Coaching

DF’s Top Moments from the 2016 JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout

Posted on June 1, 2016June 1, 2016 by DV

JR WPH proudly hosted its first junior handball event in New York City Memorial Day Weekend ’16, with more than 70 boy’s and girl’s participants between the ages of 14-19. The five divisions produced sensational matches and outstanding sportsmanship, with the juniors demonstrating inspiring passion and handball skills. Check out the top moments from JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout below.

More than 70 boy and girls competing between the ages of 14-19! The JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout was one of JR WPH’s largest stand-alone junior events. Wow!

The incredible sportsmanship and camaraderie amongst all of the junior participants: Most of the matches were self-refereed and in all of the matches in five divisions, there was not one argument with tremendous respect shown between each of the competitors

The 19-and-under boy’s final between Juan “Chullo” Martinez and Isaac Clovis: Chullo and Isaac demonstrated that not only were they the two most talented players in the event, but also very soon to be 1WallBall A players in New York City. The speed, power and shot making between the two in the final was spectacular and the stars were a pleasure to watch

The 19-and-under girl’s semifinal between Shantel Mena and Kaitlyn Colon: Two of the top ladies in the JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout staged the match of the event in the semifinals, with Colon taking a huge lead in the one game match and ultimately serving for the match at 20-17. Mantel held off four serves on match point and won a dramatic 22-shot rally to win the match, 21-20

Co-tournament directors Vernonica Figueroa, Danielle Daskalakis and Bryan Lucero, plus help from R48 star Stephen Cooney: The JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout was a tremendous success because of the efforts of Veronica, Danielle, Bryan and Stephen. The JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout ‘s Fab 4’s passion for the sport was contagious and made the event was of the most positive events in recent memory. Thank you!

WPH Staffers taking seven trains, buses and cabs to and from the airport to travel to the event : If you are going to host an event in New York City, you have to become a New Yorker. WPH staffers rode the New Jersey Air Tran, the Q train, the A train, the Brooklyn bus and cabs from and to the Newark airport to run the tremendous event. #wheninRome

Ray Lu winning the 15-and-under boy’s singles, playing in all three divisions and helping to make all of the draws: 15-year old Ray Lu demonstrated skills and poise beyond his 15 years in advancing to the quarterfinals of the 17-and-under and 19-and-under brackets and winning the 15-and-under. Young Ray also helped WPH staffers seed all of the brackets. Thank you Young Ray!

WPH Sponsored Westide YMCA’s Dan Pitre and Melanie Garate Shine in Brooklyn: The WPH proudly sponsors the Westside YMCA Harry Mellis junior handball program in Brooklyn, led by WPH Coach Danielle Daskalakis. Two of Coach D’s protégés demonstrated outstanding skills in Brooklyn, as Dan Pitre captured the boy’s 17-and-under and Melanie Garate captured the girl’s 19-and-under. “Melanie and Dan are very focused and you can see the improvements in their games because of it,” stated Coach D. “Melanie and Dan work on drills and really want to be great players.”

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.

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer

JR WPH Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Posted on May 29, 2016May 30, 2016 by DV

The World Players of Handball was thrilled to travel to New York City to host the JR WPH NYC 1-WallBall Junior Shootout, featuring more than 70 junior participants between the ages of 13-19 at Brooklyn’s St. John’s Park.

One of the warmest days of the year in New York City challenged the fitness of New York’s top junior 1-Wall stars, with many of the youngsters competing in two divisions. The Memorial Day Weekend ’16 junior shootout featured boy’s 15-and-under singles and boy’s and girl’s 17-and-under, and 19-and-under singles brackets. 15-year-old Ray Lu showed his tremendous potential in advancing deep into the boy’s 17-and-under and 19-and-under brackets, while cruising to the 15-and-under title. Westside YMCA’s Dan Pitre dominated the deep 17-and-under field, while Juan “Chulo” Martinez, Jr. clinched the 19-and-under. Shkysi Cummings clinched the girl’s 17-and-under while impressive wins, while Westside YMCA standout Melanie Garate was outstanding in winning the girl’s 19-and-under.
WPH Coach Danielle Daskalakis and rising 1WallBall star and current “Queen of the Court” teamed to win the women’s doubles exhibition against Karen Mcconney and Quasia Figueroa.

Boy’s singles brackets
15-and-under champion/finalist: Ray Lu/Kevin Poon
17-and-under champion/finalist: Dan Pitre/Phillip Kang
19-and-under champion/finalist: Juan Martinez, Jr/Isaac Clovis
Girl’s singles brackets
17-and-under champion: Shkysi Cummings
19-and-under champion: Melanie Garate

Thank you to JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout tournament directors David Fink, Danielle Daskalakis, Veronica Figueroa, Bryan Lucero and Stephen Cooney.

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“Junior WPH was so excited to be hosting an inspiring junior event in the 1-Wall handball capital of the world,” stated WPH Development Director David Fink. “The sportsmanship and skill of all of the juniors was inspiring and we hope to be able to host more junior events in New York City in the future. Thank you to WPH Ambassador Veronica Figueroa, Bryan Lucero and WPH Race 4 Eight pros Stephen Cooney and Danielle Daskalakis for all of their volunteer efforts in organizing and running the event.”

Contact the WPH for questions about starting a junior clinic in your area; details about pro player clinics and more! info@wphlive.tv

JR WPH Shines in May

Posted on May 25, 2016May 25, 2016 by DV

JR WPH was thrilled to host three outstanding junior handball clinics in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Toronto last weekend. Junior players from across North America were coached by R48 and WPH Outdoor stars, with each junior player learning to develop the proper stroke and to have fun on the court. “The mission of the World Players of Handball is to inspire the next generation of handball players through structured junior handball clinics with certified coaches, presenting junior handball competitions that promote sportsmanship and camaraderie, and making the game fun,” declared WPH Youth Donor and Development Director David Fink. “We created Junior WPH in 2013 to fulfill our mission of growing the game and since debuting Junior WPH three years ago, we have hosted thousands of junior handball clinics in North America in family-friendly parks, athletic clubs, tournaments, schools, universities, and YMCA’s.”

Check out Junior WPH’s most recent clinics from the middle of May ‘16 below!

Junior WPH Clinic at the Vegas Lte: WPH Coaches David Fink, Shorty Ruiz, and Tanisha Groomes hosted a clinic for juniors on hand at the Vegas Lte, with Ruiz and Groomes explaining the art of the right corner kill and the “out the door” serve to the left. The inspired juniors aimed for targets, as each applied his new skills. The juniors then played points against the pros, with the end of the clinic featuring a “King of the Court” tournament. Following the clinic, the juniors played in the Junior WPH Vegas Lte Showdown, with 17-and-under and 12-and-under singles divisions and a doubles exhibition. Following the JR WPH Clinic, the juniors could not be kept off the courts. The juniors were so excited to play that they played points during every timeout and game-break of the WPH Outdoor men’s and women’s matches while awaiting their turn to play matches. “My eight-year old son started to show interest in handball this year, but after the clinic he just cannot wait to play,” beamed Manuel Yep, Sr. “He woke up the day after the clinic begging to play handball!”

Junior Clinic at the Canadian National Handball Championship: WPH Coaches Daniel Cordova, Ryan Bowler, and Kevin Kopchuk held a special Junior handball clinic for the youngsters in attendance at the Canadian Nationals. Known as the “hop artist,” Cordova explained and demonstrated the techniques required to execute the reverse and natural hop, as well as the fundamentals to the correct sidearm handball stroke. Canadian superstars Bowler and Kopchuk discussed the importance of letting the ball drop and having fun. “It was nice also that many juniors were able to share an experience with Coach Daniel in the court and beautiful even more, to see the parents in the gallery watching their kids go through some drills with The Mexican Maestro….clapping if they hit the target and simply pumped that the kids were having so much fun,” stated Kopchuk.

Thank you for growing the game Daniel, Ryan and Kevin!

Junior Clinic at the LAAC Wafe Risner: WPH Coach Vic Perez coached a sensational clinic during the LAAC Wafe Risner, leading a group of energetic youngsters through the handball warm-up and various shots and strategies to help the juniors play better handball and have more fun on the court. After reviewing techniques and fundamentals to improve shot execution, Coach Vic held a target-hitting competition and concluded the clinic by providing the participants with the opportunity to play rallies against R48 pros Sean Lenning and Luis Moreno. Plus help from Marcos Chavez & Luis Moreno. Thank you Coach Vic!

Junior WPH Clinic: Paul Brady Coaches the Junior WPH Clinic at the 2016 WPH Player’s Championship

Posted on May 10, 2016 by DV

Junior handball players from Canada, Portland and the University of Texas were treated to a special Junior WPH clinic with the world’s greatest handball player Paul Brady at the 2016 WPH Player’s Championship. The awestruck junior players between the ages of 6-19 were treated to stroke, strategy and cross-training instruction from one of the greatest athletes to have ever lived. Following the instruction, each of the juniors played a point with the five-time world champion, with two of the older players winning the rally and a WPH prize.

“Having a chance to play a point with Paul Brady would be like playing Steph Curry in one-on-one or playing a hole with Tiger in his prime,” stated WPH Development Director David Fink. “What a thrill for the juniors to be able to learn from Paul and a thrill for the WPH to provide the juniors with the opportunity.”

“My daughter went to lacrosse practice after the clinic and could not wait to tell her teammates that she played handball with the world’s best player,” stated WPH Executive Board Member Steve Soto. “She had a great time and cannot wait to play again.”

Thank you to all of the juniors for their enthusiasm, Paul Brady for coaching the clinic, and the World Players of Handball for providing the opportunity for youngsters to develop a passion for the game.

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.

Junior WPH Flourishing Across North America in the First Four Months of 2016!

Posted on April 23, 2016April 22, 2016 by DV

Junior WPH is extremely proud to provide opportunities for young people to participate in positive, encouraging, and fun handball programs across North America with Certified WPH Coaches and Mentors that emphasize handball fundamentals, core values, and the benefits of developing an active lifestyle through handball.

Junior WPH coaches weekly clinics at 3-Wall courts and schools in Tucson, hosts numerous JR WPH Outdoor 3-Wall competitions and clinics in conjunction with the WPH Outdoor series throughout the year, hosts junior handball clinics and junior competitions at all Race 4 Eight events and enthusiastically supports weekly clinics and tournaments for JR WPH Sponsored Programs in California, New York, Kansas City, Utah, Florida, Arizona, and Mexico.

2015 JR WPH Coach of the Year Richie “Drft” Fernandez leads weekly clinics in Juarez, as the WPH proudly sponsors one of the best junior handball programs in North America. With the help of the WPH and Coach Drft, the Juarez junior players are able to participate in structured clinics and have traveled to junior handball tournaments and clinics across the United States, including the “Battle of the Border” in Tucson, the USHA 4-Wall Nationals in Southern California, and the WPH 3WallBall Championships in Las Vegas.

The JR WPH sponsored University of West Florida program continues to flourish in Pensacola under the direction of handball’s greatest collegiate promoter and 2015 WPH Collegiate Handball Coach of the Year Michael Morgan, “The University of West Florida team is doing really well this year. The major focus of this year was player retention. In years past, we would retain roughly 40-50% of the players that came out to practice at the beginning of the fall semester. This year I’m excited to say we started the year with eight freshman players and all eight are still playing, as well as a few more that have joined the UWF Handball Family along the way. Each of the freshmen is excited about continuing the game next semester.”

We are also excited and gearing up for the summer, which is a major recruiting time for the team. The UWF Recreation Department hosts several Freshman Orientations throughout the summer, where the incoming freshman tour the recreation facility, giving the UWF Handball Team prime opportunity to grab their attention and show them what handball is all about. Last year we introduced roughly 400 students to the game of handball using two-bounce (short court) as a fun and beginner friendly way to showcase the game. This year we are hoping to duplicate that success, if not make gains from it. The summer is also an exciting time for the team as we are still active with tournaments, having plans to attend the Southeast Regional Championships in Chattanooga TN, on May 13th-15th, the State of Florida 3-Wall Championships in sunny Ormond Beach FL on May 28th-30th and the RFC in mid-July in Pittsburgh, PA. Needless to say, the UWF Handball team is ready for what is sure to be a fun-filled summer of recruiting and tournaments.”

Early April’s WPH Outdoor V Stop #3 at Downey Park featured WPH Coaches leading a spectacular JR WPH 1-Wall clinic for 20 junior handball players in attendance. The youngsters were treated to lessons from the best player in 1-Wall handball and soaked up every word from 1-Wall’s top player. Thank you to Timbo Gonzalez and Mando Ortiz for donating their time to nearly two dozen junior handball stars at Downey Park!

Most recently, Junior WPH was thrilled to host a junior clinic with the WPH sponsored JR WPH Park City junior handball program and a Junior R48 Showdown match at the 2016 R48 V Salt Lake City Aces.

The enthusiastic youngsters from the WPH sponsored Park City junior handball program were treated to sidearm stroke instruction, target-hitting competitions and cross-training exercises with R48 Elite 8 pros David Fink and Daniel Cordova. “These kids are like sponges to the game,” revealed WPH Coach McManus. “We have a group text with more than 20 junior players during all of the R48 broadcasts and we are always sending messages back and forth about all of the incredible shots and matches during the great broadcasts.” Thank you to WPH sponsored Park City JR program head coach Ted McManus, the juniors and the WPH pros.

Just before the start of the main draw in Salt Lake City, the youngest qualifier hopefuls in R48 history squared off in a special Junior R48 Showdown match, with California’s Anthony Sullivan and Canada’s Michael Gaulton staging a sensational junior showdown at the final regular season event of the Race 4 Eight V tour. The pair of future R48 superstars traded the lead 15 times in the one game match to 25, with Gaulton rallying from a 20-24 deficit to take a 25-24 lead, only to see Sullivan score the final three points of the match to claim the showdown title, 27-25.

What an event for Junior WPH at the 2016 Salt Lake City Aces!

For an update on the first three months of Junior WPH in 2016, click here>

The World Players of Handball Foundation is extremely proud of the daily positive impact we make on the next generation of handball players. With a number of junior handball clinics and events planned for this summer at camps and tournaments, our aim is to inspire the next generation of community leaders by teaching sportsmanship, respect, discipline, teamwork, camaraderie and a physically active lifestyle through handball. The World Players of Handball is able to provide opportunities for young people to learn sportsmanship, discipline, camaraderie, and physically active lifestyle through handball solely on contributions from our generous donors.

We invite you to make help us grow the game by making a donation to Junior WPH by kindly sending a check to the WPH at 3561 E. Sunrise Drive, Suite 125, Tucson, AZ 85718, Paypal a donation to extremehandball@cs.com, or make a credit card donation at our website here

Junior WPH Hosts the 1WallBall Junior Shootout and Clinics in New York City- For Immediate Release

Posted on March 30, 2016 by DV

Brooklyn, NY, WPH Press, 3/29/16- The World Players of Handball and Junior WPH are thrilled to present the World Players of Handball NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout and Clinics + A Doubles Exhibitions in Brooklyn, NY, Saturday, May 28^th, 2016. Brooklyn’s St. John’s Park will host the junior showcase event on the 12 pristine 1-Wall handball courts on the park grounds. St. John’s Park is located at 1251 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY 11213.

The World Players of Handball NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout and Clinics + A Doubles Exhibitions will feature boy’s and girl’s 15-and-under, 17-and-under, and 19-and-under junior big ball singles divisions, a special clinic and target-hitting challenge with several of the best players in 1-Wall Big Ball Handball, and men’s and women’s doubles exhibition matches. The men’s doubles exhibition will feature current 1-Wall big ball world champion Timbo Gonzalez teaming with Hector Velez against former 1-Wall big ball national champion Tywan Cook and Carlin Rosa, while the women’s doubles exhibition will feature current women’s world 1-Wall big ball world champion Danielle Daskalakis teaming with rising junior star Jenny Qu against two of New York’s top women stars, Karen McConney and Quasia Watson-Ziegler.

“With more than 400 clinics each summer and dozens of competitions, Junior WPH has been incredibly progressive in providing opportunities for current and new junior handball players to compete in junior handball events and to learn from the game’s best players,” boasted WPH Youth Donor and Development Director David Fink. “Junior WPH has hosted several “mega clinics” each summer at WPH Outdoor events in Southern California and Nevada and we are thrilled to host our first mega junior event in New York City this May.”

The World Players of Handball is extremely fortunate to be working with New York City’s “Fab 5” 1-Wall handball ambassadors Danielle Daskalakis, Veronica Figueroa, Hector Velez, Bryan Lucero, and Izzy Rivera in organizing and running the World Players of Handball NYC 1WallBall Junior Shootout and Clinics + A Doubles Exhibitions. New York’s “Fab 5” will assist the World Players of Handball in recruiting junior players, promoting the event, helping to setup the draws, and helping to run the tournament desk on May 28^th. With 100 junior players expected in Brooklyn, the “Fab 5” is going to be extremely busy!

To enter the event, please go here

If you would like to donate to the World Players of Handball NYC 1-WallBall Junior Shootout and Clinics, please contact WPH Youth Donor and Development Director David Fink at fink@juniorhandball.org or kindly make a credit card or donation through the mail here

The mission of the World Players of Handball is to introduce young people to the game of handball to incorporate an active lifestyle, a sense of teamwork and competition, community spirit, camaraderie, sportsmanship, integrity, mental focus and physical health, utilizing handball as a vehicle to enhance childhood development. Since 2013, Junior WPH has hosted more 2500 junior handball clinics at tournaments, athletic clubs, YMCA’s, schools, summer camps, and universities, while reaching more than 10,000 young people.

To learn more about the World Players of Handball, go to wphlive.tv