Race 4 Eight Rising Stars Corner: Edition 1
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 7/5/23
The WPH is thrilled to bring you the Race 4 Eight Rising Stars Corner, your chance to get to know the sports rising stars playing on the most exciting handball tour in the sport.
On Edition 1 of the Race 4 Eight Rising Stars Corner, our young stars were asked who was their favorite pro and how that pro inspired them to become great players.
The Pros That Inspired the Rising Stars – In Their Words
Jab Bike
Victorville, CA
Coached by Chris Watkins, John Bike Jr, Naty Alvarado Jr., Marcos Chavez
Best win: Ivan Burgos at the 2023 R48LTE Tucson Hall of Fame
Being around the game so much when I was a little kid gave me many opportunities to see the best players in the world. I was able to share the court with players like Luis Moreno, David Chapman, Sean Lenning, and others who would hit the ball around with me. I didn’t think much of it at the time but it was really cool of them to go out of their way to play/give me tips.
As for my favorite pros, I think the obvious answers are my dad, John Bike Jr, and my uncle, Naty Alvarado Jr. Being around the game so much when I was a little kid gave me so many opportunities to watch/interact with the best players in the world. But those two really stick out for me. They both gave everything they had to the game of handball, and it inspires me to want to keep getting better myself. When I was younger, I don’t think I truly understood how special it was to have two family members as great as they were at the handball. I think maybe I just assumed everyone was that good at that level because I didn’t know what both of them had put into the game throughout their lives to get where they did. I’m just now a little over a year into playing handball full time, and it is the hardest, most humbling sport I’ve ever played. It is the perfect game really. Losing sucks. But there are lessons to learn from every loss, and I think if I’m willing to keep learning, I can be a great player one day. It takes a lot to be a great handball player, and I hope I can one day be as great as my family members before me. To answer that question, my dad and uncle are the players who inspire me the most to get better every day.
On the court, my dad and uncle had very different styles of play, but I like to take advice from both of them whenever I’m given the opportunity to talk to them about handball. I feel like I have watched every handball clip of them possible on YouTube, so I would say I am familiar with their playing styles. The one thing I would say they both had in common was their ability to put pressure on their opponents. They did it with different styles of play, but they were always keeping the pressure on whoever they were playing and making their opponents react to their shots. Whether they hit strong passes, great serves, or one-inch high kill shots, they both had the ability to turn any rally at any given point and put them self into the driver’s seat of it. I am appreciative to have family members that played at such a high level that I was able to watch growing up. I wish I could have seen my grandpa, Naty Alvarado Sr. play, especially in his prime. I am fortunate to have the support group that I do in my family.
Ivan Burgos
Tucson, AZ
As a junior, there wasn’t a single player I would consider my favorite. I am just a handball fanatic, so watching and analyzing players with different styles and shots was fun for me. But the players I specifically liked watching and stood out for me were Luis Moreno and Mando Ortiz. I have always been amazed at Moreno’s smoothness, his front-court game, and Mando’s aggressiveness. These are the guys that I would make sure to watch their games growing up. And naturally, after watching them play so many times, I tried to imitate their shots while playing my own games. I still watch and study their old games to see what else I can learn.
While these guys were some of my favorites to watch, Ryan Bowler inspired me the most and greatly impacted my development in my junior years. When I first started watching my father play in local tournaments at age ten or eleven, my dad sat me down to watch Ryan play. I immediately knew he was good. I learned he was from Toronto, only two hours away, and it was encouraging knowing someone that grew up in the same handball environment as I was growing up could play that well. Everyone in their area has a guy to beat, and he was that guy in Ontario.
As I got older, I watched him play and interacted with him a lot more. On weekends when he would go away for WPH tournaments, I was constantly looking online to check the scores of his qualifying matches. I kept up with and watched the R48 tour, but it became more exciting knowing that Ontario had a horse in that race. I remember, on occasion, he would let me and my brother stay at his house on the weekend. We would play and watch handball all weekend. He would play us two-on-one and coach us in-between rallies. We’d also tape our matches and review them at night. And eventually I started travelling to tournaments with him. He took on this role with me, which helped skyrocket my game as a junior.
John Chapman
Greeley, CO
Coached by Roberta Chapman (mother)
Best win: Bill Mehilos at the 2022 Tucson Memorial
I have a lot of pros that I enjoy watching and have given great advice to me. My favorite pro all time is David Chapman. He inspired me to play handball because of the dominance he showed in all aspects of the game. He played a defensive style game but had an offensive arsenal that was extraordinary to watch.
Today my favorite pro has got to be Luis Cordova. It was a lot of fun watching him this last season racking up a lot of amazing wins consistently. He never seems to be affected by big moments, not afraid to take a big shot, and provides constant pressure to his opponents with flat kills and hard pass shots. One thing he does really well is keeping his opponent off balance and moving around the court by hitting the ball away from them, which I have been working on a lot lately. I’ve been lucky to be able to play some and get tips from him and his brother Daniel down in Juarez and it has definitely helped my game.
To add to the list there have been a few pros that have helped me out and given advice on how to improve my game such as taking opportunities to be more aggressive, improving my left so it’s a threat, and taking the ball lower on kill shots. To name a few, Sean Lenning, David Fink, and Stephen Cooney have taken the time to give that advice.
My mom has been coming to more tournaments and is always giving me advice on what to do mid game, what to work on, and what I need to do to pull out the win. It has been helpful and is great motivation. I think she plans on coming to more with her recent retirement as well.
Mark Doyle
Taghmon, Co. Wexford (Ireland)
Coached by Robert Doyle (father)
Best win: David Fink at the 2023 R48 NOLA
My favorite pro has been Martin Mulkerrins. From a young age he was always my favorite player to watch and as I got older became great friends with him. Getting to get in the court against him on the WPH Pro Tour has been a great experience.
Shane Dunne
Moneenroe, Co. Kilkenny (IRE)
Coached by: Billy Love until age 10, Brendan Hosey until age 15, Colm Love (current)
Best win: Mark Doyle at the 2023 Player’s Championship (qualifier)
Eoin Kennedy – Eoin was the first senior handballer/pro I met at a very young age. He was presenting medals in my club for a tournament we ran for our juveniles and did some coaching with us. Eoin was the All Ireland 60×30/big alley senior champion at the time, and that was a huge thing for me, as I was a lover of the game.
I later went to a coaching clinic held by Eoin in Na Fianna at around 14, where I wanted to know all the tips and tricks to become a better player. I still remember the excitement and trying to convince my dad to drive me up.
I always liked the way Eoin played. He was defensive, patient and clever. He always played the percentage shot, very similar to Michael ‘Ducksy’ Walsh. I would say Eoin was always recognised as being a 60×30 player. He also adapted well in the 40×20, winning some big titles and being recognised as a threat to some. This allowed me to realise that I can adapt and play at the highest level in both codes.
I’ve seen him over the years when I played in Croke Park, and he would have fierce battles with Robbie McCarthy. He always had heart and that never die attitude, which I believe is one of my biggest strengths.
Clodagh Munroe
Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone (Ireland)
Coached by Gerard Munroe (father), Sean McCrory, Mike Wells, John Stoffel
Best win: Ashley Ruiz at the 2023 WR48LTE New Orleans
I would say Martina McMahon because she has so much skill and power. She always plays the game with a smile on her face and interacts a lot with young people who look up to her.
Eilise McCrory
Co. Tyrone (Ireland)
Coach by Sean McCrory (father)
Best win: Ashley Ruiz at the 2023 Player’s Championship
It’s very difficult to pinpoint 1 player who has inspired me over my career. You’d be a bit mental if Brady wasn’t in there somewhere. But when I consider my younger self and who is still pushing me to do better my mind goes to Catriona.
I remember my first international trip back in 2011 when I was just 13. Ireland had sent a team of juniors to the nationals at Christmas time and I obviously thought these players were sooo cool. I had known of Catriona before that but hadn’t really spoken to her given that she was a few years older than me and I had just kind of arrived on the scene (meaning I wasn’t overly good).
That trip was the beginning of a great friendship that I still have with Catriona.
It’s only really in hindsight that I realise watching her play, improve and gain such achievements even as a junior paved my path as a handballer. I didn’t realise I had all these goals until I saw them in front of me.
Fast forward 12 years and I’m now battling it out almost every tournament against her. If playing Catriona doesn’t aspire or motivate you in some way again…you’re crazy.
Her skillset, mindset and achievement list is endless and it’s no wonder she’s the best in the bizz.
She’s always there to give some advice on how to get better, and to give you some positive praise even when you think you don’t deserve it.
Ray Ure
Des Plaines, IL
Coached by Don Quinlan, Mike Wells, John Stoffel
Best win: Ivan Burgos at the 2023 Player’s Championship
I started playing handball at the age of five and didn’t really know about any pro handball players until I started traveling to men’s tournaments at the age of 12. Because of this there were many of my mentors growing up that I enjoyed watching such as Kyle and Riley Kloss, CJ Laffey, Erik Matiasek, and more. They would have handball league matches after my family was at climbing classes, so my mom, brother and I would watch them.
As for R48 pros, I never truly watched a lot of handball growing up because I always enjoyed being on the courts playing short court or something while at tournaments. When I first started men’s tournaments at age 12, Dan Cordova would hop on the court and face me while he was at Lake Forest. As for pros I enjoy watching, I’ve always enjoyed watching Killian due to his speed, endurance, and shot selection.
David Walsh
Mallow, Co. Cork (Ireland)
Best win: David Fink at the 2023 Player’s Championship
Killian Carroll and Robbie McCarthy would be my two.
Robbie is just a class player. Even with all the skill he has he trains extremely hard. He has really shown me how much dedication is required to win titles. I played him in two Ranking Event semifinals in Ireland this year, I’ve learnt a lot from both occasions.
Killian is originally from my home club in Mallow. I’ve said it before, I was young when Killian started travelling to the states, I always wanted to do what he was doing. When I was going to school in the mornings I would often see Killian leaving the court or the gym!
Ryan “Waddy Pup” Watkins
Los Angeles, CA
Coached by Vic Perez and Paul Godina
Best win: Javier Badillo at 2022 LAAC R48 Pre-Qualifier
I gained a lot of inspiration from so many players. I wouldn’t play the game if it wasn’t for my dad, Chris. I really enjoyed watching him compete when I was younger.
As I’ve grown into the sport, Paul Brady, Naty Alvarado Jr, and Mando Ortiz are my top three.
Obviously, everyone wants to be like Paul Brady, but I particularly love Paul’s demeanor. He is a winner, and there is no way around that.
I’m trying to mold my game to be like Naty Jr and Mando. Naty Jr. has the best serve ever, and was and is in the most incredible athletic conditioning.
Mando is extremely passionate and I love that. His two-handed attack and serve/shoot mentality fit perfectly into the SoCal style, which is what I seek to perfect.
Do you have a question for the Rising Stars? Email me at David.fink@wphlive.tv
Stay tuned for more Race 4 Eight Rising Stars Corner throughout 2023
Follow the Legends Corners HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer