A Spinoff Sport : For former Cal State Fullerton basketball players Rhonda Weyer and Meg Gallagher, team handball has revived their competitive spirit, and athletic careers

Meg Gallagher and Rhonda Weyer played basketball together for four years at Cal State Fullerton, where they not only developed into good players, but became good friends.

Though their collegiate careers have ended, they still are teammates, working together on their passing, shooting, dribbling and fast breaks.

But the sport they are playing isn’t basketball. It’s team handball, which was introduced to the United States several years ago, and gained exposure last year during the Olympics.

They first played together on a local club team, and then participated at the National Sports Festival for the West recently. Although their team finished fourth overall at the festival, both had good enough performances to earn a spot on the U.S. national team.

The Olympic team handball event was held on the Cal State Fullerton campus last summer, which is where Gallagher and Weyer first saw the game. They originally attended the matches but because like many Titan athletes, they were hired to work at the Games. Weyer was a locker room attendant, and Gallagher was an usher.

However, they began to peer in at the action occasionally, and were quickly attracted to the nature of the sport because of its striking resemblance to basketball.

“It looked really interesting and fun,” Weyer said. “But I still had one more year of basketball left, so I didn’t think too much about it.”

But their experience had left such an impression on the two women that after the basketball season, they decided to join a club team. The coach of that team was Lucinda Sekal, who was an assistant for the West team in the Sports Festival.

Sekal was immediately interested in Gallagher, based on her sparkling basketball career with the Titans. She agreed to give it a try, and then began to encourage her friend to join as well.

“Originally, just I was going to go,” Gallagher said. “But then I told (Rhonda), ‘You should go, too.’ We had both played well on the club team, and Rhonda really liked it, so we both just tried it.”

Both started every game for the West, and were considered two of the best non-Olympians at the festival. Weyer had a particularly outstanding performance, scoring 12 goals in the four games. She was the West’s second leading scorer behind Olympian Sandra DeLaRiva of Chatsworth.

When they first began learning the sport, neither suspected that within a year they would become so successful.

“I had no idea I’d be on the national team,” Weyer said. “I just went out there because basketball was over and I wanted to continue playing something.”

Gallagher: “I was very surprised. Even though it’s not a real popular sport, I didn’t expect that. I didn’t have a lot of fundamentals.”

There is a possibility that Gallagher will have to bypass the nationals, however, because of scheduling conflicts. She said she is pretty sure she will be able to join the squad, but first has to work out some details with the coaches concerning her schooling and work.

She needs to make a firm commitment within the next couple weeks, though. The national team begins training in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sept. 15. The team will practice twice a day there for four weeks, before moving to Lake Placid, N.Y. for the following three weeks, where it will begin an exhibition schedule against Canada.

Undoubtedly, Gallagher and Weyer were able to learn team handball quickly because of their background. The aspects of team handball such as dribbling, passing, pick and rolls, fast breaks, fakes and several defensive skills came naturally.

Though they already had many of the skills necessary when they began playing the sport, the women both admitted it would have been impossible to learn the game as quickly as they did without help.

“At the nationals, I watched the players’ moves and tried to comprehend them, and then tried it myself,” Weyer said. “Then what really helped us out is four of the Olympians who were at this training camp we attended in Michigan. We learned the basics of throwing, catching, and playing offense and defense there. They pretty much covered everything. Without going to that camp, I’m not sure how I would have done.”

There are some important mechanics involved that the women had no experience. In fact, in some cases, they found that they had naturally developed some bad habits for team handball because of their years playing basketball.

“You’re allowed a three-step in handball, and you’re not in basketball,” Weyer said. “And handball’s more of a passing game. You try not to dribble too much. It’s hard sometimes not to make a move and dribble.”

One crucial skill they have had to learn from scratch is shooting, which is a different motion than shooting a basketball. A shot in handball is executed similarly to throwing a softball overhand, only a handball is much larger.

“In basketball, you’re just shooting at a basket,” Weyer said. “But now, there was a goalie there, and I kept trying to throw it right at her. I had to get used to throwing when she is not there. And I was used to going up with my knee in front from basketball, but you can’t do that in handball. You have to put your knee to the side, jump, kick your leg and throw with a whipping action. You use more strength from your upper body.”

During the Sports Festival, Gallagher suffered a mild shoulder injury as a result of the awkward motion.

“I still can’t shoot that well,” said Gallagher. “I’m not really sure when to shoot and when not to shoot.”

The players also noticed that handball involves considerably more contact than basketball.

“It’s definitely a lot different,” Gallagher said. “On defense you have to go out and get the person and hit him and stay on him. If you do that in basketball, it’s a foul.

“In basketball, I was used to being able to do a lot of things. And not to be at that same level is frustrating sometimes. You just don’t realize how long it took to get there.”

Weyer said she finally began to feel comfortable with the sport by the second game of the Sports Festival. Gallagher, however, still isn’t completely at ease with the game.

“I’m getting there,” she said. “I still have a whole lot of things to work on, though.”

Gallagher said she still prefers basketball to her new sport, but is growing to enjoy handball more all the time.

“I guess I’d have to say I like basketball more right now,” she said. “That’s only because I’ve played it for so long, though. And I can still go to any school and play a game of basketball. You can’t do that with handball.”

Weyer, however, already enjoys handball more.

“I’m liking it more and more,” she said. “It’s like a combination of softball and basketball, and I like that. I’d say I’m turning toward handball more as I keep playing.”

Both agreed, though, that their ultimate goal as handball players would be to play in the Olympics.

“I’d like to maybe end up in the Olympics,” Gallagher said. “I don’t know if I have the potential to do that, but I’m going to try.”

If Gallagher and Weyer continue to progress at the rate they have in their first season in the sport, they just may be teammates for four more years.