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Oregon State Singles Championships partner with WPH; date & venue set!
by Nick Flores…
Portland, Oregon, August 22, 2018 – The Oregon Handball Association is excited to partner with the World Players of Handball once again to grow and expand the Oregon State Singles Championships, set for April 12th – 14th, 2019 at the Sunset Athletic Club in Beaverton, Oregon. “After the success of the 2017 PNW Regional, the Sunset Athletic Club has been eager to host another handball tournament,” explained Tournament Director Nick Flores. “We’ve been looking to move the State Championships to the Portland area for a few years now. Holding such an important tournament at a prestigious venue like the SAC is a perfect fit.” Paper Entry: 2019 Oregon State Singles Championship
The 7-time defending Oregon State Champion Dalton Beall will be looking to win his 8th consecutive singles championship. Beall will face stiff competition from superstars Cody Townsend and Aaron Garner, rising stars Sean Steele and Stephen Stenberg, and veteran open players Matt Steele and Bob Herrera. Show court matches will be streamed and recorded thanks to cameras provided by the WPH, bringing a more professional feel to the tournament and highlighting the skill of Oregon’s top players.
Inclusiveness will be the primary focus of this tournament, with divisions offered to include anyone who wants to participate. The tournament organizers are excited to announce that for the first time ever, the Oregon State Singles Championships will include “fun doubles” divisions as well! These doubles divisions will not serve as State Championship divisions, but will be offered for players who for whatever reason don’t want to play singles. Doubles divisions offered will include B/C Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and age group doubles of 110+ combined and 130+ combined. Additionally, due to the recent increase in demand for big ball events, for the first time in Oregon, Big Ball 4-Wall Doubles will be offered!
Both singles and doubles divisions will offer consolation drop drowns for bracketed divisions, and back courts will be set aside for pickup games and used as warmup courts, meaning the action won’t stop all weekend. Two different Women’s Singles divisions will be offered, a Red 21 division and a White 21 division, to allow women to play with the ball of their choice, or to play both divisions if desired. Safe eye guards (Bangerz HS-2000 model) will be offered for sale (at cost) at the tournament desk, and players can pre-order a pair when they register on R2sports. Recent tournaments have been run successfully using a self-referee option, and this tournament will continue the pattern. If you have any questions about the self-referee format, please contact Head Referee Doug Woods at dougwme@gmail.com.
Juniors and college student participation will be a highlight of the tournament, as the Alten Handball Foundation has once again generously agreed to cover entry fees for all juniors and students who wish to participate. A Collegiate Singles division will be offered, and tournament organizers will be contacting high school coaches to generate interest in a High School Singles division as well. Additionally, another Junior WPH clinic hosted by local pros could be in the works, if there is enough interest.
Another highlight of the tournament will be the hospitality, which will again be run by legendary Hospitality Director Ed Fredenburgh. Participants will enjoy Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday lunch, with beer being served all weekend, as well as a high quality tournament shirt. Responses to a recent handball survey indicated most players would prefer prizes they can use, so division prizes will most likely be handball gloves, but this is still in the works and could depend on sponsorships. If you would like to be a sponsor for the tournament, or have any questions about the hospitality, please contact Hospitality Director Ed Fredenburgh at merchantedu@gmail.com.
The entry deadline is Friday, April 5th, 2019. If you have any questions about the tournament, please contact Tournament Director Nick Flores at nickflores21@outlook.com. Enter the tournament via R2sports here: http://r2sports.com/website/event-website.asp?TID=29315 or via the paper entry form (PDF Version HERE).