EDMOND —
The University of Central Oklahoma played host to 19 world-class athletes this week as USA Team Handball (USATH) held its Women’s National Team Selection Camp at Hamilton Field House.
Players arrived on Sunday and spent the week testing their physical conditioning and handball skills in hopes of being selected for one of the 15 positions up for grabs to compete in the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico this October.
With a win over Canada in the qualifiers giving Team USA a spot at the Games, this year will be the first time since 2003 that the USA has sent a women’s handball team to the international event.
USATH brought their camp to UCO after learning of the school’s top-notch facilities that were appropriate for handball. Since a handball court is longer than a basketball court, Hamilton Field House’s extra length past the baseline, normally reserved for seating, is perfect for the Olympic sport’s 40-meter length.
The team is also in the market for a permanent home.
“We are looking for a long-term and residency program training site,” WNT Selection Committee member and former USA Olympic handballer Dawn Lewis said. “We wanted to see if this might be a nice option for us and something that might work well for the university as well.”
UCO gained designation in 2009 as an official Olympic training site. Currently, the university houses the Paralympic USA Sitting Volleyball team, but is still without an Olympic team calling Edmond home. USATH could change that.
Lewis commented how friendly, helpful and professional the staff at UCO had been and how impressed she was with the campus.
“They really loved UCO and our facilities,” UCO Director for Sports and Recreation Katrina Shaklee said. “We are certainly going to explore the opportunity. It would help if we had an Olympic team here to help attract other sports to our Olympic/Paralympic training site. And since Team USA Handball doesn’t have a home, UCO could fill that void for them.”
USATH is expected to name the official team next week. For more information on the team, check out usateamhandball.org.
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Team USA Handball hopeful Erin Kizer takes a shot on goal Thursday morning at UCO’s Hamilton Fieldhouse.
Discussion
Team USA sets up camp at UCO
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