WPH Handball Destination Series Showcases NYC’s Coney Island 1-Wall Courts
WPH Showcase, Coney Island, NY
The WPH is excited to introduce the WPH Handball Destination Series to showcase the world’s greatest handball venues. On this edition of the WPH Handball Destination Series, we will feature the Coney Island 1-Wall handball courts, home to the USHA One Wall Nationals and the playground of many of the game’s 1-Wall legends for the last century.
Seaside Courts at Coney Island
Number of courts: 11
Number of handball players: 50+
Popular handball hours: all times of the day during the warm weather months, best times to train with the game’s best is on Saturday and Sunday mornings
Biggest tournaments at Coney Island: USHA One Wall Small Ball, Nationals (August), USHA One Wall Big Ball Nationals, Buddha Memorial Big Ball Doubles (September), a number of junior events
Address: Seaside Courts at Surf Ave. and West 5th St., Coney Island, NY
New York, NY, USA – August 30, 2016: Beach in Coney Island: People enjoy beach: Coney Island is a peninsular residential neighborhood, beach, and leisure/entertainment.
Coney Island history
“Coney Island has been the stomping ground for a long list of handball champions,” stated 1-Wall legend Cesar Sala. “When I was there from the early 90’s through 2010 there were strong groups of small ball and big ball players with past champions such as Ruby & Carl Obert watching and critiquing. Joe Durso, Albert Apuzzi, Al Torres & Joe Kaplan were amongst the top small ball guys there. The big ball crew was comprised of an eclectic cast of players, such as Benji & Lou Bretner, Billy Maggio, Eddie Petrizzi, PonyTail Billy, Gabe Vasquez and a long list of others.”
The best matches Saul Gonzalez and Cesar have ever seen at Coney Island
“The best game I’ve ever seen at the Coney Island courts was Satish vs Cesar Sala,” recalled perennial 1-Wall contender Saul Gonzalez. “They were two extremely talented guys that on any given day could crush one another. It was something you just had to see in person. Seeing Joe Durso play in his prime when I was a kid was amazing too – a true show and circus.”
“One of the greatest matches I’ve ever watched was when Táti Silveyra faced off against Joe Durso at the 1-Wall nationals on Court 1,” recalled Sala. “That match went to a tie breaker with Joe coming out on top. Joe was in his late 30’s and I believe Táti was in his mid 20’s. It was an intense match to watch with the angles that Joe created against Tati’s go for broke style of play. Watching Tati drive the ball shoulder height across the court into the right corner off of Joe’s overhand serve to the left was impressive to see.”
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
John “Rookie” Wright, left, and Joseph Kaplan battle for the title of the US Handball Association overall men’s champion Aug. 5 in Coney Island.
What Saul and Cesar enjoy playing at Coney Island
“I like that there are so many courts (at Coney Island), so you can almost always get a court,” stated Saul. “The courts are clean and the beach is right there to cool off after a hard game, along with the Luna Park amusement park right next door.”
“I’ve always enjoyed playing there for a lot of reasons,” stated Cesar. “You have the boardwalk, the rides, the beach, the concerts, the baseball stadium and plenty of places to eat so it’s easy to find entertainment for everyone.”
Thank you to 1-Wall stars Saul Gonzalez and Cesar Sala for info on the Coney Island 1-Wall courts.
Would you like to see your handball community featured on an upcoming edition of WPH Handball Destination Series? Please contact David Fink at David.fink@wphlive.tv to showcase your community
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer