Men's Doubles Super
Masters B (60+), Terry
teamed up with long-time
partner and fitness expert
Lance Myers (San Ramon,
CA) to defeat Chuck
Gause/Steve Hamrick
(Athol,Idaho/Green
Valley,AZ) 21-5,21-7.
Opponents averaged a
scant 5 points per game
against the "guys from
Pleasanton". Lance gets
the gold, and Terry
brought back "The Slam".
Good job fellas!
Terry congratulated by Jack
Lance, opponent, and Terry
The World’s Logo, Lance Myers, and Terry Britt
52
So that was the NorCal result. The USA is like a Dutch
boy trying to hold back a leaky dam with a single
finger ... basically the Irish is fielding strong teams
everywhere, across the board, Men and Woman, to
dominate the "Perfect Game" for decades to
come. We've seen 11 year olds, with beautiful Irish
jerseys, hitting fist shots to the ceiling. We've seen
the Irish woman get involved in large numbers and
elevate their game. The Men's Open Semi's and the
Women's Open Semi's were all-Ireland. Although
they are truly proud of this accomplishment, they
also admit enjoying the competition from other
countries. From Canada, to the USA and Mexico ...
the Irish have set the bar ... will the rest of the world
meet this challenge? But meanwhile ... CONGRATS
TO THE IRISH PLAYERS, COACHES AND FAMILIES. They
have truly embraced the game, made it fun, filled
the draws, and kept the grand traditions alive and
well. Erin Braugh!
A quick look at "other" World results:
In 1-Wall action:
In the Men's Singles Small Ball Open: Sean Lenning
(Shoreline,WA) d. Victor Lopierre (Richmond Hill,NY)
21-16,21-9.
In the Men's Singles Big Ball Open: Timothy Gonzalez
(Bronx,NY) d. Tywan Cook (Brooklyn,NY) 21-9,21-15.
In the Women's Singles Big Ball Open: Danielle
Daskalakis (Brooklyn,NY) d. Sandy Ng (Brooklyn,NY)
10-21,21-19,11-9.
In the Men's Doubles Small Ball Open: Joseph
Kaplan/William Polanco (Brooklyn,NY/Brooklyn,NY)
d. Andres Calle/Timothy Gonzalez (Middle
Village,NY/Bronx,NY) 21-19,21-19.
In the Men's Doubles Big Ball Open:
Tywan Cook/William Polanco (Brooklyn,
NY/Brooklyn, NY) d. Andres Calle/Timothy Gonzalez
(Middle Village, NY/Bronx, NY) 21-6,21-20.
In the Women's Doubles Big Ball Open
Danielle Daskalakis/Sandy Ng (Brooklyn,
NY/Brooklyn, NY) d. Karen McConney/Lorraine
Havern (Jamaica, NY/Newry, Co. Down) 21-14,2116. (Danielle SLAMMED!)
In 4-Wall action:
Men's Open Singles Semis:
Paul Brady : Loughduff, Co. Cavan
Robert Mccarthy : Westmeath, Co Westmeath
Killian Carroll : Cork, Munster
Diarmaid Nash : Scariff, Co. Clare
-> Paul Brady d. Killian Carroll 21-8,21-2.
Women's Open Singles Semis:
Aisling Reilly : Belfast, Co. Antrim
Ciana Ni Churraoin : Galway, Co Na Gaillimhe
Martina McMahon : Limerick, Munster
Catriona Casey : Ballydesmond, Co. Cork
->Aisling Reilly d. Catriona Casey (10-21),21-16,11-6.
In the Men's Open Doubles:
Diarmaid Nash/Robert McCarthy (Scariff,
Co.Clare/Westmeath,Co Westmeath) d. Joseph
McCann/Rikki O'Gara
Ballaghaderreen,Co.Roscommon/Roscommon,Co.
Roscommon) 21-18,21-4. (Previous World Champions
Americans Andy Nett/Luis Moreno Minneapolis,
MN/Tucson,AZ) were defeated by Nash/Mccarthy 215,21-5).
In the Women's Open Doubles:
Martina McMahon/Aisling Reilly Limerick,Munster
/Belfast,Co.Antrim) d. Aishling O'Keeffe/Catriona Casey
(Mallow, Co.Cork,Co.Cork/Ballydesmond,Co.Cork)
21-15,21-13. This gave Aisling Reilly the World "SLAM"!
53
"O Canada" ... the World Handball Championships
Experience
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
Over 700+ players made
their way to the great
country of Canada, and
over half (!) the players
were from the Emerald
Isle of Ireland.
Peyto Lake and the Canadian Rockies
Ireland and USA’s top players at the BBQ
Calgary made a huge
investment in facilities,
notably the construction
of brand-new 1-Wall
courts to enable 1-Wall
Small and Big Ball
competition. The
weather was beautiful ...
crisp mornings, longeared Jack rabbits
escorted players to the
University of Calgary
recreational center.
Yes, there was altitiude
... 3,500 feet. Players had
to adjust their shots,
because all kill shots
were staying up, rallies
got extended, and
cardio-vascular was
being tested. Perfect for
determining a World
Champion.
On days off, players
enjoyed the beauty of
Banff and the incredible
stone Fairmont Hotel,
the glacial waters of
Lake Louise, and the
wildness and beauty of
the Rockies of Jasper
National State Park.
Opening Ceremonies
Canada truly has "Wild
life" ... chipmunks, jack
rabbits, and deer. Elk?
Moose? Bear? We
looked but the warmer
temperatures chased
them up to high altitudes.
Yet somehow San
Francisco's Jim Silla was
standing at a bus stop
and saw 2 moose. Go
figure.
In Canada, restrooms are
called "washrooms".
At the University, we saw
the world class speed
skaters from China train
at the "Olympic Oval" that
was built for the 1998
Olympics. The coaches
from China were all
business, and it was
inspiring to see this level of
dedication.
Another observation from
the handball action: to
see the Junior winners
console and put their arm
around their fellow Irish
competitor after the last
point was played. Very
special to see, good
sportsmanship is obviously
taught at an early age.
Now the tremendous
matches: there were
marquee battles
EVERYWHERE! Here's
highlighting just two of
them:
Sean Lenning vs. Robbie
McCarthy in the Men's
Open:
A classic. Sean Lenning
was sore from winning the
1-Wall World title earlier in
the week, yet dug deep
to battle the athletic
and finely conditioned
Robbie McCarthy. With
Coach/Dad Robbie
54
Experience (cont.)
Ireland’s great Michael “Ducksy” Walsh serves
USA’s Marcos Chavez
cheering him on, Robbie
looked good in the 1st
game. In the 2nd game,
Sean reapplied himself,
hitting impossible angles
and crisp passes to push
the match into a tie
break. In the tie break,
no one could get a
burst of points, they
traded scores back and
forth till the end. On
match point, Robbie
had a wide-open killshot
into the left corner that
un-explicable fell short.
Then Sean himself had a
look at a wide-open
backwall setup to finish
the match and
somehow Robbie got
the ball back. Finally
Robbie served for the
match to win 10-10 in
the tiebreak.
Michael "Ducksy" Walsh
vs. Marcos Chavez in
the Men's 40's:
New York ballplayer and NorCal’s Loren and
Anthony Collado at the BBQ in Fort Calgary
True Irishmen call him
"Michael", and once
again the Great Walsh
reminded everyone why
he is one of Ireland's
greatest champions.
The 2nd game was a
masterpiece. Marcos
played tenacious, with
all of his incredible
range and wrist shots.
But the technical level
of Michael's game is
peerless ... as pristine as
the Rocky's, as precise
as a laser beam, as
unforgiving as the
Sahara desert. Walsh is a
throwback to the "Irish
Whip", and it whipped
reverse
serves to Marcos left that
died in the corner. If
Marcos could get a hand
on it, Michael would wait
... and wait ... for Marcos
to make a move. If he
moved forward, a vicious
pass shot was hit. If
Marcos laid back, Michael
hit beautiful reverse kills
into the right corner
that "squeaked" they were
so low and angled.
Ducksy also was the
master of deception ...
waiting to the last minute
to "sell" a shot down the
left, only to do a "whip fist"
down the right that had
Marcos futilely chasing the
ball. In the 2nd game,
Ducksy was up by about
13-2 when Marcos made
a shot and mimed "reeling
Walsh in". Michael's
response? A vicious, low
roll out that had a little
extra heat on it in
response. At one point,
Marcos hit a kill and
exclaimed "that's a Paul
Brady kill!". Later, Michael
rolled out a beautiful kill
and responded "THAT'S a
Ducksy Walsh kill!". The
gamesmanship was all
good natured, and
seemed to bring out the
competitive juices in
Walsh who relished a
good challenge and
dominated the American
21-15, 21-10. An
unbelievable match, not
video-recorded, but
witnessed by a lucky
USA/Irish crowd. We play
handball. These guys are
playing a different game,
at a different level, and it
was a privilege to see
55
Experience (cont.)
and experience such world-class play.
P.S. Michael Walsh *also* collected a
Gold Medal for the "Men's Singles Big Ball One Wall 40+".
Once again, Erin Braugh!
Lake Moraine and the majestic Rockies
Erik Torres retrieves from
Martin Mulkerrins in the
“Contender’s” bracket
Paul Brady, Kevan Del Grande, Aisiling Reilly, Merv Deckert
NorCal’s Jim Silla, Sue, Terry Britt, Sharon
Linnik, Rory Moore, Mike Linnik
Mounted Police’s
James Macleod
The Japanese had shirts
made for the World’s
Women’s Open action Rory Moore elevates
Deer let us walk right up
and snap away.
Ned Corrigan caught
all of the h'ball action.
56
Paul Brady - Greatest World's Handball Champion of All
Time
Dublin, Ireland-
Great to see such a crowd at Dublin Airport this
morning to welcome back our Team Ireland from
the 2015 World Handball Championships - Great
efforts by all involved with GAA Handball and a
special Congrats to Paul Brady on his fifth
successive World title.
The form that made Cavan’s Paul Brady
the most feared player for 15 years.
Killian Carroll waits for Paul’s return in the
Men’s Open Finals. Courtesy Keith Thode.
GAA (Gaelic Athletic
Association) President
Aogan O'Fearghail
greets 5 time world
champion Paul Brady on
his arrival back to Dublin
airport.
Calgary, Alberta,
CanadaPaul Brady entered the
Men’s Open Final
seeking his
unprecedented fifth
consecutive world
title in the past 12 years,
while Killian Carroll
entered the event as
the # 7 seed and a dark
horse to make the
semifinals. Brady
narrowly escaped a
tiebreaker in his
quarterfinal victory
against Charlie Shanks
and demolished Irish
team captain Robbie
McCarthy in the
semifinals to earn his
spot in the final. Killian
Carroll overcame a 16-3
first game deficit and
first-game loss against
U.S. # 1 Luis Moreno in
the quarterfinals to win a
thrilling 11-9 tiebreaker
and defeated frequent
rival Diarmaid Nash in
two games in the
semifinals to reach the
final.
The final was one-way
traffic, as are most Paul
Brady finals. Taking control
of the match with the best
serve in the game, Brady
was never pressed at any
point in the match. “I
guess I just have good
genes and that allows me
to play my best handball
late in tournaments,”
stated Brady when asked
how he plays his best
handball in the finals.
“I just feel looser and less
stiff as the tournament
wears on.”
Brady allowed just eight
points to his countryman in
game one and raced to a
15-0 lead in game two,
leaving no doubt as to
who is the best player in
the world. Brady would
allow Carroll just two
points in the second
game, likely making his
fifth title his most dominant
title. “I knew I had to play
my best today because if I
didn’t I would have lost,”
stated Brady after the
match. “I put a lot of
training into winning this
event. This will be my last
appearance at the world
championships. I came in
a champion and I want to
leave a champion.” Brady
defeats Carroll: 21-8, 21-2.
Courtesy David Fink WPH
Senior Writer; WPH Youth
and Donor Development
Director
57
Paul Brady - Greatest World's Handball Champion of All
Time (cont.)
From Paul Brady's PostFinals Interview:
University of Calgary,
Canada[Dave] How do you
feel?
[Paul] I feel just relieved,
and thankful it's all over.
It got a bit emotional
there, but, obviously I
just feel proud of myself.
After the Men’s Finals with host CHA –
Canadian Handball Association.
Thanking his fans in Cavan and world wide.
All smiles at the World’s Banquet with Kevan
Del Grande (USA), Aisling Reilly (Gold MedalistWomen’s Open) and Canada’s Merv Deckert
(Gold Medalist).
[Dave] You have a
whole group back in
Cavan where you play
Gaelic football. A lot of
them have the last
name "Brady", and a lot
have the nickname
"Gunner". Talk about it.
[Paul] I wanted to thank
them. I've got a match
on Sunday, I fly out
Saturday, I'll be home
Sunday morning. I've
got to rest and get
ready for Sunday
evening so I got to stay
focused and hopefully
this is the start of a big
year for us (in Gaelic
Football). So I want to
thank all the people in
my home parish, and
my family in particular
and all my friends back
home.
[Dave] You've won your
10th (US) National title,
and now you've won
your 5th consecutive
World title. How does this
compare to the 1st
four?
[Paul] I wanted to live a
World Champion and I
wanted to die a World
Champion.
That's the way I'm going to
leave it now. I don't care if
I'm still No.1 (3 years from
now), that's it for me here.
I'm just going to relax and
enjoy my life now.
Obviously I want to win
some more Nationals and
I'm looking forward to the
(WPH) Tour this year, the
US Open next, and
obviously I want to thank
you (WPH) guys, it inspires
me to keep going, and I'll
keep pushing myself for
another year.
[Dave] When this career
ends, are you done with
Open competition? Will
will see you still playing the
sport?
[Paul] I'm unsure if I will. On
some level I'll always be
around the sport, it's been
my life for so long. One of
the goals I have is to
coach someday, try to
coach athletes and
coach teams and do
great things there.
Hopefully the next chapter
of my life will be even
better. Life is for living, and
I only get one chance at
it, so I want to make the
best of it. If I have kids I'll
have them play the game
as well, I'll be able to
coach them a bit, teach
them a thing or two.
Courtesy of WPH's Dave
Vincent and Dave Fink
58
Improve your Game...Learn to Win
"Never Give Up". This is the book you've been waiting
for. Build a Handball Machine.
. Break through to the next level and WIN.
. Secrets to winning handball tournaments.
. The first thing to improve your game.
. The rule of 10.
. Scouting your opponent.
. Developing a game plan.
. Eat to win.
. The top ten mistakes made by players.
. ... and more. Over 500 tips to improve your game.
The Book.
All proceeds go to Junior/Youth Handball programs (ie.
USHA’s 1st Ace, Junior WPH, NCHA). Or your local handball
coach. You designate. "The game is 90% mental" ... we do a
deep dive and explain what that means. Help yourself.
Help Youth programs. Make it happen. Start winning.
To browse a few pages go to:
http://www.teamclehandball.net/PowerBook/index.html
Order at:
. USHA: http://www.ushandball.org/webStore5/
. WPH: http://wphlive.tv/category/products/misc/
. Or email mikelinnik@yahoo.com ... will inscribe it, too
Your Breakthrough.
All donations help fund Youth/Junior programs
World-wide.
Thanks, Coach Mike
. 6-time National Champion
. World Silver Medalist
. 3 time Open Champion
. Las Vegas One-Wall Champ
. San Jose YMCA Youth Handball Coach
. Winning Coach of the California Cup
59
In Memory … Hayam “Hi” Fujii
Palmer, Walt Firstbrook, and
Greg Payne. For years at
the San Jose YMCA Labor
Day
Tourney he would be "the
guy" taking pictures of all
the finalists.
Hayam “Hi” Fujii
Hayami "Hi" Fujii was a regular at
the San Jose YMCA. Hi was a
lifelong "C" player, who just
enjoyed being on the court and
competing with his handball
brethren like Glenn
From his wife Phyllis: "Hi just
passed in his sleep
peacefully this morning. I
know he really missed his
handball group and
enjoyed playing with you
all. It made him so happy
when
he would go to the Y and
spend his days on the court
or in the gym".
"Hi" was a great, upbeat guy,
he played for many years, and
he will be missed – The San Jose
Handball Club.
60
2015 Boosters of the NCHA … much appreciated!
Diamond
Vic Aissa
David Balestrieri
Roy Bukstein
Geoff Capell
Bill Conlon
Mike Dunne Sr
Mike Kelly
Brad Komsthoeft
Tom Lynch
Tom McGee
Dennis Roberts
Harry Schlitt
James Silla
Tom Sove
Stephen Wise
Platinum
Lance Meyer
Tom Urquhart
Gold
Isaac Burns
Alex Dierkhising
Pete Garris
Robert Hackl
Jurdy Hughes
Marty Itzkowitz
Ken Moeller
Ben Thum
Al Wehrly
Silver
Cy Epstein
David Kennedy
Mike McDonald
Jim Peixoto
Tom Ricci
61
Next World Handball Championships … Alaska in 2018
The 2018 World Handball Championship will take place from September 20th to 30th
in Anchorage, Alaska USA. “Yes”. It’s early … but start a piggybank account now.
Organizers are excited about bringing more handball to Alaska after successful
Pro Stops and a USHA National Master’s events. They attended the World’s in Canada,
and hope to duplicate their success. Of course, like Canada, Alaska offers raw
natural beauty to the players and their families. Also, it takes people to run a huge
tournament like the World’s, so try to reach out and help/volunteer.
62
Tournament Schedule
September 2015
12th: NCHA Play Day in Concord at the "Big C" Athletic Club
Contact: Sean Haley 925-356-1197 sean@seanhaley.net
Flyer on http://www.norcalhandball.org/
26th,27th: 2015 Golden Gate Park "Frank Vasquez Sr Memorial" Doubles
Contact: Wayne Black 707-773-2710 rocketman51@comcast.net
Entry on http://www.norcalhandball.org/
Deadline is September 20th.
October 2015
10th: 2015 Fleet Week Doubles "Age Brackets 100,120" Tournament, S.E.R.C.
Contact: Jim Silla 415-850-7020 jsjimbo@comcast.net
Info on http://www.norcalhandball.org/
22nd-25th: 2015 US Open of Handball and 25TH Naty Alvarado Classic
Los Caballeros Indoor - Fountain Valley, California
Contact: Naty Alvarado 760-221-9737 nalvarado@usopenofhandball.com
Enter at http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=13448
24th-25th: A K (Kevin) Soulies Memorial Doubles only Handball Tournament
Sacramento Elk’s Lodge
Contact: Steve Williams 209-993-7370 bigcahona99@yahoo.com
or…Ron Domingos 916-479-0448 ron.domingos@dss.ca.gov
31st,Nov.1st: 2015 Hall of Fame Doubles Tournament, San Mateo, CA
Contact: Tom Sove 209-404-6394 tsove@sbcglobal.net
November 2015
20th-22nd: 2015 35th Annual Parkpoint Turkey Shoot Tournament
Contact: Niamh Winslow niamh@parkpointhealthclub.com
Contact: John Nikula 707-544-6757 nicknik@sbcglobal.net
Entry (not yet posted) http://www.norcalhandball.org/
63
Tournament Schedule (cont.)
December 2016
26-30th: USHA National Juniors 4-wall Tournament
Latoff YMCA, Des Plaines, Illinois
Contact: USHA 520-795-0434 handball@ushandball.org
January 2016
February 2016
6-7th: Super Bowl "Fred Bancalari Invitational" Tournament
Enter on R2Sports (not yet posted).
24-28th: 64th USHA National Collegiate Champinships, Minneapolis, MN
University Recreation & Wellness
University of Minnesota
123 SE Harvard St
Minneapolis, MN 55455
March 2016
April 2016
7-10th: 2016 Masters Doubles Invitational
Los Caballeros Fountain Valley, CA
Contact: SCHA Larry Fisher lfisher15@yahoo.com
May 2016
5-8th: 2016 Masters Singles Invitational
Multnomah Athletic Club Portland, OR
June 2016
USHA 4-Wall National Championships
See USHA for details.
Note: Got a date for your tourney? Let us know!
64
From the Editor
1. Tournament Directors/Players: take pictures and write up your event. Big ball, small ball, 13-4 wall, it can be featured in here to get the word out.
2. NCHA: become a member. Or become a 3 year member for $50 - that’s a nickel a day.
3. Keep Handball in plain sight: printout "The Scoop" and place in the gallery of your YMCA,
Lodge, Club, or Pub. Good reading while waiting for an open court.
4. Lots of great tournaments in Sept/Oct/Nov … you can get info and flyers from
http://www.norcalhandball.org
5. If you can’t play in the San Mateo Hall-of-Fame, come out for the dinner! Good time
guaranteed, keep a great tradition going. It’s October 31st. yes you can come dressed as
a pirate.
Mahalo,
Mike
65
NCHA Scoop Newsletter
Bill Risko- Played for the San
Francisco 49ers back in the
1940’s. Played handball
couple times a week for 40+
years. Always helped out
with the cooking at the San
Jose Labor Day tournament.
Welded a beer keg into a
"wine steamer" to keep the
grilled chicken warm for
players. Always interested in
handball players and their
battles. Soft voice, big man.
E-mail
mikelinnik@yahoo.com
The Newsletter for the
Would-Be Champion
Check our website out for
updates to the Handball
Schedule
Bill’s picture on the San Jose YMCA’s
challenge board.
ABOUT
THE
The NCHA is a voluntary
organization composed of
handball players who want
to contribute to the
"Perfect Game."
The Northern California
Handball Association
(NCHA) fosters the
development of handball
in Northern California and is
the regional governing
body of the United States
Handball Association.
There are many ways to
contribute, including
membership, coaching
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
HANDBALL ASSOCIATION
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
www.norcalhandball.org
MEMBER NAME
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP
NCHA
and mentoring young
handball players,
supporting the Handball
Hall of Fame, joining the
NCHA Board, contributing
your time, talents, and
money, or playing in our
regional tournament.

Scoop_Sept_2015 - Northern California Handball Association

Transcription

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