The search for the 'right players' ends in Chicago

The second and final weekend of the Men’s National Team Pool Selection Camp concluded Labor Day in Chicago; more than 20 athletes participated in the Windy City with over 50 athletes overall vying for the chance to represent the United States in international competition.

Selections for the Men’s National Team Pool will be announced Thursday; the team chosen to travel to a tournament in Poland in late October will be named later this month.

“What I’m looking for is out of the box,” said USATH Technical Director Mariusz Wartalowicz of which qualities he’s seeking in National Team athletes. “I’m not looking for the best players; I’m looking for the right players. They have to be hungry for success. I want athletes who are committed, who will take their play to the next level and therefore take the team to the next level.”

The selection committee, composed of Wartalowicz, the camp’s head coach Boban Zivovic, and assistant coach/athlete representative Olympian Darrick Heath, has a variety of talent and skill from which to choose “the right mix.” Chicago camp participants ranged from newer handball players to National Team veterans such as goalie Danny Caparelli, who has been playing for 17 years. Army athletes were often signaled out as skilled competitors by camp participants; Jason Borchik of Army described his team’s routine.

“I definitely say it’s the amount of practice time we get at West Point. Everyone has to play a sport, and we are able to practice almost every day of the week. A lot of the American handball players don’t get that opportunity. While we are limited in the time we’ve been playing the sport, we’ve been able to practice at least four times per week,” said Borchik, who played on USATH’s U-23 team in Germany during the summer. “I’m in my third year now, and I’m having a lot of opportunities to develop techniques to be a skilled handball player, but I still have a lot of room to grow.”

Andres Espinosa, along with several teammates of Los Angeles Team Handball, attended both camps in Atlanta and Chicago. “Many of us don’t have a lot of experience, so we’re relying on our athleticism to stand out,” he said.

Mostafa Sallam of the Tampa Green Wave also attended both camps. Although the men were vying for spots on the team, Sallam said, there was an atmosphere of teamwork.

“Even though it’s a competition, there’s teamwork, because in the end it’s all for handball in the United States,” he said. “The people who finally represent the USA wouldn’t have gotten there without competing and training with the people at these camps.”

Zivovic, Southwest Regional Coach for USATH, said the players were focused and eager to learn new techniques and tactics. The Chicago camp culminated with a high-energy match Monday morning highlighting the players’ progress throughout the weekend; the tight final score was 27-29.

BLUE : WHITE 27 : 29 (16 : 15 )

Blue Team: Todor Avramov (Seattle), Dexter Wise (Army), Erich Weller 4 (LA), Kevin Cleary 1 (NYC), Bojan Arnoutovic 6 (Chicago Inter), Adam Moore 4 (Army), Jason Borchik 5 (Army), Thomas Giordano 6 (Army), Daniel Osborne 1 (LA), Ross Miner (Victorious Secret)
 
White Team: Gabriel Goodreau (LA), Graham Beatty 4 (Chicago Inter), Orentheus Hutcherson 3 (LA), Jeffrey Smith 4 (LA), Wilder Freed 4 (Minnesota), David Freed 2 (Minnesota), Tim Flynn (Army), Andres Espinosa (LA), Divine Jackson 8 (New York Athletic Club), Mostafa Sallam 4 (Tampa Green Wave)