Hood River, OR, WPH Press, 6/12/23
The 9th annual Hood River Invitational was held on June 3rd at the Elks Lodge in Hood River, Oregon. More than forty players from across the region descended on the destination town early Saturday morning, with some players traveling from as far as northern Washington, Southern Oregon, eastern Washington, and even Arizona. Players looked forward to competition, camaraderie, and coming together to support this year’s benefactor, the Pate family and their son Elijah.
Doubles teams were divided into A and B groups.
A Group
The A group consisted of 12 teams split into 4 pools. Current Oregon State Champion and Pacific Northwest Regional Champion and WPH R48 #18 Pro Kyle English (Beaverton, OR) and his partner Dan Kersey (Springfield, OR) advanced to the finals to meet 9-time Oregon State Champion Dalton Beall (Junction City, OR) and David Harper (Tillamook, OR). Both English and Beall came into the finals as two-time previous champions of the event, and Beall was out for revenge after losing to English at the Oregon State Championships two months prior.
Beall showed that he had recovered from the injuries that hampered him throughout the season, as he was able to keep the ball close to the sidewalls and away from English to close out a contentious first game 15 to 13. The second game was tight all the way through, as English found ways to get the ball past Beall into the back court. However, Harper rose to meet the challenge, covering for Beall when necessary and keeping the ball alive in long rallies. This allowed Beall to display the best of his shot-making ability to close out the second game 15 to 13 and secure the championship, claiming his third Hood River Invitational crown.
A Group Final: Beall/Harper def English/Kersey 15-13, 15-13
B Group
The B group consisted of eight teams split into two pools. Sean Steele (Hillsboro, OR) and Chris Kersey (Springfield, OR) advanced from the first pool to the finals, while Ed Fredenburgh (Beaverton, OR) and defending champion Kimberley Duval (Salmon Creek, WA) advanced to the finals out of the second pool. Fredenburgh and Duval put up a good fight, taking the first game 15 to 10, but Steele was able to generate enough power from all areas of the court to take the second game 15 to 12 and then squeeze out the tiebreaker victory 11 to 8.
B Group Final: Steele/Kersey def Fredenburgh/Duval 10-15, 15-12, 11-8
After the action concluded, the players cleaned up for the highly anticipated season-ending banquet. New and returning players were acknowledged, the JR WPH’s Horizon Christian School handball program was highlighted, and a recap of the previous handball season was given, with state, regional, and national champions being recognized for their achievements.
The focus of this year’s event was Elijah Pate, a 16-year-old Hood River resident who was diagnosed with brain cancer at 12 years old. After brain surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and years of rehabilitation, the Pate family believed Elijah had beaten the cancer. Tragically, the cancer was found to have recently returned, and this time in terminal form. Leading up to the event, Elijah was given weeks to live. On the morning of the tournament, June 3rd, Elijah passed away at home surrounded by his family. The Stenberg family read a statement from the Pate family, and informed the attendees that the tournament had raised over four thousand dollars for medical bills and funeral expenses.
After the banquet concluded, the players gathered at a local bar to celebrate a successful handball season and wish each other well for the summer. The players enjoyed a Sunday morning breakfast at a local café before parting ways.
Thank you to the Hood River Handball Association and the Stenberg family for hosting such a meaningful event. Thank you to the many generous players and supporters for sponsoring the tournament, and the many generous local businesses who donated food, beverages, raffle prizes, etc. to the tournament. Thank you to the Alten Handball Foundation and the World Players of Handball for their continued support of this unique handball tournament.
Nick Flores
Oregon State Chair