Coaching

Lenning @ JR WPH Juarez Clinic

Posted on March 15, 2017 by DV

JR WPH Juarez Clinic with R48 Superstar Sean Lenning

Juarez, MEX, WPH Press, 3/15/17- JR WPH Juarez was thrilled to welcome special guest coach Sean Lenning to its Saturday morning junior handball clinics. The current 1-Wall world champion, current 3-Wall national champion, and 5-time R48 champion joined 2016 JR WPH Coach of the Year Drft Fernandez in leading the enthusiastic group of youngsters through an exiting clinic that stressed having fun, strategy, and serving. The clinic started with the popular game of “two-bounce” on multiple courts, followed by doubles, with Coach Lenning rotating from court to court advising the youngsters on proper shot selection and effective serves.

“We were thrilled to have handball superstar Sean Lenning working with one of our preeminent JR WPH programs in Juarez,” stated WPH Development Director David Fink. “The youngsters that participate in JR WPH Juarez are some of the most eager and passionate junior handball players in the world, and for them to have an opportunity to learn from one of their idols was a thrill of a lifetime.”

Thank you to Coach Drft and the entire Juarez handball community for continuing to provide opportunities for young people to enjoy the game of handball in a positive, organized, and fun environment.

Keep an eye out on juniorhandball.org, as new clinic opportunities and recaps pop up weekly. Want to coach a clinic or a junior handball program? Need more information regarding junior handball? The Junior WPH group spans multiple countries, continents and oceans with clinics happening daily. We can help! Contact WPH Development Director David Fink at fink@race4eight.com

To enable Junior WPH to continue to host junior handball clinics and tournaments across North America with Certified WPH Coaches, the World Players of Handball invites you to make a tax-deductible donation today in supporting the growth of the game. 100% of the donations received by the WPH go towards junior handball development. Donate on-line here, or send your generous gifts through PayPal (extremehandball@cs.com) or by mailing checks to: WPH, 3561 E. Sunrise Dr. Suite 125, Tucson, AZ, 85718.

JR WPH Houston Clinic

Posted on March 7, 2017 by DV

Houston, TX, WPH Press, 3/6/17- JR WPH was thrilled to coach a collegiate clinic for the University of Texas handball team at the 2017 Houston Race 4 Eight 6, with WPH Coaches David Fink and Luis Cordova leading the enthusiastic collegiate handball players in an instructional clinic focusing on strong-hand offense and footwork. Following demonstrations by R48 top 10 star Luis Cordova, each participant was given the opportunity to hit shots under the watchful eyes of Coach Fink and Coach Cordova.

“We really stressed the fundamentals and how to practice the fundamentals by simulating game-like scenarios,” stated Coach Fink. “We’ve been fortunate to have coach of the University of Texas handball team on several occasions and the players have improved dramatically from one lesson to the next. It’s inspiring to see.”

JR WPH Harry Mellis Winter Classic

Posted on February 7, 2017 by DV

Brooklyn, NY, WPH Press, 2/6/17- JR WPH was thrilled to sponsor the 2017 Harry Mellis Winter Classics at Brooklyn’s Westside YMCA, featuring junior 4-Wall Big Ball singles and doubles. Tournament directors and JR WPH Coaches Danielle Daskalakis and Sandy Ng played host to 20 junior players between the ages of 15-18, many of whom participate in the bi-weekly JR WPH sponsored Harry Mellis Junior Handball program at the Westside YMCA.

The junior play was outstanding, with the teenagers demonstrating sensational skills throughout the tournament. Gary Luck slammed in the singles and doubles with Justin Quach, while Henry Santana, Albin Tahirovic and Vincent Chen took runner-up honors in the singles and doubles, respectively.

“The performance of the junior players at this event was impressive,” stated WPH Outdoor superstar Hector Velez. “With Danielle and Sandy’s coaching, these juniors are developing much faster at a younger age.”

Junior Results:

Boy’s singles champion: Gary Luck

Boy’s singles runner up: Henry Santana

Boy’s doubles champions: Gary Luck and Justin Quach

Boy’s doubles runner up: Albin Tahirovic and Vincent Chen

“It is great to see the WPH run another successful junior play/clinic tournament,” stated R48 star and Harry Mellis Winter Classic Small Ball singles champion Stephen Cooney. “These tournaments are extremely important for the future of our sport as the stars of tomorrow are born and bred during these fun weekends. ”

Coaches Daskalakis and Ng also coached a clinic for the juniors during the event, aiming supplement the 1-Wall skills of many of the juniors into the 4-Wall game.

“The WPH cannot say enough about what Danielle and Sandy do for the game and inspiring the next generation of players,” stated WPH Youth Donor and Development Director David Fink. “In addition to being handball role models and ambassadors worldwide, Danielle and Sandy spend countless hours each month mentoring and coaching junior players in the JR WPH Harry Mellis Program in Brooklyn, providing opportunities for young people to develop life skills through handball. Thank you!”

The Harry Mellis Winter Classics also featured 4-Wall Open Small Ball and Big Ball brackets, headlined by Harry Mellis junior stars, Race 4 Eight pro Stephen Cooney and one of New York’s top 4-Wall Big Ball players Ignazio Accardi. Cooney captured the small ball singles against WPH historian Babalola Ajisafe, Accardi grabbed the big ball singles against Robert Ortega, and Harry Mellis’ Jessenia Garate teamed with Gabriel Carbuccia to win the Mixed Doubles against 1-Wall stars Allan Sanchez and BeeBee Garcia.

Open Results:

Small Ball singles champion: Stephen Cooney

Small Ball singles runner-up: Babalola Ajisafe

Big Ball singles champion: Ignazio Accardi

Big Ball singles runner-up: Robert Ortega

Mixed Doubles champions: Jessenia Garate/Gabriel Carbuccia

Mixed Doubles finalists: Allan Sanchez/BeeBee Garcia.

Thank you to tournament directors Danielle Daskalakis and Sandy Ng for hosting this great event.

JR WPH UWF Argos Classic

Posted on January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by DV

Pensacola, FL, WPH Press, 1/17/17- The WPH proudly sponsored the JR WPH University of West Florida Argos Classic for the fifth straight year, featuring more than 50 collegiate handball players from the University of West Florida, the University of Texas, and Missouri State University. UWF Argos Head Coach Alan Moore and UWF Handball Club Founder Michael Morgan hosted the sensational event, ensuring that all collegiate players played at least four matches throughout the weekend. WPH Certified Coach and Race 4 Eight superstar Luis Cordova made the five-hour trip from Atlanta to serve as the event’s handball pro emeritus, providing playing tips and coaching throughout the weekend to the collegiate players and organizing a “Play the Pro” challenge.

“It was a really cool event and I’m really glad I made the five-hour trip from Atlanta,” stated Cordova. “I’ve never seen so many college players at one event and they are all really into handball and they are all getting really good.”

Cordova continued his domination on the court at the Argos Classic in a strong open field that included Sam Esser, Max Langmack, Michael Morgan, and Matt Vollink. Cordova defeated Sam Esser in a tiebreaker to win the Argos Classic for the fourth straight year and teamed with UWF’s Alex Grochowski to slam the doubles. “Sam was playing really well, hitting a lot of cracks,” stated Cordova. “It was great to see how much he’s improving.”

“This was a very successful tournament,” stated Moore. “A lot of great matches were played throughout the weekend. The University of Texas and Missouri State University were a huge part of this tournament. All three universities had a lot of fun and we created new friends and strengthened old relationships. To sum up, all of us came out of it having a great time and that was the main goal for the tournament.”

Check out the rest of the 2017 Argos Classic results below. Thank you to Alan Moore, Michael Morgan, Luis Cordova, and all of the collegiate players who made the 2017 Argos Classic such a great event.

Men’s

Open: Luis Cordova

Finalist: Sam Esser

A: Russell Kenworthy

Finalist: Jared Iserman

B: Jeremy Aguilar

Finalist: Mikaila Mitchell

C: Spencer Watral

Finalist: Alan Moore

Emerald Masters: Jerry Garcia

Finalist: David Garcia

Men’s Open/A: Luis Cordova/ Alex Grochowski

Finalist: Sam Esser/ Ross Colyer

Women’s

Open: Kara Edwards

Finalist: Kristen Hughes

B: Alexa Jones

Finalist: Annie Wallace

Mixed Doubles: Caylen Vinson/ Max Langmack

Finalist: Meghan Mudd

JR WPH Skills Competition

Posted on January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by DV

@ThePlummerBash

Coeur d’Alene, ID, WPH Press, 1/23/17-JR WPH proudly hosted a junior sports skills competition for more than a dozen youngsters between the ages of 3-19 attending the Bash. The youngsters were timed in a sports course that tested running, shooting basketball, and throwing a football, with each of the participants receiving a prize from tournament host Jake Plummer.

“Learning new skills is what sports is all about,” barked former NFL star quarterback Jake Plummer while catching passes from the skills participants. “It’s all about having fun!”

JR WPH aims to make learning and developing a healthy and active lifestyle fun by incorporating handball, cross-training, and other sports into clinics to develop all-around sports and life skills.

JR WPH Westside YMCA Clinic

Posted on January 9, 2017January 9, 2017 by DV

Brooklyn, NY, WPH Press, 1/9/17- JR WPH is proud to sponsor the Harry Mellis Westside YMCA junior handball program for the second consecutive year. Led by WPH Certified Coach and Women’s Race 4 Eight and WPH Outdoor superstar Danielle Daskalakis, the JR WPH Harry Mellis Westside YMCA program provides opportunities for hundreds of New York City youth to play 1-Wall, 3-Wall, and 4-Wall handball each year.

The JR WPH Harry Mellis Westside YMCA program kicked off 2017 with a 4-Wall clinic for more than two-dozen youngsters between the ages of 13-17 at the Westside YMCA in Brooklyn, NY. Coach Daskalakis was joined by Coach Shirley Chen, Coach Steven Woo, Coach Kadeem Bush and recent Harry Mellis junior program graduates Jessenia and Melanie Garate, providing the youngsters the opportunity to learn from the game’s best coaches and players. Clinic instruction focused on 4-Wall fundamentals, back wall drills, and introducing “two-bounce” to the students.

“The clinic was a really great success,” stated Coach Daskalakis. “We had a lot of good food and prizes available. We also announced that we will be holding a Junior 4-Wall Big Ball tournament during the first weekend of February to promote junior cross over play.”

Congratulations to Coach Daskalakis and her coaching team and the JR WPH Harry Mellis Westside YMCA program!