Smack a hard blue rubber ball as hard as humanly possible with your hand and what do you get? Handball — a sport that is not only giving FHS students a sport that they can play throughout their lives, but is bringing FHS teachers and students together outside of the classroom. “Your hand gets swollen,” said junior Seishiro Hokazono. “It kind of hurts.” There is a way to eliminate the swelling that often occurs in the hands of first time players according to Hokazono. “The way to avoid that is to put your hand in hot water before you play and put it in hot water after you play, too,” said Hokazono. “It’s amazing the difference between when you do that and when you don’t.” Despite the pain new players often experience in their hands, some students feel the benefits outweigh the pain. “It’s fun to play with your friends,” said senior Mark Roberts. “It’s a challenge because you have to be aware of how the ball bounces.” A year ago, the Elks Club started a handball program with Advanced Recreation Classes of FHS, and it has blossomed into a program that now encompasses any student who wishes to learn a sport that, according to players, can be lifelong. “There’s a lot of young folks that need to participate in sports that will last the rest of their lives,” said Elks Club athletic director and former FHS science teacher Russ Hartford. “Football, wrestling and many other sports are terminal sports. Sports like tennis, golf, racquetball and handball are sports that you can play for most of your life.” The news of the Elks Club’s handball program was spread throughout FHS by announcements and by word of mouth, often from teachers involved with handball such as Larry Kaber, Dan English and David Stone. “Last year I was in Mr. Kaber’s class and we were always talking about a racquetball/handball challenge, but we never did it,” said senior Jarod Grubb. “This year I saw him (Kaber) in the hall and he asked me if I would be interested and I said, ‘sure why not.’ “ For some students of other nationalities, the term handball was interpreted as the European sport that involves a large field, a soccer-sized ball and two goals (much like the American game of ultimate frisbee). “I didn’t know about handball,” said Hokazono. “What I thought was field handball, but this was totally different.” Handball presents new challenges to beginning players, even those who have played the very similar sport of racquetball for their whole lives. “I’ve played racquetball for most of my life,” said Grubb. “Getting my hand in shape was hard.” “It was a surprise to me,” said Hokazono. “At first it was so difficult to play because you use your hand to hit the ball, but it’s so fun.” The older generation — the FHS teachers — are pleased to see students getting involved at such an early age in a sport that they’ll be able to use for the rest of their lives. “I started playing when I was 34,” said Kaber. “Had I started playing at the high school level it would have been totally different. What happens at 34 is whatever muscle development you have is set.” Although handball is a difficult sport to adjust to, according to some FHS teachers there are opportunities in the sport. “It’s a hard game because it takes a long time to get used to hitting a ball with your hand rather than with a racket,” said Kaber. “The only NCAA champion Montana has ever had was Bill Peoples (of the University of Montana), a handball player.” Opportunities in handball for Montanans are numerous according to some FHS teachers. To those at the Elks Club, getting students active is the most important benefit. “We don’t want the kids to sit in the stands,” said Hartford. “We want them to participate, and besides that, it’s fun!” |
