US Team Handball Women's National Team

To regain their international prestige and develop the new generation of female athletes, the USA Team Handball Women’s National Team (WNT) relocated their training center to the State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) in August 2004. The players train year-round, on average 30 hours a week, while playing games in both the Quebec League and the Northeast Team Handball Conference. This strategic relocation allows the women athletes on the WNT to improve their educational and job placement opportunities as well as providing all the resources (human, services and facilities) necessary to assure the constant progress of the team toward an International competitiveness.

The current residency program was modeled after a similar program established at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center from 2002-2003. The original program was designed to train the Women’s National Team specifically for the 2003 Pan-American Games and Olympic qualifiers. The goals of the current program, however, focus on both short and long-term goals for the Women’s National Team and the development of Team Handball. Short-term, the WNT would like to qualify for the 2007 World Championships and 2008 Olympics. Long-term, the WNT would like to build a core of athletes at all levels of the national team (Juvenile, Junior, and Senior), and consistently qualify for and finish well at international competitions such as the Pan-American Championships, Pan-American Games, World Championships and Olympic Games. Moreover, the new alliance with SUNY Cortland provides all the necessary ingredients to finally develop the sport of team handball (at the grassroots and elite levels) across the Northeast region, and will serve as a model to develop other regional centers throughout the United States.

Located within a few hours of Canada, and supported by an excellent reputation for being a sport-centered university, SUNY Cortland was chosen as an ideal location for the WNT residency program. In addition to a wide range of facilities (gyms, weight rooms, pools, athletic training offices), players have access to experts in the fields of strength and conditioning, sports science, nutrition and sports medicine. Outside of Team Handball, players also have the chance to attend courses at SUNY Cortland or at other colleges in the area (Cornell, Ithaca, Syracuse, Binghamton or TC3), and players from outside of New York State benefit from the in-state tuition fee offered by SUNY Cortland. For the non-student players, community members, SUNY Cortland staff, and athletes in the Residency Program will help players with job placement. The student athletes will be lodged in on-campus housing, while non-student athletes are lodged in off-campus housing (which is paid for by the WNT during the first few months of relocation). Athletes participating in the WNT Residency Program are also eligible to receive direct benefits (such as the Elite Athlete Health Insurance) from the United States Olympic Committee.

To read about the official creation of the Residency Program, see the May 12, 2004 press release.