The WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Tour started in 2012 and has hosted 27 Big Ball Handball events in California, Mexico, Nevada, and Utah in its first five seasons. WPH Outdoor has provided a platform for the greatest big ball handball stars in the world to showcase their talents on an international stage, with WPH Outdoor elite stars featured live on ESPN3 several times a year. WPH Outdoor elite stars also serve as role models and coaches to junior handball players at WPH Outdoor stops.
Let’s break down some of the WPH Outdoor stats and trends in the WPH Outdoor By the Numbers
- The first WPH Outdoor events was held in May of 2012 in Huntington Beach
- WPH Outdoor has hosted 27 official ranking events since May of 2012
- The youngest singles champion in WPH Outdoor history was Juan Santos, 17 years and 11 months
- The largest junior clinics in WPH Outdoor history were the Venice Mega Clinic and 1-Wall Junior Shootout ’15 (85 junior players), the Back to School Bash Junior Clinics and 3-Wall Showdown (120 junior players), and the Vegas 3WallBall Outdoor Championships Junior Clinic and Tournament ’15 (75 junior players)
- Juan Santos and Samzon Hernandez are tied with the most WPH Outdoor singles titles in the history of the tour (11)
- The only players to win a WPH Outdoor men’s pro singles titles besides Santos and Hernandez are Alfredo Morales (1), R. Ruiz (1), B. Medina (1), L. Valencia (1) and T. Gonzalez (2)
- Juan Santos and Samzon Hernandez are the only players to be ranked #1 in men’s pro singles on the WPH Outdoor tour
- The oldest WPH Outdoor men’s pro singles champion is Lobo Valencia at the 2015 Venice Xrossover (34)
- The WPH Outdoor has hosted 17 women’s pro singles events since May of 2012
- Tanisha Groomes has won the most WPH Outdoor singles titles (13)
- The only players to have won a WPH Outdoor women’s singles title besides Groomes are A. Moler (1), T. Davis (1), C. Casey (2), Ciana Ni Churraoin (1)
- Tracy Davis was the oldest WPH Outdoor pro singles champion in history (38 at the 2014 3WallBall Outdoor World Championships)
- The youngest WPH Outdoor women’s pro singles champion in history was Ciana Ni Churraoin at the 2016 Vegas Lte (19)
- Timothy Gonzalez won the only 1-Wall pro singles WPH Outdoor ranking event in history (Downey ’16)
- Marcos Chavez is the oldest WPH Outdoor singles finalist in history (42 at the Salt Lake City Aces ’16)
- The only players to hold simultaneous rankings on the Race 4 Eight tour and the WPH Outdoor Tour are Marcos Chavez, Mando Ortiz, Catriona Casey, Ciana Ni Churraoin, Shorty Ruiz and Ashley Moler
- WPH Outdoor entries by the season:
Season I (2012)
- Men’s singles players: 159
- Men’s doubles teams: 113 (226 players)
- Women’s singles players: 28
- Women’s doubles teams: 5 (10 players)
- Total men’s players: 385
- Total women’s players: 38
- Total players: 423
Season II (2013)
- Men’s singles players: 155
- Men’s doubles teams: 79 (158 players)
- Women’s singles players: 35
- Women’s doubles teams: 15 (30 players)
- Total men’s players: 313
- Total women’s players: 65
- Total players: 378
Season III (2014)
- Men’s singles players: 148
- Men’s doubles teams: 131 (262 players)
- Women’s singles players: 31
- Women’s doubles teams: 6 (12 players)
- Total men’s players: 410
- Total women’s players: 43
- Total players: 453
Season IV (2015)
- Men’s singles players: 175
- Men’s doubles teams: 112 (224 players)
- Women’s singles players: 27
- Women’s doubles teams: 6 (12 players)
- Total men’s players: 399
- Total women’s players: 39
- Total players: 438
Season V (2016)
- Men’s singles players: 148
- Men’s doubles teams: 67 (134 players)
- Women’s singles players: 10
- Women’s doubles teams: 2
- Total men’s players: 238
- Total women’s players: 10
- Total players: 298
- Total men’s players through 27 events: 1,795
- Total women’s players through 15 events: 197
- Total combined players: 1,992
- Tanisha Groomes has won 13 of 16 WPH Outdoor (3-Wall) women’s pro singles events in which she has entered (81%)
- The only players to defeat Tanisha Groomes in WPH Outdoor 3-Wall Big Ball women’s singles are Catriona Casey (Xrossover ’15), Danielle Daskalakis (3WallBall Outdoor World Championships ’14), Ciana Ni Churraoin (Vegas Lte, ’16)
- Ashley Moler won the first WPH Outdoor women’s pro singles event at the Cinco de Mayo 3 Wall Big Ball Shootout ’12 (defeated Mel Sky)
- Samzon Hernandez was ranked in the top two of the WPH Outdoor rankings from the start of the tour in May of 2012 until February of 2016
- Juan Santos won the first WPH Outdoor men’s pro singles event at the Cinco de Mayo 3 Wall Big Ball Shootout ’12 (defeated R. Ruiz)
- Tanisha Groomes has faced match point and won seven times in WPH Outdoor women’s singles matches (most in WPH Outdoor history)
- Sal Duenas is the only player to have played in every WPH Outdoor stop (27)
WPH Outdoor Men’s Pro Big Ball Singles Records through the first six events of the 2016 WPH Outdoor V Season: IceMan Challenge (4W), Nietes Park (3W), Downey (1W), Salt Lake City Aces (4W), Vegas Lte (3W), X Fest II (3W)
- #1 Juan Santos: 20-4 (6 events played)
- #2 Timothy Gonzalez: 14-3 (4 events played)
- #3 Shorty Ruiz: 6-6 (5 events played)
- #4 Alfredo Morales: 12-3 (4 events played)
WPH Outdoor Women’s Pro Big Ball Singles Records through the first three singles events of the 2016 WPH Outdoor V Season: Vegas Lte (3W), X Fest II (1W), X Fest II (3W)
- #1 Tanisha Groomes: 5-2 (3 events played)
- #2 Ciana Ni Churraoin 5-3 (3 events played)
- #3 Tracy Davis: 4-1 (2 events played)
- #4 Catriona Casey: 3-3 (2 events played)
- Timothy Gonzalez owns a 14-3 singles record on the WPH Outdoor V season: two of Gonzalez’s three losses have come against Alfredo Morales
- Alfredo Morales won his first WPH Outdoor Singles title at the X Fest II in his sixth appearance in a WPH Outdoor Singles final
- In the three WPH Outdoor V Women’s Singles events in 2016, there have been three different winners: Ni Churraoin at the Vegas Lte 3-Wall Big Ball, Groomes at the X Fest II 3-Wall Big Ball, Davis at the X-Fest II 1-Wall Big Ball
- Juan Santos owns the best big ball singles winning percentage amongst the WPH Outdoor Men and Women during the WPH Outdoor V Season (83%), just ahead of Timothy Gonzalez (82%) and Tracy Davis and Alfredo Morales (80%)
- Ciana Ni Churraoin became the second Irish-born player to win a WPH Outdoor Big Ball Pro Singles Title at the 2016 Vegas Lte, 11 months after her compatriot Catriona Casey won the X Fest I in June of 2015
- Juan Santos (Nietes Park & Salt Lake City Aces) and Timothy Gonzalez (Downey and Vegas Lte) have both won two WPH Outdoor V singles titles in 2016; Alfredo Morales (X Fest II) and Samzon Hernandez (IceMan Challenge) have each won one title
David Fink
WPH Outdoor Senior Statistician