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2024/25 Icebreaker and Race 4 Eight Seasons Preview

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

DV: David Vincent formed the World Players of Handball in 2005 and ushered live handball viewing into our living rooms for the first time. Since its inception, the World Players of Handball has broadcast over 1,500 matches live. Dave Vincent serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for virtually all matches, combining his unique perspective and personality with a lifetime of handball experience. DV brings 25 years of broadcast radio experience (in Oregon and California) to World Players of Handball & ESPN broadcasts and provides professionalism and wit to the amazing game of handball. DV also serves as the Executive Director of the World Player of Handball at the WPH headquarters in Tucson, AZ, working daily to grow the game of handball through innovation.
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