State of the MSHA Address

By Matt Hiber, MSHA President

Another handball season is upon us, and we are all another year older whether we like it or not. I would like to add that I have an advantage on most of you, if not all of you, in this area. I have the privilege of spending my days working at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Recreational Sports with young people who are ready to attack the world. I can honestly say that I feel better at 33 than I did at 23, and I do attribute this to being around young people on a daily basis.

This fall, the University of Minnesota Handball Classic attracted fifty-four competitors and was heavily sponsored by Steve Johnson’s company, ProMarketing (www.callpromarketing.com). The fifty-four competitors is definitely a mild-mannered number, but I would like to point out that 23 of those competitors were students (or recent graduates) of the University of Minnesota. These young players were of varying levels of experience, but every one of them showed levels of guts from which we could all learn. Watching these young people put forth their efforts on the handball court makes me appreciate what I do every day. Introducing people to handball, keeps the fire lit that more and more people will continue to play handball. It keeps the possibility alive that they may have a certain quality of life from playing handball that I have had over the years. It is a sense of satisfaction that is difficult to explain.

Young people do love handball. There must simply be an introduction program for them. I am happy to say that there will now be two handball classes at the University of Minnesota this spring semester instead of the standard single course. The volunteer that will be teaching the class also helped me with my oversized class this fall. He has become, and will continue to be, a tremendous asset to our instructional program. This is a small step, but it is a step in the right direction. The number one solution to growing our sport is having more of these introductory courses at the University. There have been others who have contacted me about doing some voluntary instruction. I will be calling on you this coming summer for classes in the fall of 2004. I am thanking you in advance.

There are students who continue to play, and they fall in love with the game. The carrot that is out there for them is the USHA Intercollegiate Championships. It is their chance to test other college students, who are also new to the game, in the sport of handball. It is also a great opportunity for us to keep people playing our beloved sport. This year the event is at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. The team will consist of completely new faces - ten men and four women. Because transportation, housing, and entry fees can be taxing on an already stressed out budget of a college student, I am asking individuals who are interested in contributing to the Minnesota Handball Club to contact me directly at 612-626-7836. Keep the dream alive!