Junior beach handball players aiming for 2018 Youth Olympics
HANDBALL is undoubtedly a perennial playground favourite – and when you throw sand, surf and sunshine into the mix, you get a fun and exciting sport that is growing in popularity.
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HANDBALL is undoubtedly a perennial playground favourite – and when you throw sand, surf and sunshine into the mix, you get a fun and exciting sport that is growing in popularity.
An evolution of the Olympic sport of European handball, beach handball pits two teams of three, up to four substitutes and a goal keeper against each other on a sand court.
Using a non-slip rubber ball, players try to score regular goals worth one point, or “attractive or spectacular goals” worth two points, to claim the most number of match points.
Handball enthusiast Ethan Lee Chalk decided to join the Maroubra Bluebottles beach handball club after hearing about the seaside adaptation during gym class at school.
“It sounded unusual and I wanted to see what it would be like instead of playing on solid ground, and I found it to be a lot more interesting,” the Randwick Boys High School student said.
“I already play every sport under the sun, and I love beach handball because it’s a short time frame and requires good skill and athleticism – it’s like all different sports rolled into one.”
Australian Junior Beach Handball Squad manager and Olympic European handball player Allira Hudson-Gofers got into the game after being “roped in” by her husband at training camp.
“We had some international guys come out here to the 2011 national championships who showed us how to do trick shots and I got into it,” Hudson-Gofers said.
“We train the kids every weekend at Maroubra, it’s a lot of fun.”
A squad will be selected from the Junior Squad Training Camp which was held at Brighton-Le-Sands last weekend, with the team to compete at the Oceania Qualifications in the Cook Islands in March.
“We need to win there, and come in the top rankings at the World Championships in July, to have a hope of playing at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games,” Hudson-Gofers said.
“Australia won’t send over every team sport, so our juniors just have to do their best and we’ll cross our fingers they choose our sport.”
For more information email ausjnrbeachandball@gmail.com
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