WPH Press, 10/10/22
The World Players of Handball is thrilled to present the eleventh Race 4 Eight season, kicking off on October 14 at the Multnomah Athletic Club. The Race 4 Eight XI will feature nine events, with the world’s best players competing in Portland, Tucson, New Orleans, Missoula, Houston, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City.
The Race 4 Eight began in October of 2011 at the Plummer Family Bash in Coeur d’Alene, ID and has held 70 total events through the first ten seasons, with 12 different R48 champions and two different WR48 champions. Led by the Race 4 Eight’s greatest champions Catriona Casey, Killian Carroll, and Paul Brady, handball fans have been electrified by the sensational talents of the Race 4 Eight pros.
The 2022/23 season promises to continue the excitement, as a combination of established stars, rising stars, and Race 4 Eight veterans have their sights set on etching their names onto pro handball’s most prestigious trophies.
The Player’s Thoughts on the Upcoming Season
“My goal is to be number one at the end of the season,” stated second-ranked Lucho Cordova, who has won four R48 titles and three consecutive Icebreaker titles. “Killian has been my biggest rival for several seasons, so I’ll be preparing to play him and the other top players.”
“I want to consistently place top 16 throughout the season and crack the top 10 at least once,” stated rising star John Chapman, who proudly declares that his brother David and father Fred are his favorite handball players. “Being from Montana, the Red Death is my favorite tournament and I would love to be the first player from Montana to win it.”
“I have always followed Killian, Shanks, Brady when they played full seasons on the Race 4 Eight and now that I am going to have the chance because I am living in Texas,” stated current R48 Player’s Champion and Texas A&M head handball coach Martin Mulkerrins. “I just want to give it my all and see what I can do when I am able to attend all of the stops. I am excited to have this opportunity and that I will have no regrets about not having played at least one full season on the tour! I really enjoy the tournaments in Tucson and I have never been to New Orleans so I look forward to going there in January too!”
“My goal is to be in the top eight by the season end,” stated R48 #10 Max Langmack, who counts Houston as his favorite R48 stop and the Player’s Championship as the tournament he would most like to win.
“My goal is to beat the guys who beat me last season,” stated the Olympic Club’s Loren Collado, who advanced to his first R48 quarterfinal at last season’s Player’s Championship.
“I really want to push myself in training to try to reach my potential this year,” stated four-time R48 champion Danos Cordova, who considers Killian, Lucho, Mulkerrins and Fink to be his greatest rivals.
“Of course, I want to win every tournament, but my goal this season is to work hard and get better at each stop and show progress throughout the year,” stated left-handed gunslinger and future R48 star Jab Bike, son of hall of famer John Bike, Jr. “I really enjoy playing against all of the players because each player brings their best to every match and it’s fun to compete against everyone’s highest level. If I had to choose, I would definitely want to win the Player’s Championship!”
“I always look forward to the Tucson events because the people are great and I always feel at home there,” stated R48 veteran Stephen Cooney. “My goal is to win a Race stop this season, ideally the Player’s Championship.”
“I want to push harder against the top players and reduce the margin,” stated multiple-time WR48 finalist Fiona Tully. “Of course, I’d love to challenge my greatest rival, Cationa Casey this season. We are treated so well at all of the Race stops, so I really enjoy all of them.”
The 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI Cities
The 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI Powered by ESPN tour will travel to Portland, Tucson, New Orleans, Missoula, Houston, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City during the action-packed Race 4 Eight XI. Each of the handball-crazed cities rolls out the red carpet for the Race 4 Eight pros, enabling the pros to showcase their sensational talents in the best handball cities in the country.
Stop #1 Portland Classic R48LTE October 14-16, 2022
The spectacular Multnomah Athletic Club will play host to the R48 Men’s Pros for the fourth time October 14-16, as one of the best handball venues in the world will showcase the best men’s pro handball players in the world in the first event of the 2022/23 R48 XI season. The R48 Men’s Pros will play alongside the best players in the Pacific Northwest, as the R48LTE will be held in conjunction with the fourth annual Portland Classic.
Tournament director: Conor Casey
Defending R48 Champion: Lucho Cordova
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro (open bracket)
Stop #2 R48 Men’s Pro/WR48/SR48: Tucson Memorial presented by JR WPH: November 4-6, 2022
The Memorial has honored the handball friends and family lost since the inception of The Memorial in 2014 and serves as one of the highlights on the handball calendar. Last year’s Tucson Memorial featured the largest draw across pro, junior, skill level, and age division play on the Race 4 Eight tour and this year’s edition promises to be another great one. The 2022 Memorial will feature the R48 Men’s Pro, the WR48, and the SR48, meaning the best pro players will all be under one roof! “The Memorial means so much to the WPH, our players, fans, and the sport,” stated WPH Executive Director. “We hope you’ll join us this fall in honoring those handball family members that are no longer with us and enjoy a great weekend of handball.”
Tournament director: WPH
Defending R48 champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Qualifier, R48 Men’s Pro, WR48, SR48 (all open brackets)
Stop #3 R48 Tucson 3-Wall Icebreaker: December 10-11, 2022
The Race 4 Eight will host its second 3-Wall ranking event at December’s 3-Wall Icebreaker at the WPH’s Clark Park. Clark Park’s pristine 3-Wall courts have played host to nineteen Icebreaker events, starting in March of 2020. David Fink will aim to defend his R48 Icebreaker championship, but will have to contend with white hot Icebreaker specialist Lucho Cordova, who is coming off three consecutive dominant Icebreaker victories in the summer of 2022.
Tournament director: WPH
Defending R48 Champion: David Fink
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro (open bracket)
Stop #4 R48LTE/WR48: New Orleans Mardi Gras Open: January 13-15, 2023
New Orleans will host its fifth Race 4 Eight event since 2015, serving as the fourth R48 Men’s Pro event and the second WR48 destination of the season. WPH pros traveled to New Orleans for an outstanding WPH pro stop that served as a precursor to the Race 4 Eight in 2009, and will return in 2023 to compete in one of handball’s most fan-friendly venues, featuring a three-glass wall show court. Expect fireworks as pros will dazzle on the courts by day and enjoy Bourbon Street and the French Quarter at night.
“I am looking forward to all of the events but I have never been to New Orleans so I look forward to going there in January,” stated 2022 R48 Player’s Champion Martin Mulkerrins.
Tournament director: Bob Caluda
Defending R48 Champion: Lucho Cordova
Defending WR48 Champion: Catriona Casey
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro, WR48LTE (both open draws)
Stop #5 Red Death R48 Men’s Pro + MT State Doubles: February 3-5, 2023
Montana hosted its first R48 event in 2018 with sensational success, quickly becoming a player’s favorite. R48 pros were treated to unlimited hospitality, the best courts on the tour, and the most appreciative and largest galleries on the tour. Tournament director Sean Sandau and his Red Death tournament staff ensure that players are treated like pros from the moment they arrived in Missoula until the moment they leave. The fourth year of the Red Death promises to be even better, as the pros cannot wait to make the 2023 trip to Missoula!
Tournament director Sean Sandau
Defending R48 Champion: Killian Carroll
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro (open draw)
Stop #6: R48 Men’s Pro Houston/TX State Doubles: February 17-19, 2023
The WPH returns to Houston’s Tellespsen YMCA for the ninth time in the sixth event of the 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI season. The Houston Race 4 Eight boasts five of the best courts on tour, while the Houston Handball Committee accommodates all of the players to make for a great weekend in the Lone Star State.
“I really love the Houston tournament,” stated WPH top ten pro Max Langmack, who experienced his R48 breakthrough in Houston in 2018. “Just seems to have the right feel for me.”
Tournament director: Ron Cole
Defending R48 Champion: Killian Carroll
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro, WR48 (both open draws)
Stop #7 R48LTE + SR48 RFC 13 Pittsburgh: March 24-26, 2023
The WPH’s RFC is the longest running WPH event, dating back to the inaugural RFC in 2009 won by David Chapman. The RFC 12 will serve as its second official Race 4 Eight stop in 2023, after hosting R48 Pre Qualifiers in the summer of 2018 and 2019. The Pittsburgh handball community and Pittsburgh’s WPH Lifetime Achiever and handball ambassador Rodney Fink ensures that players enjoy a sensational weekend at the RFC, complete with RFC victory parties and seeing the best Pittsburgh has to offer.
“We love having the top players come to the RFC,” stated tournament director David Fink. “The pros bring all of the previous Pittsburgh handballers to the courts to watch, while inspiring all of the current players. We cannot wait for the 13th edition in March!”
Tournament director: WPH
Defending R48 Champion: Killian Carroll
Defending SR48 Champion: David Fink
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48LTE, SR48 (both open draws)
Stop #8: R48 Men’s Pro LTE: USHA Hall of Fame Tournament in Tucson, April 14-16, 2023
The WPH is proud to partner with the USHA in one of the USHA’s premiere events – The USHA Hall of Fame. The USHA Hall of Fame tournament has been one of the Southwest’s biggest events for decades, often featuring top pro champions in the open bracket. The 2023 Hall of Fame will feature the third R48 event in Tucson, as the Race 4 Eight Men’s pros will position themselves for the season’s final event in Salt Lake City.
Tournament director: USHA
Defending R48 Champion: Killian Carroll
Race 4 Eight events offered: R48LTE (open bracket)
Stop #9: R48 Men’s Pro/WR48/SR48: Salt Lake City R48 Aces Player’s Championship: May 5-7, 2023
The Salt Lake City Aces has been voted the “Player’s Favorite” for its sensational hospitality and willingness to show all of the players a great experience in the Rocky Mountains. Hosting the R48 for a record ninth consecutive year, the Ace Team hosts an incredible Saturday evening party and a spectacular venue for watching and playing world-class handball.
Tournament director: Lon and Matt Stalsberg and the Aces Family
Defending R48 Champion: Martin Mulkerrins
Defending WR48 Champion: Catriona Casey
Defending SR48 Champion: David Fink
Race 4 Eight brackets offered: R48 Men’s Pro, WR48, SR48
Enter all of the events on R2 Sports HERE
Watch every dive, kill shot, ace, and champion crowned on the Watch ESPN App and Patreon
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts + Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
Full 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI schedule HERE
Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios HERE
WPH Race 4 Eight Power Rankings HERE
DF’s R48 Fun Facts and Trends + Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
WPH Coaching Center Instructional Videos HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops in Oregon, Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Texas, and Pennsylvania, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2023. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer