Pittsburgh, PA, WPH Press, 5/14/17- The World Players of Handball is thrilled to present the longest running WPH event, the WPH’s Rodney Fink Classic 9, July 8-9, 2017 at Amerifit Handball Club, 100 Roessler Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220.
Application for the RFC here: pdf attached
The RFC 9 will feature men’s and women’s 4-Wall small ball and 1-Wall small ball and big ball singles and mixed doubles, with the RFC champion demonstrating the ultimate cross over skills. Saturday’s play will feature 4-Wall small ball singles and 4-Wall mixed doubles, while Sunday will feature 1-Wall small ball and big ball singles and mixed doubles (weather permitting).
The RFC will proudly host the 2017 WPH Outdoor Stop #2 on Sunday, July 9, featuring WR48 #1 Catriona Casey and WR48 top eight stars Jessica Gawley and Hilary Rushe. Women’s WPH Outdoor RFC info here
The RFC boasts one of the strongest champion’s lists of any event in the world, as every RFC champion has been ranked inside the WPH Race 4 Eight Elite 8. David Chapman won the inaugural RFC in 2009, followed by Luis Moreno, David Fink (4), Charly Shanks and Stephen Cooney. Several of the WPH Race 4 Eight’s top stars will be in attendance at the RFC 9, including WPH R48 #1 Killian Carroll, R48 #2 David Fink, WPH #17 Stephen Cooney, Race 4 Eight #19 Erik Torres and Women’s Race 4 Eight stars Catriona Casey, Jessica Gawley and Hilary Rushe. A number of other R48 and WR48 stars are expected!
WPH ambassador and videographer Art Haffner will broadcast the RFC matches live online! Fans will be asked to enter the non-player bracket for $30 per day, which will cover food and drink throughout the day and a reserved seat at the RFC’s main court. The RFC will feature non-stop hospitality and a Saturday night Pittsburgh BBQ!
“The RFC is the highlight of the year at the Amerifit Handball Club,” stated Amerifit manager and JR WPH Pittsburgh handball coach Mike Semplice. “We are so fortunate to have the best players in the world coming through Pittsburgh for the ninth consecutive year in the WPH’s RFC. We have a flourishing junior handball program at Amerift and the kids will be thrilled to watch the game’s best players.”
Pittsburgh is one of the best cities in the country to visit in the summer, as the Steel City boasts a vibrant nightlife and family-friendly activities, to include the Pittsburgh Zoo, Phipps Conservatory, the Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball at PNC Park and so much more.
RFC List of Pro Champions
2009: Pro Singles: David Chapman/Women’s Singles: Megan Dorneker/Doubles: Rodney Fink-David Vincent
2010: Pro Singles: Luis Moreno/Doubles: Rodney Fink-Luis Moreno
2011: Pro Singles David Fink/Doubles: Rodney Fink-Ryan Bowler
2012: Pro Singles Charly Shanks
2013: Pro Singles: David Fink
2014: Pro Singles: Stephen Cooney
2015: Pro Singles: David Fink/1-Wall Small Ball Singles: David Fink/1-Wall Big Ball Singles: Jason Ke
2016: Pro Singles: David Fink/1-Wall Small Ball Singles: David Fink/1-Wall Big Ball Singles: Arthur Sayed
All proceeds from the WPH’s RFC 9 go towards Junior WPH and growing the game of handball. Through generous donations, Junior WPH has hosted more than 3,500 junior handball clinics since 2013, along with numerous junior handball tournaments and after school and weekend handball programs. For more information on the JR WPH, please visit juniorhandball.org or contact WPH Development Director David Fink at fink@race4eight.com
Log onto wphlive.tv, Like the World Players of Handball on Facebook, or follow the WPH on Twitter @dfwph and @wphlive for all of the handball news from on and off the court! The World Players of Handball is a non-profit foundation aiming to grow the game of handball through innovation and inspiring the next generation of players through junior clinics with certified WPH coaches, junior tournaments and the Race 4 Eight tour.