MNT Selection Camp wraps up in Atlanta; on to Chicago

The first leg of the Men’s National Team Selection Camp wrapped up Sunday in Atlanta and will be continued this weekend in Chicago. Thirty-four athletes, ranging from ages 16 to 32, traveled to Atlanta to compete for spots in the Men’s National Team Pool.

“They were all eager and focused,” said USA Team Handball Technical Director Mariusz Wartalowicz, who is overseeing both locations of the camp. “They put forth maximum effort and on the technical level, it went well. Several of them expressed interest in furthering their training by following in the footsteps of those already playing professionally in Europe.”

USATH Southwest Regional Coach Boban Zivovic is acting as head coach; Wartalowicz and Olympian Darrick Heath, athlete representative and assistant coach, will decide the team selections with Zivovic following the conclusion of the Chicago camp. In Atlanta, Chris Cappelmann and Robert Mayfield also assisted Zivovic.

“The athletes were eager to show their best qualities as handball players,” said Zivovic. “They were very serious and ambitious. I truly believe that the selection camp, along with the group from the trip to Germany in June, will be a solid base for the United States’ Men’s National Team.”

More than 20 athletes aim to stand out in Chicago; five West Coast athletes who attended the camp in Atlanta will also travel to the Windy City this weekend.

In addition to competing for spots in the Men’s National Team Pool, players will be competing for spots on the USA Men’s National Team tour in October. USA Team Handball has accepted an invitation to participate in a tournament in late October in Poznan, Poland - which is scheduled to include the National “B” teams of Poland, Norway, Greece, Turkey and/or Ukraine.