USHA

Handball players around So Cal turned out for a spontaneous 3 Wall Doubles event at a local park in San Diego on Sunday September 6. Hosted by San Diego Handball and supported by SCHA, 46 players from San Diego, Los Angeles and Norco (Riverside) arrived at the outdoor venue early in the morning to organize and start matches by 9am. Play was completed by 5:30pm in all 4 divisions, Open, A, B, and C. All players played two matches minimum, with early round losers dropping do...wn from Open to A, and from B to C divisions. Prelim matches were 1 game to 15. Semi-final and final matches were 2 games to 15 with tiebreaker if needed. Hot and sunny weather was on tap with record So Cal temperatures ranging from 100 on the coast to 115 inland. Hardy players and their fans grabbed some shade, free drinks of all types, and a Toledo Style lunch with BBQ chicken and carne asada and all the extras. Former top age group 3 wall player Don Chamberlin came out to the park to see the action with his daughter Natalie. Friends and family stayed on to the end as well. Luis Gaytan and Bob Nicholas defended their previous open title from a few years back, defeating the up and coming Norco team David Lara and Tony Ojeda in the Open final. Smooth swinging Ricardo Palma and partner Fausto Castro took the A doubles, stopping San Diego hard hitters Rene Gutierrez and Luis Venegas in two close games. The B title went to LA’s Larry Borundi and Tony Escarcega over Dave Ruiz and his son Dave Ruiz Jr. Former USHA 3 Wall 65 doubles champ Gary Eisenbooth and current National/Worlds 4 Wall 70 doubles champ Rob Nichols were dropped from the B’s, but recovered to with the C doubles over Grand Master William Cervantes and Red Gastulem in close contest. The comment was made that several of the B and C teams were comprised of former open/A players who have matured. The event date was chosen in honor of the Annual National 3 Wall Tournament in Maumee, which was canceled this year due to pandemic regulations. A number of the players in this event would have been there this year had the tournament been held. So we decided to hold our own west coast version. We all look forward to seeing our 3 wall friends again in Maumee soon. The San Diego 3 wall courts have seen extra duty this summer as the California closure of indoor 4 wall courts has left many players without a place to play. They are 3 wall players now. Thank you to our cooks, Russ Serrano, Lee Meyer and Ken Eng. Thank you also to our organizers and supporters: San Diego Handball, SCHA, William Cervantes, Mark Zamora, Ken Eng, Luis Gaytan, Joe Colles, Matt DeWeese, Mike Duenas, Rob Nichols and Marc Penick.

Follow up to the clean up Venice Beach effort. There is an article in the Aug 21 LA Times. There may be some relief as the city has pushed the enforcement on to LAPD. First paragraph of the article In an abrupt turnaround, Los Angeles police will resume enforcing a ban on homeless people pitching tents and lean-tos on the beach and grass areas around the Venice boardwalk. On Wednesday, LAPD Chief Michael Moore emailed Venice homeowner and activist Mark Ryavec that he and... Westside City Councilman Mike Bonin had decided police would not enforce an anti-camping law in Venice in light of concerns from health officials that displacing homeless people could spread the novel coronavirus. But the next day, Moore said in a follow up email to Ryavec that Bonin had decided to leave the decision to the LAPD. Department officials chose to reverse course, saying officers will begin cracking down on camps on the sand immediately and those on grass areas after the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has had a chance to find spots in shelters for people. See more

Good times at Tournament House! #westcoasthandball #norcohandballcrew #tournamenthouse

Bobby Diaz Received sad news from Naty Alvarado this morning. "Hi Gary,... I don’t know if you remember Bobby Diaz? He played out of the Long Beach Athletic Club and we played doubles for a long time he and Greg Maurice were my early years doubles partners. Bobby owned the Belmont Station in Belmont Shores, Ca. He was the perfect right side doubles partner who possessed a great serve And a tremendous right arm. I met Bobby Diaz in Juarez Mexico were he beat me with Bob Lindsey at the Baños Roma For the Labor Day Handball Tournament back in the 70’s. He was an outstanding catcher in high school in El Paso Texas. Bobby was one of the people who has had help my Family and I when we moved from Juarez and I will always have him in a very special place in my heart. Bobby, Rest In Peace" https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/elpasotimes/obituary.aspx