US Team Handball Women's National Team

Edina and Jacque at the 2007 PACs.

The 2007 Pan-American Championships saw the last games of WNT players Edina Batar and Jacque Messel. Two veteran members of the WNT, who were with the team at its 2002 re-genesis at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY are hanging up their shoes after 5 years of service.

"We lived in the OTC for a year. It was difficult being so isolated from the world, but at the same time it allowed us to be completely focused on handball and we improved a lot," says Edina.

"We’ve come such a long way from those days in LP. It was five years ago, and it seems like a lifetime. It’s hard to believe," observed Jacque. "It was a lot of hard work, and very trying at times, but I also got chance to travel the world playing handball for the US. Not many get that opportunity. Besides, I won’t be leaving handball completely. It’s still that great sport that hooked me from my first practice, and I’m hooked for life."

After the 2003 Pan-Am Games the Army reassigned Jacque to a post at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. But when the program moved to Cortland, NY, then-coach Christian Latulippe asked Edina to rejoin him there. "We went through some tough times together, but Edina has always been a warrior and somebody you can count on.  She gave a lot to the program and made alot of sacrifices.  I respect her tremendously," recalls Latulippe.

At barely 5’3", the "co-captain" Edina was always the physically smallest player on the WNT, but she was easily one of the biggest pieces of the WNT. Unlike the majority of her teammates, Edina (a native of Hungary) grew up playing handball and her vast experience was invaluable to the WNT as its ranks were filled with tyros from other sports.

"She was certainly one of my first memories of handball," remembers teammate Kathy Darling with a smile. "I feel so privileged to count her as one of my closest friends. She was such a great mentor to have next to me on the court, too. I still tease her about how she would tell me to ‘Shoot Dammit!’ Of course I would shoot whenever she said that, so she’ll retort that I scored goals that way, and its definitely true."

Teammate and roommate Jennifer Farrell had the following to say, "As one of our veterans, we could always count on Edina to support us and share her wisdom, on and off the court. Her handball skills were apparant to anyone who watched her play, but what made her special was her unwavering commitment to the team and her leadership by example. Edina Batar is the kind of player you want on your team, period."

After handball Edina will continue pursuing her career as a Development Facilitator for the Franziska Racker Center, a position she’s held for nearly 2 years in the face of a seriously demanding handball schedule. It has brought her tremendous satisfaction, however, to work with mentally disabled people to enhance the quality of their lives.

Jacque would rejoin the team in Cortland for the 2005 Pan-Am Championships and stay through 2007 PACs. "Jacque is an enormously dedicated player. She was always at everyone else’s extra sessions so they’d have a goalie pushing them to get better. She has a solid understanding of the game, and is quick to offer advice," reflects Kathy Darling. "She also has a great ability to see right away how to take an idea and make it brilliant. I’m proud to say I was voluntarily part of her handball ‘platoon’."

Jacque Messel discovered handball as a freshman at the United States Military Academy when the captain of the Army Team Handball Team ordered her to try out for the team. Now a captain in the Army, it is often Jacque giving the commands. Jacque is one of four members on the 2007 team in the Army World Class Athlete Program, a program that allows active duty soldiers the opportunity to represent the United States in international sports.

Their handball shoes tell a well-deserved rest.

Fellow Army Captain, Sunny Chen, recalls, "One of my earliest memories of Jacque was the girl who brought enough clothes to dress anyone on our handball team trips at West Point. Since graduation, Jacque has been a great friend, roommate, and traveling buddy.  You won't find a friend more loyal."

After handball, Jacque will continue serving the U.S. as a Captain in the Army Reserves. She also intends to finish her M.B.A. and in her spare time add a few more stamps to her passport.

Jacque finished her career with 20 International games to her credit, and Edina finished with an impressive 34 caps. These two players, who are a wealth of handball knowledge, good-humor and "bad influences" will be sorely missed on future incarnations of the WNT.