US Team Handball Women's National Team

by: Jennifer Farrell

This October, two veteran members of the US Team Handball Women's National Team (WNT)- Team Captain Tomuke "T" Ebuwei and West Point alum Jennie Choi- accepted an offer to play with a Division 1 club in Sweden.   The team, HF Kroppskultur (www.kroppskultur.com ), is based out of Uddevalla on the west coast of Sweden.  

"I'm looking forward to playing with the Swedish team and learning as much as I can from the experience," said Jennie before she left.   "I have a lot to learn, so I hope to improve my game and apply it towards the team when I get back home.  Also, I'm looking forward to being in a new country. I think it will be a bit of a change, but I'm excited about it."

"I am looking forward to playing in a different environment and learning from new people," commented "T" who recently arrived in Uddevalla with her three-year old daughter Kya.   "I am hoping this opportunity will give me more experience at what to expect at the international level, especially as we head into Pan-Ams.  I really think this will help me push the team to perform at a higher level when I get back."

Jennie, who plays left/right wing, has been in Sweden for several weeks now and has played a few games with HF Kroppskultur, including one against the Swedish National Team.   "It's a little difficult on the court sometimes because of the language barrier, but I'm starting to catch on more and more," wrote Jennie in a blog post.   "The ball movement is fast and the team works well together; it's very fun to watch."

The ladies train with the team Monday through Thursday, with Friday as an individual preparation day and matches on the weekend.  

"I like the fact that there are several backcourts here that are better than I am," said "T" in a recent email to the WNT.   "I work really hard at practice just to keep up with them.  When I see the teams we play and where I measure up I know we have a lot of work to do.  I would also like to add that they are doing the same drills we do.  There is no magic handball formula...just hard work and repetition."

When asked if she was worried about being away from the WNT for these few months, Jennie responded that "I think our team will improve a lot in the next few months with the new players.   However, I think we'll be pretty good at adjusting and getting back into the swing of things. This experience should be very beneficial to us as players and in turn, will help the team more."

"T" and Jennie will train and play with the team through the first part of December, when the WNT will join them in Sweden for a preparation tour ahead of the North American Qualifiers. Following the tour, both players will return to the United States with the WNT to continue training in Cortland and Lake Placid before facing-off against Canada on January 4th and 6th .

To read more about "T" and Jennie's experiences in Sweden, please visit their blog:   www.wnteuropeaninvasion.blogspot.com