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Player Info
Hot Seat: David Fink
Age: 36
Height: 5’11
Dominant hand: Left
Hometown/where you live now: Pittsburgh, PA/ Tucson, AZ
Coach (now/ever): Dad, none
Sparring partner(s) at home: Pittsburgh: Mike Semplice, Andrew Joseph. Tucson: DV, Moreno
Most important win in a tournament and most satisfying win in a tournament: Most important: Lenning ’09 NYAC, McCarthy ‘14 Most satisfying: Chapman ’09 NYAC,
Best tournament ever won: NYAC ‘09
How long have you been playing: tournaments age 11-20, break age 20-29, age 29-present
What do you do for work: WPH Youth Donor and Development Director, WPH broadcaster and Senior Writer and co-R48 administrator, pro handballer
What are your goals in handball going forward: Win a yellow jersey, stay healthy, compete against the great group of young players for as long as I can
What are your goals for the R48 season: Play to the best of my ability
Favorite handball tournament: Vegas 3-Wall Ball, all Race events
How do you prepare for Race events: Playing Luis Moreno and DV, light weights, conditioning
What do you love about handball: the satisfaction of pushing yourself before and during a tournament and the thrill of beating a great player
Favorite pro player (now or ever): John Bike, Paul Brady, Martin Mulkerrins
How would you describe your game: Very inconsistent and varied based on the state of my body and mind. The rare times when I am focused and healthy I feel like I can play aggressively and dictate rallies against the top players.
What is your best shot: Serve and left hand left corner kill. Fly kill when I’m at my best
Given the choice, what top R48 pro would you most like to play: Everyone in the top eight is great and all of the top Irish are great as well so I like to play all of them.
Who has inspired you to play this game at such a high level: WPH webcasts. I was retired for almost 9 years years when I watched the 2006 webcast from the Simple Green U.S. Open and I was so inspired that I started playing a few months later and I have not missed a 4-Wall pro event since
Who do you think is the best player of all time: Paul Brady
Which pro would you have most liked to have played in his prime: Haber, Jabobs, Naty Sr, Kendler (I played Bike a lot in his prime and he was amazing)
2011/12 Race Record:
R48 I #1 Plummer ’11: Tied 5th place: Round of 8 loss (Moreno)
R48 I #2 U.S. Open ’11: Tied 9th place: Round of 16 loss (Nett)
R48 I #3 Tucson ‘11: 10th place: Round of 16 loss (Nett)
R48 I #4 Fresno ’12: Tied 7th place: Round of 8 loss (Lenning)
R48 I #5: Atlanta ’12: 5th place: Round of 8 loss (Alvarado)
R48 I # 6: Salt Lake City ’12: 5th place: Round of 8 loss (Moreno)
R48 I #7: LAAC: 5th place: Round of 8 loss (Alvarado)
R48 I #8: TPC Seattle: 6th place: Round of 8 loss (Alvarado)
2012/13 Race Record:
R48 II #1 U.S. Open ’12: 8th place: Round of 8 loss (Shanks)
R48 II #2 Tucson ’12: Tied 3rd place: Semifinals loss (Lenning)
R48 II #3 Houston ’13: Tied 7th place: Round of 8 loss (forfeit)
R48 II #4 Alaska ’13: 6th place: Round of 8 loss (Alvarado)
R48 II #5 Denver ’13: Tied 3rd place: Semifinals loss (Lenning)
R48 II #6 Salt Lake City ’13: Tied 3rd place: Semifinals loss (Moreno)
R48 II #7 TPC Seattle ’13: 7th place
2013/14 Race Record:
R48 III #1 Plummer ’13: 5th Place: Loss in Rd of 8 (Ortiz)
R48 III #2 US Open ’13: 8th Place
R48 III #3 Houston ’14: 4th Place: Loss in the Semifinals (Moreno)
Summary
The intensity, the competition, and the training is like an addiction. There is nothing more satisfying than playing a great match, win or lose, and knowing that you gave everything you had, and you have nothing left to give. This is Fink’s mantra. Fink brings strategy combined with strength, endurance, and speed to the game and a ton of sportsmanship; often times gaining strength from crowds that have turned against him. A true character of the sport. Fink is a walking offensive weapon with a lighting bolt of a left arm; ready to strike regardless of court position.