US Team Handball Women's National Team

The USA Team Handball, Women’s National Team [WNT], in its second year of a partnership with SUNY Cortland as the official training center, is working hard to fulfill all the objectives associated with excelling at a national level.

Coach Christian Latulippe is excited about the program. He said there is good progress in achieving goals, but there is still much to be accomplished. “Our operation is entirely player-driven in developing a successful long term program,” Latulippe said. “The destiny of the program is in their hands in terms of participation, marketing and sponsorships. Everyone is doing their part to put the sport of the map.”

Team captain Tomuke “T” Ebuwei, a Pennsylvania State graduate, is one of the central figures behind the team handball movement.“It’s really a grass roots development in that we’re starting from scratch with limited resources, but we have many ideas that we are beginning to implement,” Ebuwei said.

WNT players, Jen Farrell, A Duke University graduate and Kathy Darling, a Johns Hopkins graduate, have also dedicated many hours to further the progress of team handball, including the development of their new website: www.usateamhandballwomen.com.

These WNT members are also working closely with SUNY Cortland students and faculty to put together presentation packages for potential sponsors through internship programs set up by the Sport Management [SPMG] Department. SPMG majors, Luke Quackenbush and Kyle McGowan, are doing internships with the WNT. The effort from SPMG is an example of SUNY Cortland’s commitment to applied learning and strategic marketing.
“We’re basically trying to get our foot in the door with companies like Coca-Cola, Under Armour and GMC,” Ebuwei said. “We’re looking to cover player support, travel expenses and update our athletic facilities. We’ll have these presentations ready in a couple weeks, and we’ll get out there and beat the pavement.”

SUNY Cortland is in its second semester of offering a one-credit team handball class, which is taught by Ebuwei.“Student-teachers and Physical Education [P.E.] majors can use it as an elective to beco coaches or referees, and it helps the participants learn the sport,” Ebuwei said. “It really is a spring board into all facets of the game, whether they want to pursue it as a career option or play at a higher level.”

Ebuwei also teaches a class at Cornell University and has plans to expand interest in the sport to Ithaca, Syracuse and Binghamton.“Team handball is a different kind of sport with very familiar elements. It’s an alternative to the traditional, and participation from the school is growing in numbers,” Ebuwei said.

SUNY Cortland has a men’s club team in its second year of existence. Last year they traveled to Canada, Boston and New Jersey. This week, the women will present to the club executive board to make a women’s club official. “It’s very exciting. It took a year to come to fruition, but we have 15 female students interested in creating a club,” Ebuwei said. “[SUNY Cortland P.E. major] Lindsey Coons has been really instrumental in making this happen. It’s great for them and we think they’ll do very well.” These clubs will play within the Northeast Team Handball Conference [NETHC] that is currently comprised of 10 men’s and women’s teams, and additional teams are added each year. The WNT plays in the NETHC as well as the Quebec League – a connection established through Latulippe, who has six Canadian Team Handball championships as a player and six more as a coach.

Then men’s club will play host to an NETHC tournament the weekend of Oct. 29 at the Lusk Field House and the WNT will hold a Quebec League tournament the weekend of Dec. 3, also at the field house. “We’re really happy that the Canadian teams will be able to make it down here,” Ebuwei said. “It’s always a high level of play and it’s fun to watch. We hope the school and the Cortland community will check us out and support the effort.”

To view the WNT training/game schedule, click here.