Have you ever walked by the small gym at Jesuit on Friday and seen people smashing into each other and hurling a small soccer ball?
Well if you have, then you have seen the new Handball Club, which was founded earlier this year by Thomas Salyer ’14 and Seth Sebastian ’14. It originated after Salyer “watched it on television during the Summer Olympics, and thought it looked cool.” Now, just a few months later, Handball Club is formed and Jesuit students continue to flock to it.
The game is fairly simple; there is a small ball, similar to a soccer ball, and two goals. On offense, the attackers are allowed to take three steps per dribble and must shoot from outside the designated area. As for defense, the defenders are allowed to use any method to steal the ball (these rules are not used in the actual sport, just in this club).
One of the co-founders, Salyer, described Handball as “a combination of soccer, basketball, and lacrosse,” which may seem like an unlikely combination, but it is one that has blended well.
The formation of the club was just an idea sparked by curiosity until Salyer and Sebastian tried to make their idea come to life. After watching the games on the Olympics, Salyer took his idea to Sebastian, who found it intriguing. “Thomas just [came up and] asked me if I was interested in starting a Handball Club … he told me that he wanted to bring the sport to America,” commented Sebastian.
Curiosity thrives within the Jesuit student, which made Jesuit the perfect place to start this club. Sebastian weighed its benefits, “It gives the Jesuit family a chance to grow as a community.”
The Handball Club acts a place to experience something new, bond with other Jesuit students, and have a great time. It is a shining example of an interest turning into a positive impact on the Jesuit community, and it has only just begun, who is to say what the future holds for this exciting new club.
