Shoreline, WA, WPH Press, 7/22/26
Written by Paul Wetherbee
After an extended break, outdoor handball tournament play returned this past Saturday to Ridgecrest Park on 161st Street in Shoreline, WA. Players and supporting fans from the Puget Sound Region, Portland, and Central Washington enjoyed excellent weather and a day of competition, camaraderie, and great handball. Tournament Director and WAC player Tom Polzin said “It’s great to see the tournament back on the 161st Street courts. The beautiful weather, strong competition, and reconnection with players and friends from around the region reminds everyone what makes this tournament special.”
Tournament play featured a unique format to maximize competition and partnerships. Players were divided into A and B Pools, where they competed through six rounds of random doubles pairings. Individual points were accumulated throughout pool play and the winner determined by total points.
At the end of pool play, the winners were:
A Pool:
- Tom Polzin – Champion
- Maxx Bennett – Runner-Up
- Colin Clement – Third Place
B Pool:
- Dan Cosgrove – Champion
- Brian Henson – Runner-Up
- Pete Halfaker – Third Place
The tournament finished with an exciting A/B Championship Finale featuring the top two finishers from each pool. Maxx Bennet and Brian Henson teamed up to defeat Tom Polzin and Dan Cosgrove 21-20 in an excellent showcase of 3-Wall power, finesse, and grit.
“We are lucky to have great outdoor handball all summer,” said Tournament Director Tom Polzin. “With the return of the Shoreline Tournament in July, we now have the Marento tournament in August at the West Fenwick Park courts in Kent, and the Dick Pieper 3-wall tournament in September in Wenatchee. Taken together, The Summer Handball Outdoor Tournament Series (SHOTS) is a great opportunity to build the handball community in the region,” said Polzin.