WPH Press
The 2024/25 Icebreaker and Race 4 Eight Schedule and Entries HERE
Previewing the 2024 WPH Icebreaker Summer Series and the 2024/25 Race 4 Eight Season XIV
The 2024 WPH Icebreaker Summer Series
The 2024 WPH Summer Icebreaker Series is just around the corner, as the WPH Summer Icebreaker Series kicks off with two events on July 20 and August 17 at the WPH’s Clark Park in Tucson.
The July 20 Julybreaker will feature Men’s Small Ball Pro Singles, while the August 17 Ice Bowl will feature Men’s Small Ball Pro Singles, Women’s Small Ball Pro Singles, Men’s Big Ball Pro Singles and Men’s Big Ball Pro Doubles, in addition to junior brackets.
Clark Park’s newly installed lights will help the players stay out of the sun and beat the Tucson summer heat.
2023 Icebreaker rankings HERE
The 2024/25 Race 4 Eight Season
The Race 4 Eight’s best will kick off the season on September 20 at the Tucson Memorial (R48/WR48/SR48) at the Tucson Racquet Club, as The Memorial will start the season for the first time in Race 4 Eight history.
The tour will then head to Portland, OR for the Portland Classic (R48 Men’s Pro) on October 4 at the beautiful Multnomah Athletic Club, back to Tucson for the Tucson 3-Wall Icebreaker (R48 Men’s Pro) at Clark Park on December 14, then hit Missoula’s Peak Wellness for The Red (R48 Men’s Pro) for the first stop in 2025 on January 31.
Following The Red, the tour will head south to Mexico for the third time for the Juarez Open (R48 Men’s Pro) at Club Campestre on February 28 and return to the Los Angeles Athletic Club for the first time since 2012 on March 21 (R48/WR48/SR48).
April will be LTE month on the tour, with the USHA Hall of Fame R48 Men’s LTE on April 4 at the Tucson Racquet Club and the Pete Tyson Classic Race 4 Eight LTE on April 25 at the University of Texas’s Gregory Gym.
The tour will conclude in Salt Lake City for the ninth time, as Ace Disposal will host the Aces Race 4 Eight Player’s Championship (R48/WR48/SR48) on May 2 at the Sports Mall in Salt Lake City, UT.
The Defending Player’s Cup Champions
Martin Mulkerrins will enter the 2024/25 Race 4 Eight season as the dominant #1 R48 Men’s Pro, winning stops in Portland, Juarez, Tucson and Salt Lake City on the 2023/24 season and amassing a 28-3 match record en route to winning his first Race 4 Eight Player’s Cup. Mulkerrins ended the season on a three-tournament, thirteen-match win streak.
Catriona Casey won her tenth consecutive WR48 Player’s Cup on the 2023/24 WR48 season, dominating the four-event 2023/24 WR48 season with titles in Tucson, St. Louis, Juarez and Salt Lake City. The 2023/24 season was Casey’s eighth perfect season and with her title at the WR48 Player’s Championship, Casey now has an astounding twenty-nine WR48 titles (seventeen in a row) and a 94-2 career record on the WR48 tour.
David Fink won his fourteenth SR48 title at the 2024 Salt Lake City Aces Player’s Championship in May, capping his fifth perfect SR48 season with three wins in three 2023/24 SR48 events.
2024 Summer Icebreaker Series Schedule
July 20-21, 2024 Julybreaker
Men’s Pro Singles
Defending Julybreaker champion: David Fink
Tournament director: WPH
More info and enter HERE
August 17-18, 2024 Ice Bowl
Defending Ice Bowl Men’s Singles Champion: Danos Cordova
Defending Ice Bowl Women’s Singles Champion: Mikaila Esser
Defending Ice Bowl Men’s Big Ball Singles Champion: Chopper Hernandez
Defending Ice Bowl Men’s Big Ball Doubles Champions: Hernandez/Pizano
Men’s Pro Singles, Women’s Pro Singles, Men’s Big Ball Pro Singles, Men’s Big Ball Pro Doubles
Tournament director: WPH
More info and enter HERE
2024/25 Race 4 Eight Season Schedule
September 20-22, 2024 R48, WR48, SR48 Memorial
Defending R48 Memorial champion: Danos Cordova
Defending WR48 Memorial champion: Catriona Casey
Defending SR48 Memorial champion: David Fink
Tournament director: WPH
More info and enter HERE
October 4-6, 2024 R48 Men’s Pro Portland Classic
Defending R48 Portland Classic champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Tournament directors: Conor Casey and Hank Markus
More info and enter HERE
December 14-15, 2024 R48 Men’s Pro Icebreaker
Defending R48 Icebreaker champion: Lucho Cordova
Tournament director: WPH
More info and enter HERE
January 31-February 2, 2025, R48 Men’s Pro “The Red”
Defending R48 Red champion: Danos Cordova
Tournament director: Don and Valerie
More info and enter HERE
February 28-March 2, 2025, Juarez Open Men’s R48 Pro
Defending R48 Juarez Open champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Tournament director: Team Cordova
More info and enter HERE
March 21-23, 2025 LAAC Open R48, WR48, SR48
*LAAC Open was not held last season
Tournament director: Vic Perez and Team LAAC
More info and enter HERE
April 4-6, 2025 Tucson Hall of Fame Tournament, Men’s R48 Pro LTE
Defending R48 Hall of Fame champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Tournament director: USHA
More info and enter HERE
April 25-27, 2025 The Pete Tyson Classic (Austin, TX), Men’s R48 Pro LTE
*The Southwest Open was not held last season
Tournament director: Noel Aguilar
More info and enter HERE
May 2-4, 2025, Salt Lake City Aces Player’s Championship R48, WR48, SR48
Defending R48 Player’s Champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Defending WR48 Player’s Champion: Catriona Casey
Defending SR48 Player’s Champion: David Fink
Tournament director: Ashton Steadman, Matt Stalsberg, Ace Disposal
More info and enter HERE
2024/25 Race 4 Eight Schedule HERE
Current Race 4 Eight rankings HERE
Current Icebreaker Rankings HERE
Icebreaker Fun Facts + Icebreaker History of Champions HERE
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts HERE
Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios HERE
Icebreaker Player Bios HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2024/25 Race 4 Eight XIV features Race 4 Eight stops from California to Mexico, all culminating with The Player’s Championship. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer