Saturday at the 2014 FLF Salute to Kids filled the Tucson Racquet Club with over 40 enthusiastic junior handball players competing in small ball, big ball, and two-bounce, while having the opportunity to watch WPH R48 #1 Luis Moreno, former WPH #1 Sean Lenning, and FLF head coach and rising WPH R48 pro Abe Montijo. The WPH donated prize money to the FLF Salute to Kids pro division to add extra excitement to an already spectacular event.

“When Paul Brady visited Tucson last March he told me that he had never seen a more thriving junior handball community in the U.S.,” boasted WPH Executive Director David Vincent.

“Not only are the numbers of junior players inspirational in Tucson, but the level of junior play is outstanding,” revealed WPH Development Director David Fink. “I watched an eight-year old with perfect left and right handed swings this morning. In my lifetime around the game, I have never seen an eight-year old playing handball at that level.”

“Our players are developing so quickly,” barked WPH Coach Tanner Cleveland as he cheered on two of his charges from the upstairs balcony. “Each guy is even taking the ball off the back wall with their left!”

Luis Moreno will face Sean Lenning in the finals of the men’s pro at the FLF Salute to Kids in a rematch of the thrilling semifinal clash won by Lenning just a week ago at the Plummer Bash.

Thank you to Fred Lewis and the Fred Lewis Foundation, the World Players of Handball, Abe Montijo and his incredible group of young handball players, and Tanner Cleveland and his burgeoning group of young players.

Junior Handball Booming at the FLF Salute to Kids!

Congratulations to Coach Tanner Cleveland and the Junior WPH Warriors for participating in their first ever tournament tonight at the FLF Salute to Kids!

“I couldn’t have been more proud of how the kids played,” boasted Coach Cleveland. “Each of the kids played so hard and even played through some injuries and it was great to watch and coach them. One of our kids could barely hit the ball when we started three months ago and tonight he almost won his first round! Definitely a proud coach moment!”

The Junior WPH Warriors will be in action in the big ball portion of FLF Salute to Kids tomorrow morning, as will the amazing FLF program. Out of the nearly 70 entries in the Salute to Kids event, over 40 of them are under 18! Junior handball is booming in the desert!

Stay tuned for more junior handball updates throughout the weekend, as well as updates on the pro singles featuring Luis Moreno and Sean Lenning.  Go to r2sports.com, for more!

www.wphlive.tv, reports, press-  Jake Plummer and family are thrilled to host the sixth installment of the Plummer Family Helluva Handball Bash, October 3rd-5th in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The Plummer Family Bash is widely considered to be one of the best events in handball, combining spectacular handball with incredible Plummer family hospitality. This year’s Bash will be no exception, as five of the top eight WPH Race 4 Eight pros have entered, including WPH Race 4 Eight #1, Luis Moreno.

“I want to continue showcasing the exceptional handball skills of the game’s top players at our family tournament,” barked former NFL All-Pro turned handball promoter Jake Plummer. “The Plummer family is proud to host the best handball players out there each year.”

“This is not an official Race event but it is still a huge one,” declared WPH Executive Director, David Vincent. “We consider this a pre-Race warm-up event but I can assure you that all of the guys will be aiming to make of the sport’s most highly publicized finals.”  Read More, HERE>

Junior WPH Clinic at the 2014 WPH/WOR 3 Wallball World Championships

The World Players of Handball was thrilled to present a Junior WPH handball clinic at the famed Stratosphere 3-WallBall court complex to kickoff the fifth installment of the WPH/WOR 3 Wallball World Championships.

“The WPH/WOR 3WallBall Championships is the premiere outdoor event of the year and having the opportunity to work alongside racquetball to introduce youngsters to handball was a tremendous opportunity for us to introduce the great game of handball to new players,” revealed WPH Development Director and Master Instructor David Fink.”

WPH Coaches David Fink, Aoife McCarthy, Sal Duenas and Shorty Ruiz introduced 15 Boy Scouts from neighboring Las Vegas suburbs to handball on the WPH/WOR 3 Wallball World Championship courts. The coaches demonstrated the handball stroke, followed by serving and kill shot games and ended the session with singles and doubles king of the court.

“The clinic was absolutely awesome,” revealed WPH/WOR 3 Wallball Championships racquetball director Hank Marcus. “The handball coaches were amazing with the kids and the kids had a blast playing.”

The World Players of Handball hosts over 500 junior handball clinics per year across the United States with certified coaches that are trained to work with groups of all sizes, levels and ages. Junior WPH prides itself on presenting the most fun, most educational and most structured junior handball clinics in the world. Every aspect of the game of handball is covered in all Junior WPH handball clinics, including the rules, the warm-up, stroke instruction, drills, drill-based games, group games and cross training. The goal of Junior WPH is to inspire the next generation of handball players and we mandate that all of our instructors pass a rigorous series of exams before teaching clinics.

Like the World Players of Handball on facebook, log onto wphlive.tv or follow the WPH on twitter @dfwph and @wphlive for all of the handball news from on and off the court! The World Players of Handball is a non-profit foundation aiming to grow the game of handball through innovation and inspiring the next generation of players through junior clinics with certified WPH coaches, junior tournaments and the Race 4 Eight tour.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today and supporting the growth of the game. 100% of donations go towards junior handball development.

Make sure to tune into ESPN3 starting on Friday, September 12^th through Sunday, September 14^th, by logging onto http://espn.go.com/watchespn/ to catch all of the exciting 3-Wall and 1-Wall action from the 2014 WPH/WOR 3Wallball World Championships. To follow all of the results, log onto http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=12442

…Teaching the FUNdamentals

Junior WPH is proud to host weekly junior clinics at the Tucson Racquet Club and weekly college clinics at the University of Arizona for the third consecutive semester at the University of Arizona Rec Center during the late summer and fall.

Young handball players are taught the fundamentals and unparalleled handball camaraderie that make handball fun!

If you want to start a junior handball program at your local club or university, please contact WPH Youth and Donor Development Director David Fink at fink@race4eight.com for all of the tools to start and grow a great program.

If you love handball and making a positive impact on today’s youth, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today and supporting the growth of the game or volunteering your time to teach this great game to young people in your area.

Junior WPH: It’s all about the kids!

The World Players of Handball is thrilled to present a Junior WPH handball clinic at the famed Stratosphere 3-WallBall court complex on September 10^th at 6 pm. The World Players of Handball hosts over 500 junior handball clinics per year across the United States with certified coaches that are trained to work with groups of all sizes, levels and ages.

“The World Players of Handball could not be more excited to introduce handball to an enthusiastic group of youngsters at the home of 3WallBall,” barked WPH Master Instructor and Development Director David Fink. “The WPH/WOR 3WallBall Championships is the premiere outdoor event of the year and having the opportunity to work alongside racquetball and introduce youngsters to handball is the main priority of our organization. Don’t miss the clinic with several of the world’s top handball pros and instructors on Wednesday, September 10^th at 6 pm!”

Junior WPH prides itself on presenting the most fun, most educational and most structured junior handball clinics in the world. Every aspect of the game of handball is covered in all Junior WPH handball clinics, including the rules, the warm-up, stroke instruction, drills, drill-based games, group games and cross training. The goal of Junior WPH is to inspire the next generation of handball players and we mandate that all of our instructors pass a rigorous series of exams before teaching clinics.

Meet the Elite:

David Fink: Ranked as high as #2 on the WPH Race 4 Eight Pro Tour in early 2014, Fink combines a lifetime of handball experience with extensive knowledge of the game and working with youngsters. Fink wrote the WPH Coaching Manual and serves as the Junior WPH National Director. Fink coaches over 100 junior handball clinics per year, while overseeing all aspects of Junior WPH

Aoife McCarthy: Currently ranked #5 on the WPH Women’s Race 4 Pro tour, McCarthy is also one of the preeminent coaches in handball and one of the most liked amongst her students. McCarthy was raised in handball royalty in Ireland and brings passion, knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm to every lesson

Sal Duenas: Finishing the WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series in the “Fab Four” during the first three seasons, Duenas has established himself as one of the top players in outdoor handball. Duenas has also established himself as one of the WPH’s top coaches, having lead successful outdoor handball clinics all over Southern California. Duenas is as passionate about growing the game as he is playing the game and has become a tremendous asset to Junior WPH