How it all started. Why Handball?

When I came to Cortland and started my semester abroad, I knew that the college did not offer team handball. However, I was excited to join other clubs and try other sports. I started playing Frisbee, signed up for an ice hockey class and a team sport methods class. This was a great way for me to stay fit and healthy. I enjoyed practicing regularly during the week and trying new sports. I wanted to try more sports, like lacrosse or basketball, but since I didn't have much experience in sports and the clubs had tryouts and made cuts at the beginning of the semester, I was both overwhelmed and scared. The Frisbee club had no tryouts and welcomed everyone, so I thought it was the perfect fit. It was a great opportunity for me to learn something new, get a different perspective, and get some exercise. However, I could not fully identify with it because I was looking for something more. Something was missing, but I could not put my finger on it. On the one hand, I wanted to try new sports, but on the other hand, I also wanted to have a high level of competitiveness and seriousness in practice. At that time I didn't realize how much handball played a role in my life in Germany. I was a player, a coach and even in college my entire projects were somehow related to handball. Handball was a big part of my personality and now there was a gap that needed to be filled. Everything I had worked on before to overcome challenges and get to the next level was set to zero.

This was my first Frisbee Tournament in Buffalo.

My PE activity class "Team Sport Methods" was key in helping me realize what I value most about team handball, all the values and identity it conveys. The sport creates a social community and helps people work together as a team, solve problems, and improve their communication skills. It strengthens social behavior and the way people deal with victories and defeats. Additionally, you exercise while having fun. I was already aware of the values and identity of the sport itself, but they were never that clear to me until I started actively looking for other sports that I could identify with. Now you might be thinking, "The values are just what the other sports also have." However, we covered the sports Footballl, Softball, Volleyball and Basketball in class and I found more and more differences between the sports and reasons why I, or luckily my parents, chose the sport of team handball for me.

Handball is a fast-paced sport that emphasizes teamwork and strategic passing. Handball players constantly pass the ball to each other in order to advance to the opponent's goal and score a goal. The fast pace and constant movement requires players to have excellent coordination, agility and communication. A point that underscores the importance of team play in handball for me was that handball players usually transport the ball up the court by passing with other teammates, whereas in basketball you usually/mainly dribble the ball to get up the court. Also, as a motivated athlete in class I was looking forward to exercise and master different tasks. However, what stood out to me was the low activity level. Especially in the sports of football and softball. In football, executing plays and setting up the offense/defense is key. This combines teamwork and many positive aspects, but one important aspect was missing for me - the sense of exercise. The same applies for Softball and some parts Volleyball. Noo doubt these sports are strenous and the players in these sports are high-class athletes, but it just wasn't the type of exercise I was looking for. In summary, football and softball emphasize running plays and strategic gameplay. Basketball showcases individual skills like dribbling, combined with team coordination, and volleyball requires precise ball control and effective communication. With that being said handball seemed like the perfect sport to promote physical activity and experience team cooperations. Also basic elements of the game, like throwing and catching, are already known from other major sports in the US.

The PE class I joined in order to play Handball in the first semester.

As I found myself in the situation where I realized how much my life back in Germany is connected to handball and how much I identify myself with that sport and the values of it, I was looking for opportunuites to play handball at SUNY Cortland. I heard from an international student, that there is a "Sport Models" class in what they have a small section of team handball. With that in mind I tried to connect to the professor of that class in order to join it. The professor was really kind and told me that I can for sure join and support her in that section. She had four classes with the same structure so I had a couple of chances to join her class and either play with them or support her in teaching the class. I was really surprised by the activity level in the class and especially in my group (not in a positive way :D). Funfact: I literally asked one guy if he is feeling okay because he was just standing on the field without really participating in the game. He said: "yes why?" And I replied to him: "Well, we are in defence and you have your hands in your pockets. That is not a way how we can play together." Okay, it was also 8 a.m. in the morning but this should never be an excuse just not to participate. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun in this class and we played a 4v4 adapted version of handball in the end. The students were really interested in the sport and we started talking about some practice opportunites. After one class one guy wrote me a message "Let me konw if we are starting a handball team! I'm in!".

There it was - my major driver and the idea of starting a handball team.

Small hint, that guy never joined but he gave me the idea and motivation for it:D. One thing I learend during my first semster was that it is easier and faster to ask people personally, especially for me since I was not familiar with the college and its structure at that point. After that class I went to the sport club office to ask what we need in order the set up a team/club and be able to have regular practice times. At that point I did not know what I will sign up for for the next semester and what will turn out of it.

Why do you like Team Handball?

In the next post you will read more about the structure of Team Handball in the US.