November 26, 2003

Keane has a ball in Ireland

TC resident plays in world handball championship

By
Herald staff writer

      If the love of a game can be genetic, Bill Keane of Traverse City has a dominant handball gene.
      Keane, who describes the game as a minor obsession, traveled to Ireland last month to participate in the World Handball Championship Tournament.
      "I outplayed my expectations, but then my expectations weren't very high. I didn't go there thinking I could be the world handball champion, but it was a great opportunity to see some of the finest men and women players in the world play - in Ireland - the home of the game," said Keane, himself of Irish descent, who has been playing the game for more than 15 years.
      "I started out playing racquetball at the Grand Traverse Athletic Club, but Tom Moore, a great handball player, kept telling me to get rid of that racquet. I gave handball a try and have never looked back. The game really forces you to develop your off hand. " said Keane who now plays weekly with the Grand Traverse Handball Association at the Traverse City YMCA.
      "You can pick up a racquet and look like you know what you are doing after just a couple of hours. With handball, there is a very steep learning curve. To develop the footwork and hand eye coordination takes a long time," he noted.
      Despite the time it takes to develop the callused hands of a true junkie, players seem to find hitting the little blue ball against court walls with the palm of their hand addictive.
      "The game is such a total body workout. It looks simple but it is like throwing a baseball with your left hand. Only another handball player can understand just how difficult it is," Keane said. "That is why we become such a tight knit group."
      Keane includes anyone who plays the game in that group.
      "We met some wonderful people in the small venues that hosted the tournament. Players from Australia, Canada, England, Japan and across the US were there. Of course the Irish were predominant," said Keane who traveled with his wife Diana Ketola-Keane.
      "We had a chance to travel to some of the smaller towns in southern Ireland where many of the tournament games were played. They have such a sophisticated youth program there. Everyone plays, it's their passion," Keane noted.
      "I would really love to see a youth program developed here. We would like to get the next generation of handball players on the court."
      Keane knows that once you play the game, it gets in your blood - for generations, apparently. After playing for several years, Keane's aunt gave him a medallion that his grandfather, Dr. William Keane, won playing handball in a Knights of Columbus tournament in the 20's.
      "I didn't even know that he played the game. It was a great surprise to see that he loved the game, too."
      For more information about the Grand Traverse Handball Association, call Bill Keane at 943-8941.