Last week, a small delegation of players from Prince George went to the World Handball Championships in Calgary.In all, I believe there were about eight players in the tournament either from or formerly from Prince George - in a world tournament.
Many readers may be thinking, "handball? That European team handball sport we played that one time in gym class in high school?"
You would be wrong.Handball is a court sport played by people who are awesome in a racquetball court (not a squash court).The rules of the game are largely the same as racquetball except handballers (exceptionally cool name) wear thin leather gloves and hit the ball, which is much smaller and harder than a racquet ball, with either hand.
It is a hard-core sport that works your entire body.
Once upon a time in Prince George, the Handball Association had more members than both the squash and racquetball leagues.We held tournaments at the Golf and Curling Club and at the YMCA and the stands would be filled watching people battling it out in the courts.
I have played handball since I was around 11 years old but I remember going to watch my dad play in tournaments for as long as I remember.
There is a very distinct handball smell that I miss.It is a combination of sweaty men, old T-shirts, ripe shoes, rubber and second-hand beer breath.When I was a junior player, I of course did not partake in the celebratory after-game beer, but I would imagine that I would do so now, with relish.
As my mom is updating her Facebook status letting those of us at home follow-along with how our people are doing (Go, dad!), I am filled with envy.I wish I were there.There are a number of reasons that I did not enter the tournament this year, but the chief reason is that there is exactly one private court in town and were I to enter into a world championship, I would feel a bit more comfortable having played any time in the last decade.
I have written about the lack of courts in Prince George in a previous column however I feel the need to bring it up again.Surely there are people in this fine city who would like to play racquetball or would like to learn how to play the perfect game?
As an aside, handball truly is a perfect game and as such, that was the slogan used by many handball associations for many years. In the event we eventually get some courts in this city, I would love to teach anyone who wants to learn how to play.
When I was a junior player, I went to a number of national tournaments and I competed in one world tournament.
This sport has always been more popular with boys rather than girls across the country so me and my teammates would often end up going to tournaments and playing against each other.
It was one of these championships that left me with my national ranking; I came in third out of three players.
I was a decent player, but I was not the best. That never seemed to matter because the game was fun, challenging and exciting. I would like to see a resurgence of interest in court sports in this country and, in particular, this town.The squash courts we shipped in at the Northern Sport Centre for the Canada Winter Games were absolutely beautiful and the stands were packed with people watching.If there were a collection of movable courts that worked for racquetball, handball and squash, they would be used.
It is winter eight months of the year in Prince George, and not everyone loves skiing.We need courts in Prince George, period.
As of press time, the results are not in about how our players did however I am confident that regardless of the actual result, they played well and had a great time.The handball community in Prince George is small but feisty and love a great game. We are proud of you. Great job, everyone!
