Category: News

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

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

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

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