Former UCF softball player Ashley Van Ryn spent thousands of
hours throughout her life practicing and playing the game she loved from
childhood. However, it was a mere two hours of watching television this summer
that ultimately changed her life as an athlete.
"I had a tremendous time during my four years with UCF
softball, but there really are not many professional outlets for softball
athletes like myself," said Van Ryn, who shined as a starting outfielder for
the Knights from 2005-08. "My time at UCF was pivotal to my growth as a person
and an athlete. As I stopped playing softball and transitioned into a working
professional role, I managed to keep myself in good shape as far as strength
and conditioning goes. But I didn't have too many possibilities for team sports
outside of rec league type stuff."
Like countless other Americans, Van Ryn discovered team handball by
watching the 2012 London Olympics. She thought it looked really
interesting and fun but was shocked and disappointed to learn that Team USA
hadn't qualified for the event.
A
quick Google search later, she uncovered the Georgia Handball Club based out of
her hometown of Atlanta, Ga., and shortly thereafter, she attended her first practice
in August 2012.
"I fell in love with the sport almost immediately," Van Ryn
explained. "The sport is a blast to play, and the people I have met in the handball
community make the experience even more fun.
All of the players and coaches involved in handball on both the club and
national level have been so welcoming and helpful in my progress in the sport.
The more I play, the more I love it."
Handball is perhaps best described as an eclectic mix of
basketball, hockey and lacrosse. Each team plays with six athletes per side
plus goalies. Players can move the ball via dribbling and passing similar to
basketball. You can take three steps without dribbling and can only hold the
ball for three seconds without giving it up. Substitutions and penalties are
similar to hockey as teams can swap players in and out on the fly and
infractions are enforced with a one player advantage much like a hockey power
play.
The game plays at a very fast pace with scores routinely in
the 20s sometimes into the 30s. Defenders are allowed to use physical contact
to stop attackers from approaching the goal, but only when the defensive player
is completely in front of the offensive player. Particularly egregious
penalties can result in penalty shots similar to hockey.
"I really had no idea about the rules, strategy or anything,
but my home club (Georgia Handball Club) partnered up with the Chicago Inter
Handball Club to form a co-team and they invited me to join their team," Van
Ryn said. "They taught me all the ins and outs out the game. Because I was an
outfielder for so many years, the overhand throw for handball was a natural
transition for me."
Less than two months after her first practice, Van Ryn and
her club team placed first in a pair of handball tournaments in October. The
more experience she gained in both club matches and practices caught the
attention of the USA Team Handball National Committee.
Van Ryn was invited to an exclusive Women's National Team
Training and Selection Camp in early January at the Olympic Training Center in
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Team USA training camp was intense as prospective athletes
were put through a series of rigorous drills that tested various aspects of
their athletic ability, such as their strength, speed, agility, stamina and
hand-eye coordination. The ones that made the cut athletically were then
dropped into live scrimmages against other prospective team members as well as
current Team USA roster players.
On Jan. 17, Van Ryn got the incredible news. She earned a
spot on Team USA and would be travelling with the team to Mexico City, Mexico,
in April for the Pan American Championships qualifying tournament in April.
"I feel so incredibly blessed and excited for the opportunity
to represent Team USA," Van Ryn finished.
"This is an athletic dream come true, and I believe that through hard
work, dedication, and the support of the community, we can establish the USA as
a fierce competitor on the international team handball stage. While I know the road to success won't be easy,
I am honored to take part in the journey and optimistic about the future for
team handball in America."
2013 Team USA
Senior Women Handball Team
Borg, Anja
Borg, Caroline
Darling, Kathy
Dunn, Lisa
Ebuwei, Tomuke
Ernst, Toni
Fasold, Sophie
Gascon, Sarah
Hardison, Tabitha
Hesser, Stephanie
Lewis, Latrice
Morrison Elise
Self, Stacy
Stilwell, Gabriela
Van Ryn, Ashley
Whitley, Sarah
Alternates:
Elder, Marilyn
Hoddersen, Lynn
Strohl, Sarah
Thorkelsdottir, Morgan
