Fountain Valley Residents Compete in National Handball Championship

Fountain Valley residents Steve Pool and Paul Sicking are playing handball on their home courts this week at as they compete in the 2012 United States Handball Association’s National Four-Wall Championships.

Through July 1, more than 100 men, women and youth from all over the world will compete in this tournament within their age brackets.

Pool said he's been playing handball competitively for about five years. He enjoys handball because it’s a physically demanding sport. Pool used to play intercollegiate volleyball, but he realized he wasn’t using his "off hand" while playing. In handball, players use both their right and left hands.

"Handball works your entire body, evenly and [in a coordinated way]," Pool said. "You develop this mind and body coordination to allow you to hit a really small ball that’s moving really fast. Handball is a 'whole body' sport."

According to Pool, handball is mental game because players must anticipate where their opponents are going to hit.

"It becomes sort of a chess match," he said. "But it’s being played very quickly. It’s a very challenging sport."

Pool won two of three games Tuesday against Jerry Garcia of Houston.

Paul Sicking learned how to play handball in college in St. Louis about 35 years ago. He picked up the game again about 15 years ago and he's been playing at "Los Cab" ever since.

"Handball is a great game," Sicking said. "I've played every sport there is and it's the game that I think is most fun to play. It's a great workout with great competition. It's aerobic and it's [increases your strength] and it's just really, really a lot of fun. I think it's a much better way to keep in shape than just going to a gym and pumping iron or riding a stationary bike."

Wayne Neumann of Houston was standing nearby and said, "Handball players are like a giant fraternity. I've known people for 30 or 40 years. I know their kids. They know my kids. You can go to another town and call up and say, 'Hey, I'm here,' and even if you don't know them, they'll give you a game."

Sicking agreed that handball players are like a fraternity for men or sorority for women. He also likes the fact that the next day, after playing a game of handball, he feels great because of all the endorphins his body has produced.

"The next day after a match," Sicking said, "I'm just on top of the world...a little sore...but I just feel so good, like I can do anything."

Download the movie

Download the movie

Download the movie