From the President

From the President
by Darryl Ekstrom
MSHA Board President

Greetings handballers! I hope you had a great holiday season this year and are now set to begin preparation for the 1997 tournaments.

Enclosed with this newsletter are entry forms for all four MSHA State Championship tournaments this year. The format continues our traditional arrangement with the Golden Master's brackets held at the same time as the Open brackets. Please take time to look them over and enter as many as possible. This year we start with the Master's Doubles (remember, there is also a division for 30 year-olds.) Next is the Open Doubles at the Decathlon AC followed by the Master's Singles at the Minneapolis AC. We finish the state championships with the Open Singles at the University of Minnesota Recreation Center in Minneapolis. Most of our MSHA members should be eligible to enter all four. Why don't you see if you can be an MSHA Iron-Man/Woman and participate in all four.

Once again this year, you will be receiving a phone call early in the year to encourage your participation. If we have not heard from you, we will call one week in advance of the first tournament entry deadline to make sure you are aware of the upcoming event and remind you to enter if you are available and able to play. We are hoping to increase tournament participation ten percent over last year through use of the phones.

Also, please mark the date Friday, May 16, 1997 on your calendar. This is the date of the annual MSHA Banquet and Hall of Fame Awards. Again this year, the banquet will be held at the Wabasha Street Caves, which are owned and operated by MSHA Board member Steve Bremer. We are planning a great meal, an interesting (and brief - even though we said that last year, we mean it this time) program and the Hall of Fame presentations. We feel this is an ideal location to host the banquet, as we will have ample space, a full service bar (just for our group), and a stage area with a sound system. As always, the cost of this event is subsidized by your organization ($10.00 per person and Juniors are free), so please plan now to attend this event with your spouse or significant other. Let's see if we canšt beat last year's record attendance.

Finally, if you have comments, concerns, or suggestions regarding YOUR association, the MSHA, please contact me or another Board member and we will make certain your voice is heard.

On behalf of the MSHA Board of Directors, we wish you a healthy and prosperous year in handball in 1997. May it be your best ever!