VENICE BEACH, Calif. – New National Champions were crowned on Saturday and Sunday at the Venice Beach Handball Courts.
Saturday brought big ball action, and several of California’s finest up and coming big ball players were on site to compete for a national title. Santa Ana Handball Club Coach Gilbert Granado coordinated for many of his junior players to compete, and they had a successful day, winning multiple national titles.
Many California Big Ball Juniors had a successful weekend.
One of the most exciting matches of the day came in the big ball 17 and under final, where Patrick Leyva outlasted Freddy Reyes Jr. in a thrilling final, where Leyva pulled away late in both games to claim the title.
Reyes Jr. got his revenge in the 17 and under doubles, when he teamed with Jose Arellano to defeat Leyva and his partner Kevin Batiz in what was the last match of the day. Reyes Jr. and Arellano withstood a huge comeback from Leyva and Batiz to close out the match in front of a packed crowd.
Small ball finals were played Sunday morning, and the crowd was treated to several exciting finishes.
The first final of the day was the 13 and under, and pitted California’s Kevin Batiz against New Mexico’s Isaac Holguin. After dropping game one, Batiz fought back to claim game two and three to win the final. Batiz completed the singles slam in the 13’s as he won both the small ball and big ball division.
The 15 and under saw Tucson’s Tonalli Perales-Valencia take out Colorado’s Diego Rodriguez. Perales-Valencia and Rodriguez had some impressive long rallies but Perales-Valencia was able to close out his opponent to win 21-13, 21-14.
The 17 and under went to Colorado’s up and coming star Eliseo Gutierrez. Gutierrez overcame a slow start to defeat Jose Arellano in two straight games in the final.
The most anticipated final of the day was the 19 and under final between Tucson’s Ayden Brule and Santa Barbara’s Bryan Trejo. Each player has been a star at Venice Beach, racking up multiple national titles. The final did not disappoint, and showcased the highest level of handball from the tournament. Brule played his best match of the weekend, and fought through many momentum swings to win both games, and the title. Brule is just 16 years old and is becoming one of the most decorated juniors of all time.
Brule and Gutierrez played up together to win the 19 and under doubles final over Arellano and Trejo to close out the day with their second title each.
Gutierrez (swinging) and Brule (left) each added two national titles over the weekend, including winning the 19 and under doubles together.
A big thank you to the Southern California Handball Association for their amazing hospitality and giving the kids such a great tournament experience. Thank you to the all of the volunteers who helped the tournament run smoothly. Lastly, thank you to the coaches who brought their kids to the tournament, it will give them life-long memories.
VENICE BEACH, Calif. – After a four-year absence, the National Three-Wall Junior Championships returned to Venice Beach Rec Center which is just off the world famous boardwalk and Muscle Beach. Small ball competition began on Friday, as most seeds advanced in the singles and doubles divisions. Big ball divisions begin Saturday morning and will be continued throughout the day.
On Thursday, before matches started, juniors were given a tour of Las Angeles Fire Department Station 69. The LAFD has a deep history linked to handball, many of the stations have handball courts on site.
Players were treated to a station tour by former National Champion Tati Silverya with Sal Castillon, and at the end were also gifted LAFD shirts.
See the updated results and progress of matches HERE.
————————————————————————————————– Times and draws are now available.Please know that these are subject to change and players and coaches should continue to check them up until the day of the event.Players should arrive 15 minutes prior to their match start time and be readier for earlier start times in the later rounds, especially on Saturday.
The 2023 USHA Junior Three-Wall Nationals return to the Venice Beach Handball Courts this year July 14-16!
The Los Angeles Fire Department will be giving a tour of Fire Station 69 Thursday, at 2:30PM. All players are welcome. Address: 15045 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Players and spectators will be just steps away from the beach and next to the famous Venice Beach Boardwalk and Muscle Beach. The Southern California Handball Association has tremendous hospitality planned for the kids. Come join us for a great weekend of handball and fun!
How to sign up: Contact the USHA at 520-795-0434 or enter HERE, or Enter through the Southern California Handball Association by contacting your local SCHA representative.
Address of the courts: Venice Beach Recreation Center- 1800 Ocean Front Walk Venice, CA 90291.
When will divisions play?
Small ball divisions are expected to begin Friday and continue through the weekend.
Big Ball divisions will begin on Saturday and are expected to conclude on Sunday morning. Big Ball matches will be one 21-point game until the finals.
TUCSON — The Inaugural USHA National Three-Wall Masters Doubles & WPH Icebreaker Pro Doubles wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with all Masters division finals. The WPH Icebreaker Pro Doubles began an completed a tough eight-team draw on Saturday with Luis and Daniel Cordova stopping Sam Esser and Braulio Ruiz, 15-1, 15-8. Read the WPH’s full write-up of the Icebreaker Pro Doubles HERE.
A special thank you to Scott Cleveland, Jim Verhaeghe and Russ Whitten for providing special Ole Pueblo hospitality (taco bar!) for the event all day Saturday.
Thank you to tournament donors and supporters: Doug Clark, Jeff Healam, Art Benitez.
With temps staying in the low 90s and partially sunny, players enjoyed ideal conditions the entire weekend–many enjoying the warm respite from the winter weather back home. San Diego Handball was well-represented on Championship Sunday. Bobby Nicholas played some of the best handball of the weekend, winning each of his divisions–the only player to achieve the feat and win his 10th Masters Division National title.
The first match of the day featured Dan Zimet and Bobby Nicholas against Southern California’s Tommy Valenzuela and Jim Ramirez in the Golden Masters (50-plus) final. Both teams brought tremendous athleticism and shot-making ability to the contest. Valenzuela brings a dangerous serve-and-shoot game with an equally talented Ramirez playing the right side. The combination of Zimet along with Nicholas proved too much for any team to handle. Zimet darted across the front court while a relentless Nicholas blasted the ball seemingly from anywhere he could set up. After dropping the first game, Valenzuela and Ramirez made a late run in the second, trying to extend the match to a tiebreaker. Zimet and Nicholas answered their opponent’s rally by regaining the serve and closing out match point, 21-12, 21-18.
In the Diamond Masters (70-plus) final, Gary Eisenbooth (CA) and Bob Dyke (VA) could do no wrong in the first game, while National Three-Wall finalists, Ed Campbell (CA) and Tim Murray (FL) couldn’t find their rhythm early. It produced a lopsided 21-1 result that indicated the final may come to a quick conclusion. The second game was slug-fest, with Campbell being more aggressive while Murray dug deep to power drives against their opponents. Dyke and Eisenbooth answered each point, keeping the game in doubt before Campbell asserted his will and helped his team force the tiebreaker, winning 21-19. The long second game didn’t help their chances in the tiebreaker, as Eisenbooth and Dyke secured the title with an 11-3 victory.
In the Veteran Diamond (75-plus) Round Robin decider, Rob Nichols and Art Brooks played the spoilers to Jim Smith and Bob Bardwell’s title run indicating why EVERY match, game and point in a round robin format can be crucial. Brooks was a late substitute partner for Nichols on Friday afternoon just before play began. On Sunday, Bardwell and Smith began the day in first place after their tiebreaker win over Dave Ackerman and Peter Anderson the day before.
Nichols and Brooks dropped their first match on Friday to Ackerman and Anderson in two games. On Sunday, they looked like a different team.
“We played loose and didn’t think about any outcome on the leader board.” Nichols stated.
Nichols stayed off his heals and attacked the ball, converting most of his shots into kills or passes. Brooks played well up front, retrieving or rekilling the majority of shots hit his. While the teams traded wins by the exact score in the first two games, Nichols and Brooks built a 9-4 lead in the tiebreaker before sealing the win, 13-21, 21-13, 11-7.
Both Ackerman and Anderson politely showed up Sunday morning, thinking they were only making an appearance for a runner-up trophy and picture; however, they earned the championship by virtue of the round robin tiebreaker format. Their title was determined by Rule 5.9.(3) Fewest Games Lost tiebreaker. Nichols and Brooks secured second place by virtue of the head-to-head result against Bardwell and Smith.
The Senior (35-plus) final saw the match’s momentum continually shift for each team. Bill Mehilos and Adam Szatkowski survived a game one blitz from brothers Adam and Dan Zimet, (21-2) to turn things around in game two by building a big lead. But the Zimet brothers didn’t concede easily, mounting a comeback to nearly even the score before Mehilos and Szatkowski forced a third game, winning 21-17. Things stayed close in the tiebreaker, with both teams playing to a 9-9 tie before Mehilos and Szatkowski notched an 11-9 win.
The Super Masters (60-plus) didn’t go to three games, but it was by far the closest match of the day. Scott Walker (OH) and Lloyd Garcia (WY) battled San Diego’s Marc Penick and Bob Nicholas in two marathon games. Penick and Nicholas prevailed, winning 21-20, 21-20, with Nicholas dramatically ending the match with a 50 foot rollout kill–a fitting end for his second doubles title of the day.
Finally, the Veteran Super (65-plus) final was between current Three-Wall Champions Bob Bardeau / Phil Kirk (OH) against Lloyd Garcia / Bob Paulsen (WY/CO). Garcia and Paulsen have played well against the pair from Ohio, but Kirk and Bardeau pulled away late to close a tough back-and-forth first game, 21-15. In the second, Kirk and Bardeau hit their stride to take the final, 21-5.
Thank you to all the players and supporters who made this event happen. It was an incredible collaboration with the WPH, and we hope to offer it again next year!
All five of the beautiful courts at the WPH Outdoor 3-Wall Handball “Clark Park” at Randolph were buzzing with activity as play begin Friday
The Inaugural USHA National Three-Wall Masters Doubles & WPH Icebreaker Pro Doubles kicks off on Friday afternoon at WPH Outdoor 3-Wall Handball “Clark Park” at Randolph (200 S Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85711).
The Vince Gabriel Sportsmanship Award winner Collin Beturne with Head Coach Abraham Montijo
TUCSON — Day three saw several more champions crowned in both the small ball and big ball divisions.
Eliseo Gutierrez became the first champ of the day when he finished off his sweep through the 5 person round robin in the 13 and under. Gutierrez was dominant in every match and certainly has a bright future.
The 21 and under final between provided the match of the tournament when Tucson’s Jorge Pimentel took on Juarez’s Alejandro Garcia. Garcia took a commanding game one lead, but Pimentel began to crawl his way back. Pimentel stepped into the service box at 19-20 but could not convert on a setup, giving Garcia the serve and ultimately a game one win. Pimentel came out fast game two and never let up, defeating Garcia 21-11. The tiebreaker was back and forth. Garcia earned a sideout to get into the service box facing match point down 7-10 after a Pimentel error. Garcia could not take advantage and would end up double faulting, giving Pimentel the serve back where he converted a back-wall set up for the championship.
Check out all of the results HERE and re-watch the action from Wednesday on our Youtube page by clicking HERE.
Congrats to all of our banquet award winners:
Newcomer of the year: Isaac Holguin Most improved player: Nathan Stoffel Vince Gabriel Sportsmanship award: Collin Beturne (pictured above)
TUCSON —Day two of the USHA 2021 Junior Four-Wall Nationals saw are first champions being crowned. Ray Ure became the first champion today when he defeated David Sanchez in the 19 and under final 21-4, 21-2. Ure finished off an incredible junior handball career with another title and will look to add one more in the 21 and under doubles with his partner Nathan Stoffel.
The 17 and under final featured Mexico’s Andres Cordova vs Minnesota’s Nathan Stoffel. Cordova showed off his vastly improved game by running Stoffel all around the court, and claiming victory 21-4, 21-5.
In the female 21 and under division, decorated junior players Belisa Camacho and Sophia Della Croce squared off for the final. The two good friends displayed excellent Handball, with Della Croce just edging Camacho 21-19 in the first game. She kept that momentum going in the second game and was able to defeat Camacho 21-11 to win another national title.
The last final was the 11 and under final which saw Luke Lambert defeat fellow Fred Lewis Foundation player Gabe Torgeson 21-13, 21-12. Both players showed that they have a bright future ahead of them!
Follow along with all the results on R2sports by clicking HERE.
TUCSON — Day one of The USHA 2021 Junior Four-Wall Nationals kicked off Monday morning at the Tucson Racquet Club. Every small ball division was in action from the 11 and under to the first ever 21 and under, which was added due to last year’s event being cancelled and several juniors missing out on their last year of eligibility.
Many small ball divisions will have their final played tomorrow morning, and the big ball action will begin in the afternoon. Follow along with all the results on R2sports by clicking HERE.
FINAL DAY (10/18/20) LAS VEGAS — Championship Sunday started with the 3-Wall small ball doubles open final between Daniel/Luis Cordova and Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia. The Cordova brothers were in full control of the first game, never letting Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia get on the scoreboard; however, game two was a different story. Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia came out hot, using the short sidewalls to their advantage. They were able to hold off the Cordova brothers and win 12-10. In the tiebreaker, the Cordovas returned to their first game form, keeping Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia off-balance with great serves and kill shots, never letting up until they won championship point in the tiebreaker, 12-3. The Cordovas continue to show that no matter what type of court they play on, they are a force to be reckoned with.
In the 1-Wall big ball open singles final, Tywan Cook continued his hot streak taking down James Aguilera 25-13. Cook then teamed up with his partner Nazir Marston to take down Aguilera and Samuel Sandford to slam the one wall division. Cook has been lights out this summer, winning the USHA One-Wall small ball nationals last month and now winning a 3wallball world title.
To finish off the day, Josef Gotsch and Anthony Hernandez took down Carlos Marin and Chris Tojin to win the 3-Wall big ball open doubles title. It capped off an incredible run by Gotsch and Hernandez, who hadn’t played together before this fall and entered the draw as the 13 seed.
It was a job well done by the Vegas tournament staff and volunteers to put on a great and safe tournament for everyone. With 200 Handball players and 400 Racquetball players entered, they had their hands full but were well-prepared and up for the task.
You can see the results of all of the brackets here. Thank you!
DAY 2 (10/17/20) – LAS VEGAS– Day 2 in Las Vegas was another long day of handball in the sun with players taking the court at 8:30 a.m. and playing late into the evening.
The highlight of the day was the 3-Wall small ball singles finals, where brothers Daniel and Luis Cordova faced off. Daniel was able to dominate the first game with deep hop serves that earned him easy setups in the frontcourt. He held off a late comeback from Luis to win the first game 12-6. The second game Luis stepped it up, hitting deep power serves and putting down the ball nearly every time he went for a kill shot. Luis took the second game 12-7. The tiebreaker was tight the whole game, but Luis was able to use the short sidewalls (they only go to the short line) to his advantage, making Daniel run side to side. He was able to finish off Daniel 12-8 and take home the title. The brothers will team up tomorrow to take on Carlos Flores and Isidro Garcia for the 3-Wall small ball doubles title.
In the 3-Wall big ball doubles, the 13 seed Josef Gotsch and Anthony Hernandez made an incredible run to the finals upsetting everyone in their path. They will take on the 2 seed Carlos Marin and Chris Tojin tomorrow for the championship.
The 1-Wall Big Ball doubles finals will be between the defending USHA small ball 1-wall champion Tywan Cook and his partner Nazir Marston vs James Aguilera and Samuel Sandford. Both teams have made the trip down from New York and have represented their state well in Vegas. Tywan will also compete for the 1-Wall singles championship tomorrow.
Lastly, in the open Big Ball 3-Wall singles division, 4 players remain, and they will kick off the day tomorrow with their semifinals. All of the top 4 seeds have been eliminated so it will be an upset regardless of who wins.
Check-in tomorrow afternoon for the final results of the tournament. You can see every bracket here.
DAY 1 (10/16/20) – LAS VEGAS — The 3 WallBall World Handball Championships kicked off today in Las Vegas at 9:30 am across the street from the stratosphere hotel. It was a long day at the courts, with the final games finishing up just after midnight. A limited capacity of fans were allowed in to watch, and everyone not playing had to social distance and wear a mask.
Due to the big draw, games were only played to 12 points, including the tiebreaker. Players competed in 3-Wall and 1-Wall with both the small ball and the big ball.
One of the biggest upsets of the day came in the 3-Wall small ball doubles where the 7 seed Carlos Flores and Isidro Garcia took down the 2 seed Max Langmack and Sam Esser. Other than that, most of the top seeds were able to advance. Some of the finals will be played tomorrow, including the 3-Wall small ball open singles.
It will be another early start Saturday, with play beginning at 8:30 a.m. You can follow along with the draws here.
LAS VEGAS — The tentative times and draws are now available here. As always, make sure to double-check your times the day of the tournament.
If you are participating in the tournament, remember to read the Safe Play Flyer here.
Don’t forget that lensed eyewear will be required. Good luck to all of the competitors and you can follow along here for daily recaps from the tournament.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Men’s Open final of the 68th USHA National Collegiate Handball Championships produced an instant classic on Sunday in University of Texas’ Gregory Gym. In a momentum swinging affair, Shane Dunne of IT-Tralee willed himself to the title with an improbable comeback in the final against Galway-Mayo IT’s Diarmuid Mulkerrins, winning 12-21, 21-17, 11-6. When looking at the draw, casual fans wouldn’t expect the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds would reach the championship final. But both players stepped up in the biggest college handball tournament of the year.
Things didn’t start smoothly for the eventual champ. Before the referee called the first score or he’d even set foot on the court, Dunne couldn’t locate his eye guards leaving him scrambling for an alternative. Once he settled on a borrowed pair, he began his pregame ritual warm-up; however, that distraction may have affected his mindset once the match started.
Mulkerrins came out firing on all cylinders, comfortably zipping the ball around the court for some dazzling kills while a frustrated Dunne pressed his shots. While he prevented his opponent from running away with the game too early, Dunne’s shots kept falling short, many skipping off the floor before reaching the wall. Mulkerrins capitalized on all his opportunities to close the first game with a 21-12 victory.
In the second game began, a settled Dunne began to find his grove. Now he began killing the ball from any angle, putting away the majority of the rallies and gaining confidence winning 21-17. It appeared Dunne had all the momentum going into the tiebreaker, but that wouldn’t be the case.
Mulkerrins served first in the tiebreaker and quickly ran off to a 6-0 lead. After a few rally exchanges, Dunne would score his first. Getting that first point fired up the IT-Tralee standout, and he would go on to outscore his opponent 10-0 to get his first National Collegiate title.
In Women’s action, Ciana Ni Churraoin (shown swinging) of Minnesota State, Mankato, defeated Fiona Tully (Dublin City) in her final Collegiate Nationals, 21-11, 21-3. Tully exacted some revenge in the Women’s Open Doubles final, teaming up with partner Meadhbh Ní Dhálaig to stop Ni Churraoin and Maddie Kennedy, 21-5, 21-17.
The final match of the day was by far the most exciting. University of Limerick’s duo of Fergal Coughlin and Tadgh O’Neill snagged the first game from Adam and David Walsh of Cork Institute of Technology 21-19. Team Walsh (no relation) answered big in the second game with flawless execution and teamwork winning 21-15 and setting up a tiebreaker.
With a national title at stake, the intensity on the court picked up a notch. Each team was putting extra zip on serves and making some incredible retrieves during a few long exchanges. While Coughlan and O’Neill held the opportunity to win at match point, the team from Cork IT pulled off the improbable side out and converted championship point. The Walsh’s victory marked their second consecutive doubles title (2019 was also decided by tiebreaker).
See the updated results and match times on the draw links below.
The Saturday night awards banquet was an event that recognized the Most Improved Players, Spirit of Handball Winners, Sabo Scholarship recipients and the winners of the Combined, Men’s and Women’s Team titles.
Kouichi Saito of Pacific University and Jonathan Gutierrez of Front Range Community College were presented with the 2020 John C. Sabo Memorial Scholarships.
William Rangel-Alfaro of Angelo State and Pacific’s Hannah Ramsey were the recipients of the Spirit of Handball Awards (nominated and voted by their peers), and the Most Improved Player Awards were presented to Jordan Turnquest (Colorado School of Mines) and Abby Evan (Pacific).
A very special “THANK YOU” goes to the UT Handball Team, Wayne Lee, UT Handball President Avery Shepherd and the rest of the volunteers who pulled off an amazing event.
Missouri State University is once again on top of the Collegiate Handball World as they captured the Men’s, Women’s and Combined Open team titles at the 68th USHA National Collegiate Handball Championships. Limerick University won the International team title. For the first time in recent memory, the Men’s Open Singles final will feature the No. 5 an No. 6 seeds. Shane Dunne (ITT) will meet Diarmuid Mulkerrins (GMIT) in the Men’s Open final. It’s a finals rematch in the Women’s Open Singles with Ciana Ni Churraoin (MNSU) mixing it up with Fiona Tully (DCU).
(Megan Mudd of Missouri State sets up for a shot off the back wall on Friday).
The Irish player’s talent and dominance was on full display through the quarterfinals of all divisions in the 68th USHA National Collegiate Handball Championships. All four Men’s Open semifinalists hailed from across the Atlantic and will playoff for a spot in Sunday’s final. Fergal Coughlan (University of Limerick) faces off against Shane Dunne (IT-Tralee) in the top semifinal. In the bottom bracket, Diarmuid Mulkerrins (Galway-Mayo IT) tussles with David Walsh (Cork IT) for the second spot in the final.
In the Women’s Open bracket, defending champion Ciana Ni Churraoin (Minnesota State, Mankato) meets Sinead Meagher (Limerick IT), while 2019 finalist Fiona Tully (Dublin City University) matches up against Niamh Hefferman (University of Limerick) in the other semifinal.
Doubles semifinals will be played Saturday after singles action completes.
The second day of competition at the 68th USHA National Collegiate Handball Championships brought more contested matches as players pressed on through preliminary rounds. Doubles divisions also advanced another round on Thursday (Image Courtesy of Missouri State Handball). Friday brings the first matches of the “knock out” brackets where players “win of go home” in their respective divisions. Each round players advance in the final brackets scores more points for their college team.
AUSTIN, Texas — Collegiate handball players representing 36 institutions from around the world stood in awe when they saw the main observation “fish bowl” court in legendary Gregory Gym.
“Everything IS always bigger in Texas!” joked one player as they checked in for the 68th USHA National Collegiate Handball Championships. No sooner had players received their hospitality package, they immediately took to the courts to practice before scheduled matches. Once official matches began, it set the tone for what promises to be a long weekend of raucous handball competition. Wednesday’s matches would determine where a player would end up before points may be earned for their respective teams. First round doubles matches were also played on the first day. Click on the draws below to see the results.
ALBUQUERQUE — Joe Harris (setting for a backwall shot) and George Garcia Jr. overcame a first-game deficit to defeat Andy Schad and Dan Zimet in the youngest division offered. Jim Karner won his first doubles and Rick Leonard got his first Masters title over defending champs John Stoffel and Mike Wells. William Cervantes earned his 10th and Grand Masters over a tired Lloyd Garcia and Dan Passolt. Garcia and Passolt had beaten Greg Sizemore and Phil Kirk in a tiebreaker earlier in the 60s. Sizemore rebounded to win the 65s with Bob Lohmueller over Glenn Carden and Gary Eisenbooth. Merv Deckert and Ed Campbell took the 70s over Rob Nichols and Greg Stansbury. Ron Cole also earned his Grand Master sweater with the 75s title, teaming Gary Rohrer. And, Ed Grossenbacher teamed with Norm Young to win his 56th Masters title and tie Max Lasskow for the winningest Masters players of all time.
See the 2019 National Masters Doubles Draws & ResultsHERE.
The first Mardak Scholarships were awarded to six collegiate handball players who are teaching handball at their universities. (Clockwise from top left: Jasmine Richardson (University of Texas-Austin), David Frances (Arizona State University), Brooke Edwards (University of Texas-Austin), Esteban Camacho (Arizona State University), Jarod Jenson (Utah State University), Adrian Anderson (Minnesota State University, Mankato).
TUCSON — We strive to grow Handball and offer it to the next generation. The Mardak Scholarships and Community Challenge utilizes our growing ranks of collegiate handball players along with mentor programs to introduce more players to the game. The Community Challenge has matched funds to pay collegiate handball players to teach the game in their communities, and we’re proud to announce the first recipients of the Mardak Scholarships.
Mardak Scholarships are awarded to full-time college applicants who have taught handball through their community handball programs. All applicants are required to be USHA Certified Level 1 Instructors.
Six student-instructors received $2,000 scholarships though the Mardak Scholarship program: Jasmine Richardson and Brooke Edwards from Austin’s Lift up Kids program. David Frances and Esteban Camacho from Arizona State’s Homework & Handball program. Adrian Anderson through the Maverick Handball Club and Minnesota State, Mankato, and Jarod Jenson through the handball program at Utah State University.
It’s a truly exciting time to see growth in the sport throughout communities across the country!
$1 Million for Scholarships and Challenges to Communities
Tucson, AZ, May 1, 2017: When Keith Mardak of Milwaukee decided he wanted to help college kids and handball, he decided to do it in a big way. The $1,000,000 gift is the largest in the USHA’s history and is designed to be in place for posterity. There are two pieces to the Endowment, one will fund college students to teach handball and the other piece will fund scholarships for those students who teach. Keith’s generosity to the communities where handball is taught will need to be matched from within the community.
The Mardak Scholarships and Mardak Community Challenges will start in the Spring of 2018 with at least 10 scholarships and five community grants awarded. “It’s going to be great to be a collegiate handball player,” said USHA Executive Director Vern Roberts.
“It’s been exciting to reach out into the communities to find the matching funds. Everyone likes the idea and is stepping up to grow the game with more coaching and mentoring by young people for younger people. We’ve seen similar startups with Homework and Handball in Tempe and Lift Up Kids in Austin, and there are other successful programs. We’ll be off and running in the Spring of 2018 with these and a few more communities we’re working on,” Roberts added. “Handball needs more teachers, more players and this is a great place to start.”
Mardak, who has been one of the USHA’s most generous donors, is looking forward to getting the program(s) off the ground and “seeing the positive results,” Mardak said.
Keith and his wife Mary Vanderberg have supported numerous organizations in a big way, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Milwaukee, the VanderCook College of Music, the Milwaukee Ballet and the Phoenix Society, along with numerous other high school and college scholarships. A part owner of the Wisconsin Athletic Clubs, including Milwaukee’s No. 1 handball club, Mardak has played handball since the late 1960s. Though he hasn’t been able to play for awhile due to injury, but like every handball player, hopes to make a comeback after his new shoulder heals, he noted: “Greg (Misiewicz) and I had a good run.” Keith had a lot of fun playing handball and now he’s looking to share that with other youngsters for a lifetime.
To maintain the endowment, 4% of the fund’s value on Dec. 31 will be spent on the two programs in the following year. The spending will be split between the Mardak Scholarships and the Mardak Community Challenge. With the local communities involved the Challenge, we’re hoping for a huge impact in the growth of handball in those areas.
For more information on getting involved in the program, contact Vern Roberts or Matt Krueger (520)795-0434.
