‘The emphasis is on enjoying yourself’: Club handball continues growth after years of dormancy

When looking at the club sport offerings at Miami University, many flock to the common activities: baseball, basketball, hockey, etc. But Miami offers several niche sports as well, including martial arts, water polo and broomball.

People generally know what each sport looks like, either by playing or watching. Some aren’t widely recognized high school sports, but rather activities from gym class or recreation leagues.

With the club handball team, however, many first join with zero indication of what to expect.

“No one in [the United States] has played handball before outside of maybe a little bit in gym class,” said senior mechanical engineering major Christian West. “Outside of that, everyone comes in pretty much having no idea what’s going on … No one really knows what’s going on when they show up, and we just teach them how to play. It ends up being a great time.”

Handball is most relevant in Europe, with the European Handball Federation being the dominant league in the continent. The sport is also popular at the Summer Olympics, with Denmark taking gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024. However, handball hasn’t gained widespread recognition in the U.S. yet.

The sport is best described as a mixture of baseball, soccer and hockey, as well as elements of basketball. Teams compete with six players against six, plus a goalie on each side.

The club team at Miami was formed in 2012, but within four years, it fizzled out with a lack of interest. Andrew Kraus, a 2024 graduate and current graduate student at John Carroll University, revived the team during his first year.

Photo by Kethan Babu | The Miami Student
The club handball team practices every Monday and Wednesday in Phillips Hall

Kraus had played briefly before arriving at Miami, but his interest in bringing the team back came from meeting the coach of the club team at Ohio State University, JD Orr, who challenged him to revive the team.

At first, Kraus’ plan wasn’t to create a highly competitive team. He wanted a place for him and his friends to meet frequently and have fun, with practices taking place at the back courts of the Rec Center.

“I came in and started the team more as a, ‘Oh, we can have a place where we can have fun, just hang out and get a group of guys together who enjoy each other’s company,’” Kraus said. “Turns out, we got to that competing part a lot faster than I expected, and we got an actual team together a lot faster than I expected.”

Pretty soon, students joined at a high rate to fill out the roster, and the team began attending invitationals and tournaments against other colleges. The RedHawks didn’t have an official jersey at the time, so members wrote their preferred numbers with a Sharpie on a blank pink shirt from Walmart.

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The team won one game in the 2020-21 season, but as more people joined, especially those with previous experience in the sport, it gradually improved year by year. This past season, the RedHawks competed at the USA Team Handball (USATH) Collegiate National Tournament on April 4-6 at James Madison University, finishing sixth place overall in Division II.

For sophomore English education major and club president Isaac Torres, handball is a sport that anyone can play, regardless of their previous athletic experience.

“[If you’ve played] any kind of sport, you can come over and play,” Torres said. “If you’re athletic, you will succeed in the sport. It’s not super hard, it’s not super difficult, but it’s just fun. There’s not a ton of commitment … There’s no tryouts [or] anything like that. It’s just a fun thing all of us do.”

The players emphasized that the time commitment is minimal for the club. The team is entirely student-run, meaning members have been in each other’s shoes before and know about external commitments.

Despite the unfamiliarity for most new players, West said the team is a good opportunity for people to do what they should be doing in college: trying new things and expanding their horizons.

“You’re new to college,” West said. “You’re going to have a long four years, hopefully a lot of great times. It’s a good chance to experience things you haven’t experienced before, and handball is definitely something you probably haven’t experienced before. Even if you don’t stick with it, I think it’s worth coming out for a couple practices, seeing how you feel. Worst case, it’s a couple hours gone, and best case, it’s a great time.”

This season, the team practices in the basement of Phillips Hall twice a week. It upgraded from hand-drawn to official jerseys, although the pink color stuck.

The roster has grown along with the overall experience on the team. The RedHawks continue to improve each year and place higher at tournaments. They hope to make a far push at nationals in the coming years.

Above all else, the team wants to stay true to its roots: providing a fun environment for anyone to participate in.

“We’re trying to have the most fun out of any team there,” Kraus said. “We’re in our ridiculous pink shirts. It doesn’t look like we’re being serious, but we’re giving it our all … The emphasis is on enjoying yourself.”

@kethanbabu_04

babukc2@miamioh.edu