WPH Icebreaker Fun Facts: 2020-2023 R48 Icebreakers
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 6/18/23
The WPH created the Icebreaker 3-Wall pro tour Championship to “break the ice” during the pandemic, allowing the best handball players in the world to compete and showcase their talents to the world. The Icebreaker tour attracted virtually all of the best players from North America, providing riveting theatre for the WPH’s worldwide audience.
Icebreaker Full List of Champions and Results HERE
Icebreaker Pro Player Bios HERE
Check out the Icebreaker Fun Facts from 2020 through May of 2023
2020-2023 Icebreaker Fun Facts
- Lucho Cordova won his fourth consecutive Icebreaker at the December 2022 R48 Icebreaker, tying him with David Fink for most Icebreaker titles in history
- In winning his fourth consecutive Icebreaker at the 2022 R48 Icebreaker, Lucho became the first player to ever win four straight Icebreakers
- Lucho Cordova (2022) and Killian Carroll (2021) are the only players to be ranked #1 simultaneously on the Icebreaker Series and the R48 tour
- The December 2022 R48 Icebreaker featured six main draw tiebreakers
- After advancing to the semifinals in each of his previous two Icebreaker starts, Brant Bidegain was bounced in the round of 32 of the December 2022 R48 Icebreaker by David Schiller
- Undefeated Icebreaker players: Carroll (10-0), A. Morales (3-0)
- Most Icebreaker titles: Fink (4), Lucho (4), Medina (3), Carroll (3)
- Oldest Icebreaker ranked pro player: Fink (45)
- Youngest Icebreaker ranked pro: Esser (24)
- Youngest Icebreaker champion: Carroll (28)
- Coldest Icebreaker match: 43 degrees at the start of Icebreaker #5 (Moler vs. Mitchell)
- Warmest Icebreaker match: 117 degrees at the start of the Icebreaker #11 final (Fink vs. Carroll)
- Furthest distance traveled to compete in an Icebreaker: 2,640 miles (Carroll traveling from Boston, MA to Tucson, AZ)
- Shortest distance traveled to compete in an Icebreaker: 2.1 miles (Esser/Mitchell)
- Tallest Icebreaker doubles team: Langmack/Bernhard (155 inches)
- Number of Icebreakers played under the lights (2): August 2022 Ice Bowl, September 2022 Clarkbreaker
- There have been 21 Icebreakers played at Clark Park (2020-2023)
- 12 states have been represented in Icebreaker action (AZ, CA, TX, NY, FL, MO, MN, WI, ID, CO, IN, IL)
- 3 countries have been represented in Icebreaker action (U.S. Mexico, Ireland)
- 2 rain delays have occurred at the Icebreaker events (both at the 2022 Ice Bowl)
- The youngest Icebreaker participant was 14 (Brule) and the oldest was 55 (Canales, Sr.)
- There have been five Big Ball Singles Icebreakers – the winners have been A. Morales (1), B. Medina (3), Siordoa (1)
- In five Icebreaker Contender brackets (qualifiers), 8 players have qualified: Max Langmack, Danny Perez, John Chapman, Dylan Key, Victor Sanchez, Armando Ibarra, Leo Canales, Sr., Fink (Big Ball)
- 92 players have entered the Icebreaker Contenders
- Clark Park is named after WPH mega donor Doug Clark
- The tallest match is Icebreaker history was Max Langmack vs. Adam Bernhard (twice): 155 inches
- Adam Bernhard has received the most broken ribs as a result of inadvertent elbows in the history of the Icebreaker (one, courtesy of TGG, August 2022)
- Three-time Icebreaker champion Brian Medina became the first #1 Icebreaker singles seed to lose before the semifinals in Icebreaker history at the 2022 Clarkbreaker, losing to Jerry Bear Vicencio #sorrychamp
- Shorty Ruiz/Sam Esser and the Flying Cordovas have appeared in all four Small Ball Icebreaker Doubles finals (FC’s have won three, Ruiz/Esser have won one)
- The only players to win singles titles in their first Icebreaker starts: Fink, D. Hernandez, A. Morales, Carroll, Medina, M. Esser
- Lucho Cordova went undefeated on the 2022 WPH Icebreaker Series, winning all 16 of his matches and serving 4 donuts in 32 games played
- Lucho is known on tour as El Poderio (Power) and Drawing Board – all his opponents can be heard uttering, “Back to the drawing board” after two lopsided games against El Poderio
- In 16 matches in Lucho’s four 2022 Icebreaker starts, Lucho won 32 of 32 games, four titles, outscored his opponents by a combined 528-165 (76%), only six opponents scored 10 or more points in any game (Langmack, Torres, Canales, Jr., Bike, Danos, Fink), and outscored his opponents 120-32 (July), 120-33 (August), 120-29 (September), 168-71 (December)
- The 2022 Clarkbreaker featured three Cordova brothers in the quarterfinals (Lucho, Danos, Andres), which is a first in the history of pro handball
- The 2022 Clarkbreaker was the first final between brothers (Lucho def Danos) – Lucho holds a combined 3-1 advantage against Danos in Race 4 Eight and Icebreaker finals
- Shorty Ruiz (3) and Danos Cordova (3) have appeared in the most small ball singles Icebreaker finals without ever winning an Icebreaker title
- Samzon Hernandez has won north of 400 handball tournaments in his illustrious career but has not yet won an Icebreaker title (0-3 combined in singles and doubles through September of 2022)
- Bill Mehilos (42) was 20 years older than his round of 16 opponent Ivan Burgos (22) at the 2022 Clarkbreaker (Mehilos won 15-1, 15-10)
- David Fink (45) was 27 years older than his round of 16 opponent Andres Cordova (18) at the 2022 Ice Bowl (Fink won 15-3, 15-1)
- Brant “Ted Lasso” Bidegain finished tied third in his first two Icebreaker starts (August 2022 Ice Bowl, September 2022 Clarkbreaker) – can you think of any other player that has finished in the top three of his first two pro stops! #Icant
- Brant “Ted Lasso” Bidegain is the highest ranked firefighter on the Icebreaker Series #saveslivesanddominatesthetour
- In his first two Icebreaker starts (2022 Ice Bowl, 2022 Clarkbreaker), Bidegain’s only losses have come against the most winning players in Icebreaker history (Fink – 4, Lucho – 4)
- Andres Cordova (18) became the youngest player to defeat a former Icebreaker finalist at the 2022 Clarkbreaker – Cordova also became the youngest Icebreaker quarterfinalist with his R16 win against Ruiz at the 2022 Clarkbreaker
- After finishing third in his first Icebreaker start in August of 2022 (loss to Samzon), Oscar Siordia won the closest Icebreaker final in history to claim his first Icebreaker title against Chava Cordova (15-14 in the tiebreaker)
- Chava Cordova has come to closest to winning an Icebreaker singles title without actually winning one, losing 15-14 in the Clarkbreaker final, missing his final kill shot attempt by one inch
- Sam Esser advanced to his first WPH pro singles final at the July 2022 Icebreaker (lost to L. Cordova) – Esser then lost in the first round of his next start in August (Bidegain), his second round in September (Bidegain), and first round in December (Bernhard)
- The tallest Icebreaker doubles team in history was Max Langmack and Adam Bernhard (155 inches) #lookoutfortheelbows
- Shorty Ruiz had advanced to the semifinals or better in all of his Small Ball singles Icebreaker starts (8) until his round of 16 loss to Andres Cordova at the July 2022 Icebreaker
- Three-time Big Ball Icebreaker champion Brian Medina faced match point in his first Icebreaker 2022 start against Eddie Flores at the July 2022 Icebreaker (15-14)
- In his eight singles victories in the first two Big Ball Icebreakers in 2022 (July and August), Brian Medina has won four tiebreakers #MrClutch
- Mikaila Esser has won the most Women’s Icebreaker singles titles through December of 2022 (3). Ashley Ruiz and Danielle Daskalakis have each won one Icebreaker title through August of 2022
- In four Women’s Icebreaker starts through August of 2022, Tracy Davis has finished 4th, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
- Sal Duenas was the only player to win a match in the pro small ball singles and big ball pro singles at the 2022 Clarkbreaker
- Through five Big Ball singles Icebreakers there have been three different champions (A. Morales, B. Medina, O. Siordia) and five different finalists (J. Tellez, S. Ruiz, L. Cordova, S. Hernandez, C. Cordova)
- Sean Lenning is the only Small Ball Icebreaker finalist to have played in just one event through August of 2022 (lost to K. Carroll in April 2021)
- Five of the top seven ranked men’s players on the Race 4 Eight tour (September 2022) have advanced to an Icebreaker final (only Leo Canales, Jr, and Martin Mulkerrins have not)
- Shorty/Ashley Ruiz and Sam/Mikaila Esser are the only married couples to have appeared in Icebreaker singles finals
- In 21 Icebreaker events held from March of 2020 through April of 2023 there have been two camera operators (D. Vincent, C. Lowenstein)
- Tucson pros to have won Icebreaker singles titles: Fink (4), M. Esser (3), A. Ruiz (1), A. Montijo (1)
- Most lopsided final in Icebreaker history: L. Cordova def S. Esser 15-4, 15-0 at the July 2022 Icebreaker
- Closest Men’s Icebreaker final in history: Oscar Siordia (CA) def Chava Cordova (CA) 15-9, 6-15, 15-14
- Closest Women’s Icebreaker final in history: M. Esser def A. Ruiz 4-15, 15-10, 15-13 at the March 2021 Icebreaker
- Inaugural Big Ball Icebreaker Doubles champions (Clarkbreaker, September 2022): Big Ball Pro Doubles: Chava Cordova (CA)/Antonio Chavez (CA) def Alberto Pizano (CA)/Anthony Hernandez (CA) 15-14, 15-7, Big Ball B Doubles: Javier Flores/Beni Gonzalez def Fernando Zapata/Julio Perez 15-8, 15-12
- Women finishing in the top four of the first five Icebreaker events: Esser (AZ), Ruiz (AZ), Davis (CA), Daskalakis (NY), Tuohey (WI), *Ni Churraoin (IRE) *has never won an Icebreaker match
- In five Big Ball Icebreaker finals, the ten finalists have been from CA (Medina, S. Hernandez, J. Tellez, A. Morales, O. Siordia, C. Cordova), AZ (S. Ruiz), and Mexico (L. Cordova)
- The only Icebreaker pros to have not lost in a final are Medina (3), Carroll (3), L. Cordova (3), Daskalakis (1), Morales (1), Siordoa (1)
- Killian Carroll Icebreaker Stats (through Killian’s three 2021 Icebreaker starts)
Total matches: 10, Overall record: 10-0, Total points scored in 6 matches: 374, Total points lost in 6 matches: 205, Percentage of points won: 65%, Games won in 10 matches: 20, Games lost in 10 matches: 2, Overtime games played: 4, Overtime record: 3-1, Tiebreakers played: 2, Tiebreaker record: 2-0
Clark Park Court Facts
- The Clark Park courts were initially built in the 1970’s as 4-Wall courts – four more four wall courts were added in the 1980’s
- The refurbishing from 4-Wall courts to 3-Wall courts was decades in the making – WPH engineers/Clark Park quarterbacks/CP Founding Fathers Jeff Healam and Benny Young met numerous times with Tucson Mayor Rothschild and Tucson City Council from 2006-2019 to pitch blueprints to turn the courts into a 3-Wall mecca
- The 4-Wall to 3-Wall Clark Park project was greenlighted in 2019, and with the help of 50+ donors, the WPH staff, and the City of Tucson, construction started in the summer of 2019
- The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on November 14, 2019, with Tucson Mayor Rothschild, WPH representatives and donors, and other Tucson City officials cutting the ribbon and opening the courts to the public
- David Vincent, David Fink, Shorty Ruiz, and Abraham Montijo played the inaugural match at Clark Park following the ribbon-cutting ceremony (small ball doubles)
- The Clark Park 3-Wall courts are 40×20
- The ceiling stops 15 feet from the front wall on the two western-most 3-Wall courts (closest to the golf course) and 14 feet from the front wall on the three eastern-most courts (the 4-Wall courts were built ten years apart, thus accounting for the differing ceiling lengths)
- The Clark Park side walls run 44 feet from the front wall (four feet past the long line)
- The long line is in at Clark Park
- Clark Park grand opening, November 14, 2019 HERE
David Fink
Senior Icebreaker Statistician