|
Home > Sports > Local sports
Creating a racket without racquets
Area handball players are small in numbers, but big on ability
By: Todd Mordhorst, Journal Sports Editor
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Lake of the Pines resident Doug Chandler is one of several high-caliber handball players in the foothills. Auburn's Ed Campbell won his division at the national championships last week in Minnesota. Michael Kirby/Auburn Journal
The sentiment is shared by a handful of foothills residents who play handball. Chandler moved to Lake of the Pines 25 years ago, believing his days as a handball player were over. A chance encounter with Grass Valley's Mike Gallego eventually revived his career and helped set off a relative boom in the area.
Chandler now plays with Gallego and several others on a Grass Valley team that recently won the Sacramento Area Handball Association (SAHA) team title.
Auburn's Ed Campbell was a national champion in the Golden B Singles division at the U.S. Handball Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. earlier this month.
Rough and Ready resident David Vincent is ranked No. 15 in the world in the open division.
"We're a small group, but we've got some really good players up here," Chandler said. "We've got five guys in this area that can go to nationals and compete for titles. Handball is a tough game to master, but it's a real fraternity of athletes."
The Grass Valley team meets at Club Sierra to play at least once a week. Many of the players grew up with handball, which thrives in major metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
The sport's appeal comes from the physical challenge.
"Sports Illustrated did a study that showed you burn more calories playing handball than in any other sport," said Vincent, 36, who is working on getting handball broadcast on ESPN.
The game is played with virtually the same rules as racquetball, though the only equipment needed is a pair of leather gloves. Players hit the hard, rubber ball with an open hand or a fist, which proves to be tougher than it looks.
"You don't have any leverage like you do with a racquet," Chandler explained. "The first time you swing, it hurts. A lot of people don't stay with the game because it's hard, it's physical."
The SAHA newsletter includes a section titled, "On the mend," with updates on half a dozen players who are recovering from various injuries, many of which were handball-related.
Chandler discovered the game when he was a YMCA director some 35 years ago. He's hoping to pass the game on to interested youngsters in the Auburn area.
"We'd like to start a club for juniors," said Chandler. "Anyone who wants to join us is welcome, but we'd really like to pass the game on to kids."
Anyone interested in playing handball should contact Chandler at (530) 268-1333. For more information on the SAHA, visit www.sactohandball.com.
Story Comments »
Comments are posted by readers of AuburnJournal.com and do not represent the views of Auburn Journal or Gold Country Media.
If you feel someone has violated our posting guidelines please contact us immediately so we can remove the post. We appreciate your help in regulating our online community.
Speak Out!beta
This is your opportunity to speak out about the story you just read. We encourage all readers to participate in this forum.
Notice: During this beta stage comments are not posted immediately but first reviewed for content. This process can take up to one business day.
Please follow our guidelines and do not post:
- Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
- Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
- Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment, or inciting violence.
- Comments using another person’s real name to disguise your identity.
- Commercial product promotions.
- Comments unrelated to the story.
Comments are limited to 500 words. While we do not edit comments, we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
If you feel someone has violated our posting guidelines please contact us immediately so we can remove the post. We appreciate your help in regulating our online community.
If you have any questions, please contact our webmaster.
|
