USA Team Handball’s 1stt Beach National Championship was held on July 27-28 in Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville Knights was the host club and Amir Haskic was the Competition Director. Set on the background of the Atlantic Ocean, the games were exciting and drew many spectators. Six teams participated in the Championships: Condors, Rock of Ages, Jacksonville Knights, Rock Wall, Georgia Tech, & Beach Knights. The Condors swept all comers in this inaugural event for USATH.

Led offensively by Mike Hurdle and Fabian Hippe, the Condors went undefeated. Björn Brembs provided excellent goalkeeping to squelch any efforts to defeat the Condors. Mike Hurdle was the top scorer of the Beach National Championship, consistently earning “two” points for his shots.

Game scoring is one match point per half. If a “goal” tie occurs in the first half, play continues (called the golden goal rule) until the next goal is scored and one match point awarded. Ties are not permitted. Thus, if each team should win a half then a shootout is used to decide an ultimate winner. The shootout (called the “one player against the goalkeeper” system) has the goalkeeper throwing the ball down court to a court player who then shoots from any court position. The winner of the shootout earns a second point. A final match can end with both team earning match points, example 2-1.

The Condors finished with 10 match points. A 15 game single round robin schedule provided the format for the Nationals. On Sunday morning the Condors had to face the other two contenders for the coveted title of “National Beach Champion”. First, they faced the Jacksonville Knights. After losing the first half (9 goals to 7 goals) and giving up to Jacksonville one point, they fought back and won the second half (8 goals to 7 goals). The tie lead to a shootout where the goalkeepers actually prevailed but the Condors outscored Jacksonville 2 goals to 1 goal (after 5 shots each) to earn the 2nd point. In this game, Björn Brembs provided exceptional goalkeeping and was the Most Valuable Goalkeeper. Condors won 2 match points to 1 match point.

The final match for the Condors had them facing the Rock of Ages team from Atlanta who had also won all their previous four matches and sported 8 points with the Condors. The Rock of Ages’s Robert Mayfield provided the offensive and defensive leadership for the team. Both John Parker and Robert Mayfield provided the scoring punch for the Rock squad. Rock of Ages just barely missed upsetting the Condors in the first period losing 12 goals to 10 goals. In the second half, the Condors used their beach handball experience to defeat the Ages squad 16 goals to 10 goals and win the second match point and securing the National Championship title.

Final Standings:

1st Place Condors 10 points
2nd Place (tie) Rock of Ages & Jacksonville Knights 8 points each
4th Georgia Tech 4 points
5th Beach Knights 3 points
6th Rock Wall 1 point

Mahir Kamerasevic, Tommaso Irrera and Toni Uostrevski provided excellent officiating for this inaugural event. Competition ran from 8:00 am to around 12:30 pm and then resumed at 3:30 pm to avoid the hottest afternoon sun.

This 3-on-3 version has another unique rule - the suspension rule – it is not a two-minute suspension but rather a suspension until the opposing team losses possession of the ball. Often a suspension lasted 30 seconds but the second suspensions results in a disqualification.

Boris Vukota , a Jax Knights Club official, had this to say about the Championship: “We would like to thank all teams, officials, families, friends and volunteers that made this tournament an excellent event. This two-day tournament was filled with the excitement, fun, and many excellent handball moves. Most observers were especially surprised with Rock of Ages and their well organized, and effectively executed plays. Not even excruciating heat could affect the level of competitiveness at which all teams presented. We hope this tournament grows bigger every year with more teams participating.”

Jim Thome, Chairman, USATH Organizing and Competition Committee, attended the Championships and noted “Beach Handball is a whole different sport. The shorter court and the straight “6 meter line” and the sand make it an exciting game to watch. The event was well received by all participants.”

Source: USATH