Boys Handball Heats Up

Alumnus Eddie Xu serves an ace. Photo Credit: Edward Li

By EDWARD LI and JIAN LIANG

With the seasons changing and the temperature rising, handball is making a comeback. The Boys Handball team has been working hard during the pre-season to make it back to the finals in the PSAL League.

“We’ve started conditioning since October,” said Coach Kimberly Lau. “We’ve done strengthening and other endurance exercises because games can last a long time.”

In handball, 2-4 players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall in a way that prevents the opponent from returning it without the ball touching the ground more than once. It can drain a player’s stamina.

“We do dynamic stretching, moving together as a team, and light jogging for a few laps” for better conditioning, said Lau. The team also does lunge training, sprints, and weight lifting during the fall.

“It’s a lot of effort, and it can be tedious,” Wilson Lu ’19. “However, it’ll help us in the long run when the season rolls around. Our players have to work on being consistent as well as being able to have endurance so they don’t tire out easily.”

The team is excited about its big game against Brooklyn Tech on March 27.

“We’ve been each other’s biggest rivals forever,” said Lau. “It went Division Champions back and forth, and it would be nice to take it back.”

“I know some people on the team in Tech,” said Michael Li ’19, laughing. “Doesn’t mean they’ll go easy on us though.” 

After Brooklyn Tech, the team is set to go against James Madison on April 1. 

Co-captains Jared Hwee ’19, Wilson Lu ’19, and Yihang Cen ’19, have been working hard to prepare the team for the upcoming season with positive feedback and advice to players who are trying for starting positions this year.

“You learned your weaknesses today, and tomorrow, you’ll go and try to eliminate them,” said Hwee during practice.

The managers for the boys handball team are also working on preparing the team for the upcoming season. They oversee team dues, keep track of scores during games, and manage paperwork for the team.

“I became a manager for the team because I enjoy the sport and I just wanted to help out,” said Tracy Ho ’19. “It’s going to be a lot of work and management and effort. However, I think it’s worth it.”

The Boys Handball team will have its first game of the season against Brooklyn Tech, March 27 at Midwood Field.