Minnesota State Handball Association

Minnesota Handball – Summer, 2024

St. Paul, MN

The Minnesota State Handball Association is proud to present a short recap after a fantastic summer of handball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (and also construction zones), starting with the annual Clayland Park Minnesota One Wall Memorial Tournament in early August.  The season has once again been vibrant with tons of Wallball being played throughout the summer months; this year featuring an 8-player small ball bracket that was very well-received, co-directors Dave Schiller and Quinn Foley are excited already with how much this tournament, and one-wall in Minnesota in general, will continue gaining attention in 2025.  One of the players even brewed a Killshot Kream Ale, enjoyed by all!  The call is out to other USHA Central Region handball hubs to pay Clayland Park a visit in 2025!  2024 results can be found via BracketAce – thank you players for another great tournament!

Moving further northbound, the following weekend showcased the 2024 NorthShore 4 wall tournament in Duluth, MN.  Directors Josiah Hakala and George Langhorst once again put on some of the best hospitality around as players competed for the timeless Alva Rankin Cup.  Congratulations to Fargo’s Luke Sandy for defending his title with a sound display of handball throughout. 

Duluth Local News Coverage

WPH Article

Shifting gears, but remaining in Duluth, the Twin Cities’ Quinn Foley and Dave Schiller paid a visit to the Duluth Federal Prison Camp on Monday, July 29th to administer a clinic for the camp’s inmates.  On their campus, FPC Duluth has 4 outdoor short-wall 3 wall courts, with one standard 1 wall court; Foley and Schiller played in for 3+ hours with over 40 inmates who signed up to participate in the clinic.  Several players had no idea a community of handball existed outside the context of serving their time – many of them on short sentences were invigorated to get plugged into the local handball communities back home once they are released.  Follow up visits are in the works to keep handball ties strong at the facility, and there may even be an opportunity for some close connection contractors offering to resurface the courts at cost.  Foley and Schiller cannot recommend this sort of facility visit enough – it is humbling, a great way to properly show the inmates the rules, and invite them to handball organizations and events once they are through serving time. 

Duluth Federal Prison Camp Photo Library Link

Finally, continuing in the development of Wallball, the first ever Minnetonka School District after-school handball program kicked off on Tuesday, September 10th.  The school district is excited to be working closely with the MSHA on administering the program, adding to its portfolio of over 50 activities for students ranging from 1st through 5th grade.  Earlier in September, the MSHA implemented two temporary outdoor 1 wall courts on the yards of Scenic Heights Elementary School, thanks to a donation of materials from Warning Lites, a local construction material company in the Twin Cities.  Special thanks also to the USHA First Ace Committee for approving a shipment of introductory gear (handballs, eyeguards, etc.) to the school district!!  

Finally, the University of Minnesota has approved the reintroduction of the Intro to Handball class for college students; this is a major step, as the U of MN club team will now have a much more formidable funnel for new players who take to handball!  Special thanks to Kevin Pattain for stepping up to lead as the course instructor! 

The MSHA looks ahead to the fall in preparation for the 2024 MSHA State 4 Wall Tournament, to be held at the Fridley Lifetime Fitness club (singles and doubles combined) the weekend of November 22nd and 23rd.  Lots to be excited about around these parts – please reach out to us any time if you are paying the Twin Cities a visit and are interested in some handball!!

Roll ‘Em Out!