In my estimation no other sport is as difficult to learn and to master as our game is. As a result it requires a very strong determination, (strong willed) individual. Why then are we surprised that we have all these strong willed individuals having trouble parking thier egos, and putting their differences aside to overcome the challenges.
At the end of the day, the membership lists & the number of active players seem to be shrinking all over the place. Now is not a good time to have open wounds. While there will always be corporate take overs (hostile or engineered) lets get back to the basics and focus on building rather then tearing apart. Submitted By: jack Enns
Mon 9/28/2009 11:58 AM
I concur with Don Stewart's enclosed excellent recommendations!!!
A possible solution 1. Have the WPH take over the Pro Tour. Make it professional with uniforms sweat suits etc. Eliminate the 30% of sales of ball for sponsorship and have the WPH provide a business plan to make the pro tour work. They keep the revenues for business development of that model. 2. Have the USHA continue the collegiate and junior programs developing young players to become professionals if that is their desire. Contract with the WPH the marketing and technology expertise in increasing USHA Membership. Have substantial metrics (commissions) that will make the 2 organization successful. The panacea would be to merge the 2 together. 3. Development potential sponsorship presentations that can be given to ellicit monetary support. Those that come to mind are ELKS, EAGLES, ROTARY, LIONS, etc. These presentations could be to development collegiate and junior programs, the PRO Tour, and.... 4. Get a new headquarters replete with indoor, outdoor 1, 3 and 4 wall courts, training and conference
Submitted By: Dave Coulie
Mon 9/28/2009 10:21 AM
I am with Mercer - if grown men can not come to an agreement on how to run these organizations - vote them out. This sport is not big enough, nor is there enough money involved to have this type of conflict. It boils down to egos and power - of which there is no time for either of these.
There has been more energy, time and money waisted here which will never be recovered.
If these guys can't agree - hire an arbitrator - or as Mercer states "Throw the bums out"!
Submitted By: James M Hale
Mon 9/28/2009 9:33 AM
I am very proud to be a long-time member (over 25 years)of USHA and Colorado Handball Association. I agree with the statements made my the CHA regarding the present conflicts. And, outside conflict-resolution help could add a lot to the way we ALL see things... not just this immediate conflict. Let's all GROW with this!
Submitted By: Cindy Miller
Mon 9/28/2009 7:57 AM
A short note as to how a conflict like this affects smaller programs such as the CSM program. This year we were transitioning from a club into an official club sport. The process includes submitting documentation about College tournaments and intramural competitions that our CSM handballers will attend. Due to the fact that there are no local or regional College events in our sport we were told to include the USHA Collegiate tournament, attendance figures and schools attending.
It will be blatantly obvious once we submit this information in the spring that there will be a void in the Tournament and also a competing tournament within a week of the "National" Tournament.
Speaking with an unbiased view, if I were in the chair making the decision to allocate funds for this club sport, I would take into account the fact that there was a lot of interest in local tournaments but no specified Collegiate school to school competition other than the National Tournament. I would then construe, rightfully so that that facet of this sport is in obvious disarray therefore not an appropriate allocation of resources.
Just my opinion.......Gene Schneider Coach CSM Handball
Submitted By: Gene Schneider
Sun 9/27/2009 5:28 PM
To All,
I have been following this conflict since it started and have obtained information and feedback from handball players in Colorado and Atlanta.
In short, my conclusion is that the USHA Board as a whole has not been sincere in their efforts to work with the WPH. When people are not being sincere, it is frustrating to try and work things out with them because they have a hidden agenda and are not being forthright (honest) in their responses.
I know there are members of the USHA Board that want change and want to work in a collaborative way with the WPH. Then there are the members that are obstructionists.
As long as the obstructionists prevail at the Board level, the USHA will continue to behave in the way we have witnessed over this last year. If that happens long-term, the USHA will render itself irrelevant and will die a slow death from shrinking membership & steadily declining revenues just as sure as it will snow in the Rockies this Winter.
The solution is to vote out the USHA Board members who are obtructionists and vote in members who embrace developing strategic partnerships and working collaboratively to grow handball as a sport. When this happens and the obstructionists are out of the way, then we can move forward and make some real progress.
Until then, all the dialogue with folks that just want this to go away is just an excercise in futility.
In short, the obstructionists have proved that they are insincere.
Vote the Bums out and vote new Bums in. It's the American Way.
Submitted By: Marty Mercer, Lifetime Handball Player
Sun 9/27/2009 3:54 PM
will visit Tucson in Nov and talk to parties concerned to get better flavor of the issues and direction on what to do
Submitted By: Harry Calvino
Wed 9/23/2009 11:24 AM
1. Have the WPH take over the Pro Tour. Make it professional with uniforms sweat suits etc. Eliminate the 30% of sales of ball for sponsorship and have the WPH provide a business plan to make the pro tour work. They keep the revenues for business development of that model.
2. Have the USHA continue the collegiate and junior programs developing young players to become professionals if that is their desire. Contract with the WPH the marketing and technology expertise in increasing USHA Membership. Have substantial metrics (commissions) that will make the 2 organization successful. The panacea would be to merge the 2 together.
3. Development potential sponsorship presentations that can be given to ellicit monetary support. Those that come to mind are ELKS, EAGLES, ROTARY, LIONS, etc. These presentations could be to development collegiate and junior programs, the PRO Tour, and....
4. Get a new headquarters replete with indoor, outdoor 1, 3 and 4 wall courts, training and conference facilities. Have enough courts to hold periodic national events. Tucson would be an excellent location as would Kansas City, Denver or.... An area of 3-4 acres would be sufficient.
5. The USHA needs to "reinvent" itself. Companies and organizations that do not do so stagnate, and evetually die. The USHA is about to enter ICU.
Don Stewart
Submitted By: Don Stewart
Wed 9/23/2009 10:28 AM
There have been too many excuses for inaction. It's time to reach a resolution. It appears there are too many 'old guard' attitudes among USHA board members. Stubborn and unyielding demands will not lead to resolving this rift. The WPH has significant merit. Almost all of the young players, believe the WPH makes a lot more sense than the USHA. I believe the USHA would become an improved organization, if the WPH were permitted to work within its auspices. Several changes need to occur for the USHA to regain 100% support from the handball community.
Submitted By: Stan Wolpoff