Yes, this weekend all the handball planet had its eyes on the World Championship in Paris but the real action for Boston Team Handball was taking place in New York. For the women’s last North Eastern League tournament, 14 of us (an army compare to the usual) drove to Manhattan on Saturday.
We waited in front of the gym/school in the cold, the court was small and basket nets were hanging around but who cares? We were ready! So ready that we surprised New York as soon as the game started with a good defense and some very efficient offensive plays. The League top scorer, our own Binta, and our wings were already in their game despite New York defensive effort to cut them off. We were leading by 5! The happy part ends there though… They read our game better and the game was tight for a while. Second half was not happy and 2 minutes did not help at all. At one point, we were only three on the field and even Sarah’s exploit on the right wing did not save us. We could not catch up and we lost the game: 33-23.
Forget the first game! DC was reachable and we would not lose this one. They say strong defenses win games and we were no exception. While their wings were passes deprived, their backs were well contained by our aggressive defense. When they manage to pass, a merciless Lucie was waiting for their shot in her goal. All of that cheered by an awesomely supportive bench. But to win you also have to score… For that, we had our unstoppable/unbreakable Sarah. On every pass delivered with a perfect timing (most of the time) in a very gracious French style, she ran, she jumped, she shot, she scored, she…fall (someone has to take the hit for the team) and she ran back. Slowly but surely, the gap was getting bigger and the rest of the team contributed to the success. Final score: 18-14
One win, one defeat and already focused on the Nationals. Hungry stomachs were screaming for Italian food and for less of us, untiring bodies called by the Big Apple dancefloors. Then, it was already Sunday and time for the men to play and France to win. Go BTH and Vive la France (x6)!
Marianne, co-captain of the women team