Marina Parks Hosts the Top Outdoor Handball Players in the World-For Immediate Release
Surf City, CA, 5/31/16- The World Players of Handball and WPH Outdoor are proud to present the WPH Outdoor V Stop #6 X-Fest II-The Xrossover-June 10th-12th, 2016, featuring the top men’s, women’s and junior 3-Wall Big Ball and Small Ball and 1-Wall Big Ball players in the world. The WPH Outdoor V Stop #6 X-Fest II-The Xrossover, is the sixth event of the 2016 WPH Outdoor V season and comes with a twist; the Big Ball and Small Ball specialists must “cross over” into three codes of handball, 3-Wall Small Ball singles, 3-Wall Big Ball Singles, and 3-Wall Big Ball Doubles. The X-Fest II will be held at the beautiful Marina Park in Surf City, CA, located at 15871 Graham St., Huntington Beach, CA, 92649.
The X-Fest II will feature men’s and women’s X-Fest defending champions Sean Lenning and Catriona Casey, as well as current WPH Outdoor Men’s #1 Juan Santos, WPH Outdoor Men’s #2 Timbo Gonzalez, WPH Outdoor Women’s # Tanisha Groomes and WPH Outdoor Women’s rising star Ciana Ni Churraoin. Lenning won the X-Fest I in June of 2015 at Venice Beach by virtue of winning the 3-Wall Small Ball singles and finishing tied for fifth in the 3-Wall Big Ball singles. Catriona Casey left no doubt in her emphatic X-Fest I victory, winning both the 3-Wall Small Ball and 3-Wall Big Ball Women’s singles. Lenning and Casey are no strangers to cross over play, as both Lenning is ranked #2 on the 4-Wall Race 4 Eight Men’s Pro Tour and Casey #1 on the 4-Wall Race 4 Eight Women’s Pro Tour.
Lenning and Casey will both be making their first starts on the 2016 WPH Outdoor V and will have to contend will a strong group of men’s and women’s challengers to defend their X-Fest titles. Three-time WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Champion Juan Santos has won two singles titles on the WPH Outdoor V season, matched only by his newest rival, Timbo Gonzalez, also with two singles titles on the WPH Outdoor V. Santos has demonstrated expertise in 1-Wall Big Ball and Small Ball handball, as evidenced by his runner-up finish at the WPH Outdoor V Stop #3 Downey 1-Wall and nearly qualifying on the Race 4 Eight tour during the 2015-2016 R48 V tour. Gonzalez is the current 1-Wall Big Ball World Singles Champion and current #1 1-Wall Big Ball player in the world and has demonstrated that he capable of winning any 3-Wall Big Ball tournament to compliment his undisputed 1-Wall prowess. Tanisha Groomes has been the WPH Outdoor Women’s #1 since winning her first start at Fullerton in 2012. Groomes has won 12 of 15 starts in her WPH Outdoor career and will look to return to her winning ways at the X-Fest II after dropping a thrilling tiebreaker to Ireland’s Ciana Ni Churraoin in May’s Vegas Lte final. Ni Churraoin will make her third WPH Outdoor start in her career at the X-Fest II and despite playing 12 3-Wall matches in her career, CNC has demonstrated an uncanny aptitude for the outdoor game. Ni Churraoin will be on the short list of women’s favorites in Huntington Beach.
Along with the top-ranked stars entered in the X-Fest II, handball superstars from both the Race 4 Eight and WPH Outdoor tours will look to become the next cross over stars in Marina Park. R48 #3 Mando Ortiz, WPH Outdoor #3 Shorty Ruiz, WR48 #5 Tracy Davis, WPH Outdoor #8 Sal Duenas, Former WPH Outdoor #1 and 11-time WPH Outdoor champion Samzon Hernandez, and many more will be competing for X-Fest glory.
JR WPH will proudly present junior handball clinics and a junior handball 3-Wall big ball singles tournament at the WPH Outdoor V Stop #6 X-Fest II-The Xrossover & JR WPH California State Championships, with the top junior handball players from Southern California and beyond testing their skills against the top junior stars in the outdoor game, while learning from the top WPH Outdoor stars in exciting clinics and target-hitting competitions. “JR WPH was formed to inspire the next generation of players by highlighting the top players in the sport while presenting opportunities for juniors to compete in structured and encouraging competitions and clinics with certified coaches,” stated WPH Development Director and Master WPH Instructor David Fink. “JR WPH has proudly hosted more than 500 junior handball clinics in 2016, including the recent JR WPH NYC 1WallBall Shootout in Brooklyn. We can’t wait to showcase the juniors in at the JR WPH Cal State Championships!”
For information on the event, including rules, prize money breakdowns, how to enter and to follow the draw, click here
WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup: The World Player’s of Handball’s WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series was formed in 2012 to showcase the game’s best 3-Wall Big Ball Stars. Since 2012, the WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series has hosted 27 events in California, Mexico and Nevada, creating the stage for hundreds of top big ball stars to compete against one another in professional, competitive and family-friendly events that promote sportsmanship and community spirit while inspiring the next generation of players. The WPH Outdoor V season features events in Southern California, Utah, and Nevada. To see the full schedule, click here. All WPH Outdoor events host Junior WPH clinics with WPH Outdoor Elite players serving as mentors and coaches and junior tournament divisions starting at nine-and-under for boys and girls.
For more information on the WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at wph@race4eight.com, World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at fink@race4eight.com or WPH Outdoor Director Tom Flores at flores@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv