AT H L E T I C S
Handballers Head to Hood River for Tourney
T
he 18th Annual Hugh Hinman Memorial Handball Tournament was held, as always, at the Hood River Elks Club in January. This tournament is held to honor the memory of Hugh Hinman, a longtime player and contributor to the Oregon handball scene. Hugh’s brother Dale and niece Jennifer, both accomplished handball players, organize and promote this event annually in Hugh’s memory. The format of the tournament usually pits eight doubles teams (this year there were 10) against each other in a oneday, single elimination tournament with a consolation bracket. All matches are completed in one Saturday, which makes for one long day of handball playing and camaraderie between the Hood River and Portland players.
58 | The Wınged M |
APRIL 2013
Players from Portland and surrounding areas are invited to participate. Once the roster is finalized, a player from Portland is usually paired with a player from Hood River to form the teams. This year, MAC players Steve Grow, Bob Herrera, John Van Gorder, Jeff Jasperson and Troy Peterson were invited to participate. John Van Gorder, playing with Pat Hartford (Hood River) went down in their second match to Mike Wecker (Portland) and Ron Harder (Hood River). Jeff Jasperson and young gun Stephen Stenberg (Hood River) lost their first match to the ultimate champions, and then advanced to the finals of the consolation, losing to Stephen’s older brother Mike and Glen Cody, both of Hood River. Steve Grow and Kirk Hinman (Hood River) advanced to the playoff
for third place against Troy Peterson and Tom Dutcher (Portland). Troy and Tom ultimately claimed the third-place prize. In the finals, Bob Herrera and Dale Hinman (Hood River) squared off against perennial champ Ken Goe (Hood River) and his partner Jerry Mohar (Hood River). This year it was not meant to be for Goe, as Herrera and Hinman claimed the championship in a well-fought final match. This year was especially memorable for Dale Hinman, as it was the first time in the history of this event that he has been crowned champion. During the evening banquet Dale masterfully emceed the program, which recounts many of the exploits of Dale and Hugh as handball players over the years. Dale also caps off the evening by thanking every player in the room for their participation in the tournament by recognizing them with a personal anecdote. This is a great event that exemplifies the true camaraderie of handball. – Jeff Jasperson WM