Categories
Local News News

Classic Bill Cosby – A Handball Game at the Y

 

Thanks Charlie

 

 

Categories
Local News News

Welcome to the New Maryland Handball Website

It has been awhile since we had a major update to the Maryland Handball website.    All of the content we had on the old site has been moved over so you can still view old results, news, and player development articles.  Obviously we have updated the site format and aesthetics but we have also regained control of our old MDHANDBALL.COM domain.  Both mdhandball.com and marylandhandball.com will come here.
In the future we would love content contributions.  Anything that you would like to post on the site, let us know.

Notable Site Updates

  • New “What is Handball?” section – Hopefully to narrow down the requests for team handball and promote our sport.  Originally written by Dan Zimit, but we also added some youtube embedded videos.  There is also a link to contact us if you are interested in playing that leads to an email form.
  • Updated “Find a Game” section – Added google maps to update our playing location addresses and also added a form where players looking for a game can contact Maryland handball players
  • Updated “Tournament” section – New contact form where other people can attach a file and include information on tournaments you want promoted.
  • New Subscribe to blog updates – New section that is always on the right hand side. You will be notified of new content via email.  Feel free to signup
  • New Subscribe to newsletter –  At the bottom of the page.  A user can subscribe to our newsletter updates.  Nothing gets to you automatically.  (You may already be signed up, as we have consolidated our previous email lists to here)

Let us know what you think.  Feel free to comment below.

Categories
Local News

A Note From our New Commissioner

Fellow local handball players, as I assume the role of Current Maryland Handball Commissioner from Dan Zimet, I look forward to continuing and building on what Dan has accomplished as our lone Commissioner over the past ten years.  His efforts have helped build a solid foundation of handball in the community and his hard work has enhanced the financial position of Maryland Handball as an organization.
With Dan’s continued help, the commitment of Commissioner Elect Dan Ho, as well as dedicated others (Titles and Committee members to be determined) my hope is to keep handball in the local area moving in a positive direction and to build on the camaraderie we enjoy together as handball players throughout the region.
Over the next few months I will be seeking volunteers to serve in somewhat of an official capacity, perhaps as Tournament Chair, Food and Refreshment Chair, Publicity Chair, etc.  I know that many of you worked with Dan in the past and the support you have provided is immeasurable in making events and tournaments run smoothly and in keeping them enjoyable for all participants and their guests.
As we move into a new calendar year of handball, I anticipate a seamless transition with only one significant change to our current local tournament structure.  The change which has been discussed with prior board members and other prominent faces in the handball community is one of formatting the Maryland State Singles and Doubles tournaments into a single event. The idea to combine both the singles and doubles into a two-day event is due to the fact that individually, each of the tournaments has met mixed success as to the number of participants.  Certainly, participation from outside the immediate local commuting area has dwindled.  With a two-day event, the hope is to expand on the overall tournament venue, increase the number of handball participants and guests, and perhaps most importantly, expand on our camaraderie that is important to the game of handball.
Therefore, the Maryland Singles tournament scheduled for March is cancelled.  With the help of your input, a future date will be determined combining both a singles and doubles format.
In concluding, I welcome all comments and suggestions.  I welcome new ideas or old ones that still work.  I have pretty thick skin for criticism and welcome constructive debate.  My goal is simply to keep handball alive and enjoyable for us all.
Thank you for taking the time to read and correspond with me any thoughts. I look forward to seeing you on the handball court soon!
Bob Maguire ( bonzomagoo@aol.com) …until I set up a handball account
Categories
Local News

Letter From the Commissioner

To our local community,

After 10 years and thinking about it for the past year, I have come to the firm conclusion that it is appropriate for me to resign from the Maryland Commissioner role.  There are numerous reasons for doing so, the most critical being a need for new ideas and energy, and my desire to contribute to Handball in a different way.  I am hopeful that a new Commissioner will be better able to draw players to our tournaments and invigorate an agenda that help Maryland Handball grow.  My tenure has had its ups and downs, and I'm aware of many things that I could have done or done differently.  I have always done my best to insure that our tournaments meet our budget, are as competitive as our turnout allows, and run as smoothly as possible.  In forming an MHA Committee I tried to create an open atmosphere welcoming new ideas and promoting joint contributions to growth, organization and goal setting.  In stepping down I hope that everyone I have served in my role as Commissioner knows that every decision I made was guided by my passion and desire to give a competitive and enjoyable experience to as many of you as possible.

 
The MHA committee is meeting on the 22nd of December, and in that meeting we will discuss options for who can fill the Maryland Commissioner role.  If you have suggestions or would consider taking on this necessary duty, please let me or anyone else on the committee know.  The meeting on the 22nd is an open meeting and I encourage all of you to consider attending.  I will forward details if you would like to come.  

The below individuals have made the largest contributions to Maryland Handball over the past ten-years and I want to extend my deepest appreciation to each of you for the efforts you have made.  Alan Frank has been instrumental in offering advice, support, tournament day organization and hosting, and creating the draws.  Nathaniel has been an amazing addition offering great energy, website development and maintanence, tournament day organization and hosting, and maintaining an organized list of entries.  Both of the Franks have also recruited players and fielded correspondance at every tournament.  Simply put, without them I would have never been able to run as well as play in our events.  Charlie Parson and Sharon have brought Maryland Handball into the technical age with clever draw displays and design suggestions for giveaways (most notably the political cartoon from the 2012 singles).  Dan Ho as well as Joe P have give their time, patience and support to player development and teaching anyone interested in learning about our game.   Joe Berman has assisted at numerous events, provided critical support and offered information in draw development.  Josh Ho has been present in a range of periferal supports, most notably website design and cooking the BBQ at the 2012 Eastern Regionals.  Peter Peart has allowed us to relive our tournaments with wonderful write ups, and he has always made himself available to reff a match.  I am also grateful to the many others who ran the desk, cleaned up, reffed matches, and otherwise provided support and encouragement.
 
Thanks to each of you – I look forward to the 22nd, where we can determine in whose hands the future of Maryland Handball will rest and how to best support a transition.

With warmest regards,
Dan Zimet

Categories
Local News

Woody’s Latest Art Project

Our very own Bob "Woody" Woodward has been receiving some nice press coverage for his latest art project. Check it out!

 

Article from February 2012

Article from March 2012

Categories
Local News

Maryland Handball Vids & Pics

Photos of our Players:
2010 Eastern Regional Tournament
2010 3-Wall Nationals in Toledo, OH
 
See Maryland Handball Photos Here
 

If you have photos from any event,
please send them to natybocow@yahoo.com
to have them added to our albums


2010 Eastern Regional Tournament

Videos of the Open Singles Finals Match
and the Masters Doubles Finals Match
Watch Videos Here
Categories
Local News

May 9, 2008 Email

Handball players,
 
Local players are out in force as the 3-wall courts in Columbia are filling up most days of the week.  The Challenge Courts at the Supreme Club are suspended until it turns cold out again.  As always, please consult the website for details and entry forms, as well as our schedule and results of tournaments, local and national.  Players are typically out on Saturday and Sunday mornings starting around 9AM, and Tuesday and Thursday starting around 3:45PM.
 
The No Frills/3-Wall Doubles tournament is being held on Saturday June 7th, so get your play in to be well prepared.
 
After a hiatus last year, the Handball/Golf Outing is again on the books.  16 slots are available for July 12th, with golf at Fairway Hills and handball afterwards. 
 
The Maryland State Singles took place on May 3rd, with 26 entries.  Congrats to winners Roger Berry (40/50), Jerry Yee (60), Carl Lady (65+Handicap) and Daniel Zimet (Open), and Josh Osburn (B).
 
Congrats to Jay Miller on reaching the final of the 40+ National Singles, and good luck to all our local entries at the Nationals in Kansas City this year.
 
See you on the courts!
Dan Zimet

Categories
Local News

March 2, 2008 E-mail

Handballers,
 
Please consult the website at your earliest opportunity for several reasons.  First, Nathaniel Frank has done a bang-up job reorganizing everything to make it easier to navigate.  As our co-webmaster with Josh Ho, Nathaniel also has placed the 2008 State Singles entry form online for your convenience.
 
Second, as a follow-up to the article on Doubles written by Rick Anderson (and still available on the website), I have written an article on the 3-Wall Serve that is now available on the site.  The article may also be printed in the Handball magazine in upcoming issues, but you can see it first and in it's entirety on the Maryland Handball website.  Additional articles and interviews will be posted in the future.
 
Finally, a query and petition to those players over 65.  This year an option is being offered and, with player feedback, I am hoping developed into a recurrent division.  In addition to a 60+ division, I will be offering the 65+B/70+ division seen on the application.  Players 65-70 will be required to meet general criteria for a B skills level.  All players in this bracket will be playing based on a point spread determined by age, where older players will be awarded points each game based on the discrepency in age between the two players.  One option is a 1-1 ratio, such that if a 70 year-old plays a 65 year-old, the 70 year-old will start the game serving at 5-0.  Depending on interest level, player feedback, and the Draw Committee (aka Alan Frank and me nodding my head when he asks me my opinion) the ratio may shift, but you get the general idea.  I am very hopeful that this will draw some of our older guys into the tournament, so PLEASE spread the word to anyone who might be interested to make sure we get this division going!
 
That is all – wish your local guys good-luck in San Diego next weekend, and know that 3-wall season is only a few months away!
 
Sincerely,
 
Dan

Categories
Local News

2007 MHA Meeting Minutes

2007 Executive Committee – Maryland Handball Association Minutes

October 23rd 2007 

 

Old business 

  1. Review of 2006 handball tournaments
    1. Singles, 3-wall doubles, Eastern Regional, 4-wall doubles
    2. Attendance
      1. 42 @ 3-wall doubles (2006, attendance was 48)
      2. 62 @ Eastern Regional (52 in 2006; 60 in 2005; 75 in 2004; 71 in 2003)
    3. Golf outing was cancelled in 2007 but will return in 2008
  2. 3-wall court renovations- Completed
  3. Finding 2 tournament assistants – Accomplished
  4. Challenge courts – Ongoing during the winter
 

New business 

    1. Current Financial Status – $7,732.00; $3500 dedicated to player dev.)
    2. Executive Committee
      1. Review executive committee functions and 2007 contributions
        1. Tournament Chairman- Alan Frank
        2. Tournament Assistance – Joe Plezcoch, Dave Hinkelman, Howard Kolodny
        3. Website – Josh Ho
        4. Player Development- Dan Ho
        5. Creativity Chairs- Charlie and Sharon Parsons
      2. 2007 Executive Committee membership – all members volunteered for another year term for 2008.
      3. Nathaniel Frank was elected to be the 3rd Tournament Chairman along with Daniel Zimet and Alan Frank.
    3. 2008 handball tournaments
      1. Singles not to conflict with the National Singles or Doubles
      2. Eastern Regional to continue 2-weeks prior to the 3-wall Nationals
      3. Consider 4-wall doubles in early December on an ongoing basis
      4. Restart Golf/Handball outing in July
      5. Continue No-Frills in June
    4. USHA letter regarding 3-year time commitment of State/Regional Chairmen
      1. Daniel Zimet to continue as State Chairmen
      2. Discussed major contributions from the MHA committee this year
        1. Sharon Parsons who did tournament meals, the towels for the Eastern Regional, and other supportive roles.
        2. Nathaniel Frank who did the tournament pre-registration and organization, as well as registration and court assignments.
        3. Alan Frank who continued to develop the draws and co-chair on tournament day.
        4. Dan Ho who was played a major role in the renovation of the 3-wall courts, coordinated the original schedule of the Challenge courts, and scheduled the Handball Class with HCRP that did not run due to lack of interest.
        5. Josh Ho who developed our new website and continues to update and advance the use of the internet for the MHA.
        6. Charlie Parsons who continues to provide creative elements on tournament day and put up the fence extensions on the 3-wall courts prior to the new fence getting put in.
        7. Joe Plezcoch who worked on court assignments
        8. Howard Kolodny who continues to work on tournament registration.
    5. Player Development
      1. Lack of movement with regard to Howard County Public Schools on a global scale.
        1. Jackie French contact seems to have resulted in a lack of global interest for Handball. 
        2. Consensus is that we will need to work individually with each school.
      2. Teaching classes at Atholton High School
        1. Two 3-day classes (Dec/Jan and Apr/May)
        2. Additional coaches to attend (Gary Cruz, Josh Ho, Dan Ho)
        3. How do we draw additional players into the game?
          1. Incentives such as $25 iTunes cards for winners
          2. Drawing in friends of youth who are already involved in the game, such as Nathaniel
          3. More frequent junior tournaments once we get interested players to keep interest going.
      3. Unable to get interest with HCRP summer 3-wall classes
      4. Courses at Sport & Health Clubs Lakeforest/Arlington
        1. Club has expressed interest in MHA running a clinic
        2. Dan Ho to contact and schedule
        3. Scheduled in 2007, but cancelled due to a lack of interest
    6. Should we consider buying silk-screening supplies?
      1. Consensus is that once space allows it will be worthwhile to determine if our budget allows the ~1K start up fee for silk-screening our own merchandise.
      2. Savings will be approximately $3 per shirt/item, which will amount to ~$600 per year.
Categories
Local News

April 2006 Update

Many have expressed interest in when the Centennial Park 3-wall courts will be completed in Columbia.  So far, the painting of the courts is finished and two main projects remain.  The company responsible for the concrete needs to work on one of the courts and then surface the area behind the courts.  This process has been delayed somewhat by weather, as well as some problems with the work they did pouring one of the courts earlier in the year.  Once that is finished, the fencing people will come in and do the ceiling and area behind the courts.  The estimated time of completion, as reported by the HCRP, is for the first week in May.  This date depends on our getting a week of dry weather.

Once the courts are opened, we’re hoping for a great summer of play.  The back courts are to be extended, which means more room for those deep shots.  If this year is like previous years, Saturday morning will be the most attended day, followed by Sunday morning, Tuesday and Thursday after 3:30p, and some people showing up on Wednesdays as well.

The No Frills has been scheduled for 6/9/07 and the Eastern Regional for 8/17/07 – 8/19/07.  There will also be the classic Golf/Handball Outing in July that is yet to be scheduled.

Player Development work has continued with Dan Ho and Gary Cruz having talked to the Howard County Public School Gym Instructors on 3/23/07.  Dan Ho has also scheduled several Handball Clinics through HCRP to take place this summer at the 3-wall courts.  We continue to make efforts in pursuing options for gaining access to groups of youth for an instructional.

This winter the Supreme Club offered Challenge Courts for players to drop-in.  I want to thank the players who made travel plans to come in and help fill the courts, including the Andersons, Zimets, and particularly Bob Bardwell.  The Challenge Courts were a great opportunity for players to match up with new partners and challenge new teams, adding variety in these
days where we experience fewer and fewer player options.  The last day of the Challenge Courts will be the first day the 3-wall courts open.  I hope to continue these Challenge Days next year.

I want to apologize for the Maryland Handball website, which has been under construction for the past month.  We are hoping to have it up and running with improvements in the next week thanks to the technical assistance of Josh Ho.

Having been injured over the past few months my play has been quite limited, so I have not been able to spend as much time talking to and playing ball with you all.  I hope to see each of you this summer.  If you have need of equipment (e.g., balls, gloves, goggles) please know that I have a stock of items for sale.

See you soon, and pray for sun and reasonable temperatures!