INNISFAIL - Interest in handball is on the rise in Canada and so are the sport's champions.
One of them hails from the Innisfail area.
Eighteen-year-old Alex Groenen, from just east of town, and his team won the Canadian National Handball Championships in Regina this past August. They also took home the North American Cup that was held in Chicago from Oct. 11 to 14.
"It was a really good feeling. I couldn't imagine any other kind of experience like it," said Groenen of winning the North American title this year. "It was probably the happiest I have been winning a tournament in my life."
Groenen won both championships with Team Alberta in the Alberta Youth Elite Men's division (U-18 level).
"This is my fourth year playing handball. It's a mix of soccer (but) with your hands and water polo on land,” he said, noting teams usually consist of about 15 players with six players and a goalie on the court at a time. At the provincial level, games are divided into two 30-minute halves, with players substituting others on the fly, much like hockey.
He also played handball in high school at Notre Dame in Red Deer and currently plays in the Alberta Team Handball League, the youth men's league with the Central HC (team).
Groenen is entering his third season with Team Alberta and will be part of the junior men's team this December when a new handball season begins.
He said he loves the sport for its fast action and exciting play.
"You don't have much time to really think, it's very high paced," said Groenen, noting players pass the ball and jump to shoot the ball in the opposing net.
The sport is still fairly new in Canada and in Alberta but is quickly growing in popularity, he noted.
"It's a very new sport, but on my league team we went from having around 11 players last year to having almost 26 players this year," he said. "It's more than doubled in a year already."
At the provincial level, the sport runs from December until the middle of summer. High school leagues run just under two months in the spring and summer, he noted.
Groenen said with such a productive and successful year behind him, he hopes to continue in the sport as long as he can.
"For now I'm still working on developing (my skills),” said Groenen. “I have to focus on that first before I move forward to higher levels in handball.”
