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Handball and Golf with Naty Alvarado
The World Players of Handball will be holding an adult handball clinic at the Tucson R48 Stop on Saturday afternoon, November 8th with living legend Naty Alvarado Jr. Mr. Alvarado will be teaching the clinic, focusing how to improve your strokes, how to incorporate better strategy into your singles and doubles games, and how to have more fun on the court. Tournament participants that make a donation of $150 or more will be entered into the special clinic. The WPH will also be teaching a junior clinic that will be free to all junior handball players.
Mr. Alvarado will also play a round of golf with all WPH and Tucson R48 gold level sponsors. The round of golf will be played on Thursday, November 6th or Friday, November 7th at one of Tucson’s premiere courses. All gold level ($500+) sponsors will be eligible for the round of golf and the unforgettable experience of talking handball and sharing an afternoon with one of the game’s greatest ever players and gentleman. Gold level sponsors will be eligible for both the handball clinic and the round of golf.
All proceeds from the clinic and round of golf go towards Junior WPH and inspiring and introducing the next generation of handball players.
If you are interested in the adult handball clinic or a round of golf with “El Tigre,” please email David Fink at fink@race4eight.com or call (412) 716-6000 to make the arrangements. Register now!
FLF Pro Final Inspires the Youth
WPH R48 #1 Luis Moreno faced sparring partner and former WPH R48 #1 Sean Lenning is the final of the men’s pro singles at the FLF Salute to Kids. The pair met for the second time in eight days, with Lenning upsetting Moreno and notching his first win over the #1 in four years at the Plummer Bash last weekend.
Unreal. Spectacular. Sensational. Unbelievable. Perhaps those are the only adjectives to describe the play of Moreno and Lenning on a beautiful Sunday morning in Tucson.
Moreno raced to a 7-1 lead in game one in just three minutes and 15 seconds, hitting the ball just 11 times en route to scoring seven points. Lenning answered, scoring six unanswered points in just two minutes and 30 seconds to tie the score at seven. The shots were breathtaking, with the power simply incomprehensible. Moreno surged again, scoring six consecutive points to take a 13-7 lead, but no lead was safe in this gunfight. With both players consistently hitting flat rollouts with both hands from everywhere on the court, virtually every rally ended with a mouse.
Lenning ultimately led 19-17 and appeared to be in control of game one. Moreno tied the score at 19, and after consecutive side outs, scored the 20th point on a blistering ace down the left. Moreno followed a short serve with a second serve that bounced into the back wall and right wall to give Lenning a huge setup. Lenning ended the game anticlimactically, making just his second unforced error of the game on perhaps the easiest opportunity in the game and ceding game one, 21-19.
Moreno started hot in game two, as he had done to start the match, building a 7-1 lead. Although appearing to be winded, Lenning continued to push, dazzling the awestruck gallery with unconventional rally-ending kills and cat-like reflexes. The two would trade the lead 11 times in game two. Lenning appeared to be in control once again late in the game, leading 19-17 and just two points from forcing a tiebreaker. Moreno continued his solid and spectacular play in the closing moments, staving off Lenning’s three attempts to score the 20th point and grabbing the title, 21-19, 21-19.
“The level of play was outstanding,” stated Hall of Famer and FLF founder Fred Lewis, “There were very few errors and the match was just great to watch.”
In fact, Moreno and Lenning combined for under 10 unforced errors in two games, while totaling over 50 rally-ending kill shots.
Both Moreno and Lenning are playing at their highest levels in several years and will be major factors at the WPH Race 4 Eight IV Stop #1 at the Simple Green U.S. Open, October 23rd-26th.
FLF Salute To Kids Continues
“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.
Jr WPH Summer Campers Play Ball
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!
Junior WPH Clinic with Ex-NFL Star
Junior WPH Clinic at the Plummer Helluva Family Bash!
The World Players of Handball and Jake Plummer were thrilled to present a sensational junior handball clinic at the Plummer Helluva Family Bash 6. Fresh off of his semifinals appearance at the Bash, #3 ranked WPH pro Naty Alvarado Jr. joined NFL legend and Plummer Bash host Jake Plummer in introducing the game to several enthusiastic youngsters in a spectacular junior handball clinic.
“Jake loves teaching kids and has a ton of energy and attention for them,” stated Alvarado. “The nervousness these kids have in the beginning of the clinic is quite pure, but once the kids start hitting the ball, that anxiousness dissipates and they really relish the challenge. I learned a lot from the kids, as I had to tell them how to hit and where to hit. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I look forward to coaching more Junior WPH clinics in the future.”
The WPH would like to thank Naty Alvarado, Jr. and Jake Plummer for lending their legendary statuses towards growing the game of handball. The WPH has hosted over 500 junior handball clinics this year for juniors of all skill levels and has a number of clinics planned between now and the end of the year. The mission of the WPH is to inspire as many young people as possible to play the great game of handball. Please consider joining our team as a volunteer coach and developing the next generation of handball players!
To make a tax-deductible donation and support the growth of the game, please donate on-line at www.thehandballstore.com, send your generous gifts through PayPal (extremehandball@cs.com) or by mailing checks to: WPH, 4556 E Camp Lowell Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85712.100% of the donations received by the WPH go towards junior handball development.
The 2014 Argonauts Handball Classic
Junior WPH is thrilled to partner with the University of West Florida in hosting the 2nd annual Argonauts Handball Classic, November 14th-16th at the University of West Florida Rec Center in beautiful Pensacola, Florida.
“University of West Florida Handball Club President Mike Morgan has built an incredible collegiate handball program at UWF and the WPH is very excited to present a Junior WPH instructional clinic to help the collegians improve their games,” stated WPH Development Director David Fink.
The 2014 Argonauts Handball Classic will feature collegiate players from the University of West Florida, University of Florida, University of Central Florida and North Carolina State University. Collegiate handball is booming in the Southeast! The 2014 Argonauts Classic will also feature the top players from the southeast, including WPH Race 4 Eight pro and Junior WPH Argonauts Classic instructor, Luis Cordova. The Argonauts Classic also features various men’s and women’s skill divisions, as well as Master’s singles and doubles divisions.
Make your reservations now to visit the incredible beaches of Pensacola and one of the best tournaments of the fall!
Entry form (PDF) UWF_Handball_Classic_2014>
JR WPH Clinic w/Former NFL Star
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>
JR WPH Clinic at World Championships
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 12th through Sunday, September 14th, 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