Update from the Competition Committee
by Mariusz Wartalowicz / July 17, 2009
After two conference calls and several rounds of emails, the Competition Committee is making substantial progress toward a 2009-10 competition structure with modifications to the USATH Rule Book (if necessary).
Conclusions reached to date include:
- 8-team Men's National Championship to be held in conjunction with USA Open Championship (men & women)
- National Championship Men's Seeds will be awarded to Northeast Region (2, including NYC THC's automatic bid); West (2), Southeast (2), Midwest (1), Southwest (1)
- Regional competition to determine seeding will be delegated to each region, led by USATH Regional Director and Competition Committee member. Formats under discussion (and they will vary by region) include regular season leagues, regular season tournaments and season-ending regional tournament
- Setting a minimum standard for regular-season game participation (currently discussed as 8 on men's side; 6 on women's side) in order to qualify for USA Open or National Championship
Other topics under discussion:
- Seeding of teams within National and Open Championship
- Addressing seeding and/or roster integrity of clubs that intend to enter multiple teams in National or Open Championship
- Addressing "rent-a-player" concerns related to regular season or post season competition
- Significance and tangible benefits of sanctioned events and role of both, USATH and participating clubs/teams, in the process
- Revising and updating the USA Team Handball Rule Book to reflect agreed upon changes
Have an opinion on one of these topics? Feel free to provide your feedback to your nearest Competition Committee member, or send us a note at info@usateamhandball.org and we'll make sure the message gets to the committee.
The Competition Committee is working in teams and focusing (when necessary) in the following geographic manner:
West Region: Brian Finley and Michael Hinson
Southwest: Patric Coggin and Atilla Agoston
Midwest: Mariusz Wartalowicz and Jacque Messel
Northeast: Travis Habhab and John Zierdt
Southeast: Dominique Dumont and Chris Cappelmann
Go back to Notes from the Technical Director
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Blog Description
As USA Team Handball's Technical Director, Mariusz Wartalowicz oversees the development of the sport including club and regional competition, tournaments, coaching development and youth development. He holds Master's degrees from the US Sports Academy and Poland's Academy of Physical Education. Wartalowicz' vast handball resume dates back nearly 40 years from his start as a youth handball player in Warsaw, Poland. He played for the AZS AWF Warsawa and WKS Zegrze handball clubs before emigrating to the United States. In the United States, he founded the Cracovia Chicago club and recently has been General Manager of Chicago Inter. His experience includes a stint coaching the USA Men's National Team, serving on national Coaching & Methods Committee, international appointments on behalf of USTHF and more than a dozen appearances at Club Nationals. Contact Mariusz at Mariusz@usateamhandball.org.
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