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The 2003 George Miller Sr. Memorial 4-Wall Tournament included twelve (12) college students representing four (4) universities from four (4) different states.
With a draw of over 70 players, Toledo Handball Club welcomed the youth invasion with open arms. As we all know, in recent years, the older divisions have had the most entries. But this year, the C division along with the Golden Masters Singles had the most entries. The young players were from Lake Forest in Illinois, Miami University of Ohio, University of Michigan, and Gannon University in Pennsylvania.
The Toledo Handball Club had the rare offering of prize money for first and second place in C, B, B Doubles divisions. So the junior players were especially motivated to play hard and do their best. It was refreshing to see such enthusiasm and excitement toward the game we all love. The THC, besides providing their well-known hospitality, opened their homes so the juniors could save money on expenses.
As we all know, the future of handball depends on new players. It is heartening to see so many young people becoming attracted to the game. Someone once said, that for every 100 people exposed to handball, only ONE will stay with the game. It is up to us veterans to take on the responsibility to expose as many new people to "The Perfect Game" as we can so our sport will not die but flourish and grow into the mainstream of today's sports world.
For example, the finalist in the Super Singles donated his winnings to give each of the Miami University handball players a can of handballs. A small gesture to most, but to the members of the Miami Handball team, it confirms the dedication of veterans to the future of the sport.
THC