Perfect Game 2019 Newsletter Vol. 1

Established in 1991

The PERFECT

GAME

2019 Newsletter Vol. 1

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2019 ICHA Handball Calendar

38th Annual Long Island Open

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March Player of the Month

The PERFECT GAME 2019 Newsletter Vol. 1

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2019 ICHA Handball Calendar

28th Annual High School Spring Meet 4/27 - 4/28/2019

ICHA/USHA Junior Small Ball Nationals 6/8 - 6/9/2019

Play Handball for the Cure Speaker’s Cup Tournament 7/13 - 7/14/2019

ICHA/ USHA Junior Big Blue Nationals 8/17 - 8/18/2019

2019 ICHA Annual Fall Handball Gala 11/2019 ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

The PERFECT GAME 2019 Newsletter Vol. 1

38th Annual Long Island Open

BY MICHELLE HE

T

he 38th Annual Long Island Open weekend had talented players that competed for a championship title at the Synergy Fitness Club in Syosset, NY. Players came from all over New York and many from outof-state to support handball.

Stephen Cooney the Undefeated Champion

A familar face to this tournament and a frequent player at the New York Athletic Club, Stephen Cooney came back to defend his championship title in the Men’s Small Ball Open Singles. He faced Matthew Chu in the quarter-finals and defeated him with a sweeping 21-6 and 21-2.

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Cooney fought on through the matches and met Cesar Sala at the semi-finals, but readily defeated Sala, proceeding straight to the finals. Cooney confronted the winner of the opposite bracket, Jurell Bastidas.

Both players did all they could to stop each other with volleys, and kills, but Cooney came out as the stronger player, defending his championship title with a score of 21-9 and 21-13.

Does this signal a comeback for Amy Li and Sandy Ng? This year, many women competed, including former ICHA champions Amy Li and Sandy Ng. Li and Ng dominated the Female Doubles 4-Wall Big Ball Open and soared through the division. Their first opponents, Caddie Lai and Mariana Liu pushed for every

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point possible, but the force of Li and Ng could not be stopped. They won the match at a shocking score of 21-6 and 21-2. Li and Ng marched to the finals, ready to go against even tougher competitors, Shirley Chen and Serena Wu. Chen and Wu have also been past ICHA competitors and are returning to show that they are ready to compete at the top level. Both teams went back and forth with tough volleys and shots, but Li and Ng ultimately win game 1 with a score of 21-7. The second game was more challenging, with Chen and Wu pushing back even stronger than before.

Despite their tough push, Li and Ng did not budge enough and take home the championship title with a closer score of 21-11.

Be on the look out for Amy Li and Sandy Ng because we never know when this strong team decides to compete again.

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Men’s Doubles Small Ball (Open) – Neil O’Connor, Stephen Cooney, Jurell Bastidas, Tyree Bastidas

Women’s Singles Big Ball (Open) - Serena Wu

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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38th Annual Long Island Open 19 & UNDER BOY’S SINGLES SMALL BALL 1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Bernardo Brandt Brian Lee Christian Catano Henry Santana

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Amy Li / Sandy Ng Shirley Chen / Serena Wu Caddie Lai / Mariana Liu Flora Liu / Anastasia Chen

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Ray Lu / Gary Luk Michael Ashirov / Guichang Lin Brandon Lau / Michael Ngai Alvaro Rebaza / Andres Calle

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Cesar Sala / Jai Ragoo Gerard Pagello / Michael Angley Paul Lonergan / Richard Mascia Paul Williams / Sandesh Sadalge

1st Place 2nd Place

Louis Gottlieb / Byron Ortiz Gary Schecter / Robert Friedman

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Spencer Siu / Usman Ansari Alexander Sadegholvad / Gary Liu Max Chiang / Jianneng Wu Jon Bellman / Vince Wingerter

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Stephen Cooney / Niall O’Connor Jurell Bastidas / Tyree Bastidas Alvaro Rebaza / Andres Calle Spencer Siu / Steven Woo

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist

Fredi Ozdemir Will “The Warrior” Francisco Lopez

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Michael Ashirov Stephen Navarro Ray Lu Andres Calle

FEMALE DOUBLES 4-WALL BIG BALL (OPEN)

MEN’S DOUBLES BIG BALL (OPEN)

MEN’S DOUBLES SMALL BALL (35+)

MEN’S DOUBLES SMALL BALL (60+) MEN’S DOUBLES SMALL BALL (B)

MEN’S DOUBLES SMALL BALL (OPEN)

MEN’S SINGLES BIG BALL (40+)

MEN’S SINGLES BIG BALL (OPEN)

Men’s Doubles Big Ball (Open) – Gary Luk, Ray Lu, Michael Ashirov, Guichang Lin

Host, Volunteer, and Tournament Players – Steven Woo, Paul Williams

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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38th Annual Long Island Open MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (B) 1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Brandon Lau Derek Ng Sandesh Sadalge Gerry Tran

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Hansen Li Oran Chak Leo Zheng Robert Goffner

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Jerry Yee Graham Palmore Marc Seigle Artie Diamant

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Richard Mascia Darwin Lee Victor Stevenson Paul Williams

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Cesar Sala Jai Ragoo Eddie Perez Joseph Kaplan

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Stephen Cooney Jurell Bastidas Tyree Bastidas Cesar Sala

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist

Daniel Yee Byron Ortiz Phil Simmons

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist Semi-Finalist

Serena Wu Sandy Ng Amy Li Shirley Chen

1st Place 2nd Place Semi-Finalist

Sandy Ng Shirley Chen Amanda Blanchard

MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (C)

MEN’S SINGLES BIG BALL (70+)

MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (50+)

MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (40+)

MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (OPEN)

MEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (60+) WOMEN’S SINGLES BIG BALL (OPEN)

WOMEN’S SINGLES SMALL BALL (OPEN)

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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March Handball Player of the Month Bernardo Brant

BY BERNARDO BRANDT

I’ve had so many memorable handball experiences and looking back at them, I really feel my growth as a handball player. A few years ago, I reached the semis of the St. Albans Juniors Tournament with Tristan Durbin and I continued to compete in tournaments with him after such as the 2016 ICHA Junior Big Blue the following weekend. I challenged myself in joining these tournaments and it was very exciting to play against other great junior players, like Dan Pitre. I would say my breakthrough moment though was holding my own against Jesus Ramirez, one of the best

adult players in the Handballers New Jersey Singles Tournament.

Not only was it a great game, I was then selected as Most Improved Player that same day. I stepped up to the next level after that and played against more adults and my PHA Juniors Clinic Exhibition Game with Carlin Rosa against my dad and Eddie Styles was unforgettable.

Recently, I had a wonderful experience at the LI Open. It was interesting to see how great onewall players were also competing at a high level in 4-wall. It turned out that quite a few

players remembered me and that made me feel very welcomed.

That day was a big shift for me because I have been coming to NYC losing to top Asian players for years, but that day I finally won!

For me, handball is the ultimate hand-eye coordination sport filled with friendly people. It’s like a martial art, hand-to-hand combat that demands quick reflexes and rapid decision making, yet it is informal simultaneously where players shout, “We got next,” and, “You’re on the court!” It is filled

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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March Handball Player of the Month Bernardo Brant with inviting people where anyone can step on a court while an A player is warming up and he or she will volley with you and encourage you. That’s really cool!

Handball has challenged my quickness, anticipation and court awareness and it demands more than just straight-ahead speed, and I’ve seen players excel at this game. Four onewall A players blasting away from the short line, the game doesn’t get more intense than that. Bottom line is, handball is a lot of fun and it gets me out of my head because the ball comes my way every few seconds!

That’s what handball is. Fast, Intense, and Fun.

Bernardo Brandt practicing 4-Wall handball at the West Side YMCA

Player Achievements

Doubles Semi-finalist, St. Albans Juniors Tournament (2016) Doubles Semi-finalist, ICHA / Central Park Conservancy Big Blue Tournament (2016) Most Improved Player Handballers New Jersey (2016)

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Contact Us at handball@icha.org or Call at 718.703.7699

Doubles Semi-finalist Handballers New Jersey Open (2017) Singles Champion 19 & Under 38th Annual Long Island Open (2019) ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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2019 ICHA Junior Development Fund Drive I would like to contribute to ICHA by offering the following tax deductible contribution: $ 10,000 Benefactor’s Club $ 5,000 Corporate Sponsor’s Club $ 3,000 Jim Jacob’s Scholarship Fund (subsidizes (10) 1-year YMCA memberships for college athletes between the ages 18-21

$ 1,000 $ 750 $ 500 $ 250 $5 - $99 $______ $______ $______ $______

for one & four wall) 2021 World Team Sponsor - subsidizes (1) Team ICHA member to World’s Tournament 2021 hosted in Ireland Sportsman’s Club Developers Club Sponsors Club (subsidizes one 6 month 18-21 college athlete one & four wall YMCA membership) Contributors Club James Francis Lonergan Fund (Supports the development NYC teen and collegiate handball) Phil Fuchs Scholarship Fund (Awarded in $500+ increments to eligible ICHA high school and college teens.)

Malcolm Cohen Fund (In memory of Malcolm Cohen to develop NYC handball) John Scola Fund (In memory of John Scola to stimulate handball participation locally and nationally)

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Company: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________________ State: ____________________________________ Zipcode: _____________ Home Phone: __________________________________________ Work Phone: __________________________________________ MASTERCARD / VISA / AMERICAN EXPRESS / DISCOVER NOW ACCEPTED FOR ALL CONTRIBUTIONS

Fundraising Goal by 12/31/19: $133,000 $15,000

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Contact Us Phone Fax E-mail Website

as of 2/25/19

$30,000

718.703.7699 718.940.0207 handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

$60,000

Social Media Facebook Instagram Twitter

http://www.facebook.com/ichanyc/ @innercityhandball @ichandballnyc

$90,000

$133,000

Inner City Handball Association Inc. P.O. Box 531 Baldwin, NY 11510

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

The PERFECT GAME 2019 Newsletter Vol. 1

ICHA P.O. BOX 531 Baldwin, NY 11510 (718) 703-7699 Fax: (718) 940-0207 E-mail: handball@icha.org http://www.icha.org

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