Elgin wants to be hands on for Olympic bid
For the first time in Elgin's history, about 500 handball players from across the United States will converge here in May to decide the 2009 club championship of this Olympic sport.
Officials from the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau announced Friday they had landed the tournament, which will feature nearly 30 club teams and will be held at the Centre, Judson University and Elgin Community College.
Steve Pastorino, general manager at the Salt Lake City-based USA Team Handball, said Elgin was a natural fit for the event because it is centrally located and close to O'Hare International Airport.
Pastorino said teams are coming from Boston, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles.
He said athletes are working to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 games, which they hope will be in Chicago.
The youngest competitors will be 15 to 16 while the oldest are in their 40s.
"We have made it very clear that if this event is successful and if our competitors like it, we would be very interested in coming back to Elgin," Pastorino said. "With all the excitement around Chicago's 2016 bid, we're interested in being in Chicago in general."
Athletes will stay at one of three local hotels; organizers will shed more light on the tournament (to be held May 8-10) during a news conference Thursday.
The last time a U.S. handball team qualified for the Olympics was in 1996.
Team handball is not racquetball without rackets.
It consists of two 30-minute halves and scores usually reach the 30s. Each team has seven players who may dribble and pass the ball along an area about the size of a basketball court.
Players shoot the ball into what is the size of a soccer goal but must stay behind an arc similar to the 3-point line in basketball.
"It is more like soccer with your hands on a basketball court, if you will," Pastorino said.
Mayor Ed Schock said the city has been working hard to attract sports tournaments, such as softball and basketball. He noted the handball tournament will showcase the city's facilities and provide a boost to the local economy for visitors renting rooms and eating out.
"We've been working the last several years on expand all kinds of sports tournaments," Schock said. "We have good sports facilities. We think we're a great community. It's good to see this work is paying off."