The UF club handball team tested its strength at the 4th-annual Swampland Handball Championships this weekend in Gainesville.
The tournament, held on Oct. 18 and 19, raised $1,700 that will help the team go to the national tournament in the spring, said team president Matthew Rossheim.
Of the 13 UF handball players who competed Sunday and Monday, 10 placed first or second in at least one division, Rossheim said.
"I couldn't have asked for more from our players, and in terms of fundraising, we raised money above my expectations," Rossheim said.
The handball team has only been around for four years at UF, but it has already snagged singles and doubles titles in tournaments across Florida in addition to two national championships.
The team practices three times a week at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center on campus. Stephanie Miller, a junior and key player on the team, said that many of the smaller schools UF competes against have actual handball programs with paid coaches and rigorous practices.
"It's like hardcore handball," Miller said. "We like to play, and it's fun, but our practices are really relaxed."
Though nationals aren't until the spring season, Rossheim believes this year's team could make it a back-to-back.
"If we work hard at practice, we'll have as good a shot at the title as ever. We've got the talent," Rossheim said. "Winning a national championship is a great bonding experience and such a memorable event. I hope this year's team gets to experience that feeling."
This year's team consists of 12 women and 8 men - five of whom were on the national championship-winning team last year and three of whom are two-time national champions.
Miller, who joined the team last fall, believes handball has saved her in some ways after she tore her ACL two times in high school. Doctors suggested she take it easy on the contact sports, but after not playing competitive sports for two years, Miller was growing restless.
"I think handball gave me a part of myself back that I hadn't had in a long time," Miller said.
Miller feels that if more people knew about what she refers to as a "lifetime sport," more people would play it.
"Most sports you have to stop playing at a certain age, but this you can do for a long time," she said. "I love handball. It's an addiction. If I haven't played in a few days I have this craving to go out and play."
