Socially Distanced 1-Wall Singles
Pittsburgh, PA
WPH Press, 11/7/20
The WPH was thrilled to host the 1st annual DeDe Fink Memorial handball tournament in Pittsburgh, PA, celebrating the life of DeDe Fink. The eight competitors in the DDM ranged from 8-year-old Leo Joseph to 73-year-old Rodney Fink on a glorious 70-degree November Saturday at AR3 Park in East Liberty, just minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. DeDe was a two-time PA State Women’s Open champion, a two-time wheelchair games gold medalist and former Great Race (10k) wheelchair champion, in addition to a loving mom, friend, and pillar of the Pittsburgh community. DeDe passed away on October 30, 2020.
“My mom loved to be with her family and friends, volunteer, ride her bike, and swim, but she loved the sunshine more than anything,” stated tournament director and son David. “Today was the perfect day for the first DDM and she would have loved nothing more than to have been courtside watching the matches and darkening her tan.”
Players and fans were kept socially distant from one another at all times during the event.
Andrew “JCC” Joseph entered the DDM as the top seed and cruised to the final with a first round victory against Michael George and a close semifinal victory against Jack Bossung. JCC’s three-decade rival Kirk “Big Game” Rys entered the DDM as the third seed and advanced to the semifinal to face Canada’s Mathieu Pelletier. BG overwhelmed TTP in just eight minutes, setting up a showdown with JCC for the title.
“It’s hard to say what our all-time record against one another would be,” stated Rys. “When we started playing for beers and a medal, Andrew never won. I was 4-0 and he ripped up the piece of paper we used to tally the matches.” JCC and BG have played one another an average of once a week for 20 years.
The final produced one of the most exciting matches in WPH Outdoor history. JCC took command in the one game final to 15, surging to a 10-3 lead. JCC appeared to score the 11th point with an ace, but BG scooped the return with his fingertips and JCC watched helplessly as the floater rolled flat. JCC would eventually serve for the match at 14-8, but missed an overhand kill attempt to hand Rys the serve.
BG took advantage, quickly tying the score at 14 in one inning. “The serve was the difference,” JCC would later say. “Kirk hit three or four aces in that six-point comeback.”
With the match in overtime, BG served for the match at 15-14. JCC relied on his infamous punch shot to bail him out, crushing a right-handed cross court pass that hit the back line and sideline to stay alive. JCC would regain control, serving for the match at 16-15. Rys now showed the ice water in his veins, striking a deep court kill to temporarily dash JCC’s hopes. Rys would serve for the match again at 17-16, but JCC found the line again, this time with a left punch fist down the right. JCC served for the match for a third time at 18-17 and thought he clinched the title with a stiff-arm left down the left. The referee called the ball out, wrestling the title from JCC’s grasp. BG capitalized, ending the match with three straight kills to take the first DeDe Fink Memorial.
Final: BG def JCC 20-18 (overtime)
Michael George bounced back from a first round loss to JCC Joseph to take third, defeating RFC, Kyle Bossung, and TTP Pelletier, who argued for the top seed and ended the event with zero wins.
Thank you to all of the players for celebrating the life of DeDe.
DDM Finishes:
1st: BG Rys
2nd: JCC Joseph
3rd: Michael George
Dede Fink obituary HERE
DeDe Fink, an educator whose accident opened a world of new experiences HERE