The 2018 International Handball Federation Takes Place at LifeZone360 in West Dundee
The 2018 International Handball Federation (IHF) Trophy Men’s North American & Caribbean Championship is taking place in West Dundee starting Tuesday, May 8th. Eight teams from five countries will be emerging on LifeZone360 in West Dundee for five days to compete in two categories, Men’s Junior (born on or after January 1, 1998) and Youth (born on or after January 1, 2000).
Teams will be representing Haiti, Canada, Dominica, Martinique, and the USA. This tournament is expected to generate over $100,000 in gross revenue for local businesses.
Getting the IHF (www.ihf.info ) to bring this tournament to the Elgin area took a ton of work and dedication. “The first process was in the United States and took competitive bids from across the nation; which we won and then I went to Europe and met with the Director of the International Handball Federation to be approved to host the tournament” -said Craig Rot who wears many hats in the sport of handball. Rot is the Youth National Team Head Coach, Director of Youth Development, Director of Local Organizing Committee, IHF Handball at School Working Group Member, and Director of Lifezone360 Team Handball Academy. www.lifezone360.com
The Lifezone360 Team Handball Academy recently launched in January 2018 and has already won the bid to be an International tournament host. Lifezone360’s massive 130,000 square-foot sports facility, located 30 miles west of Chicago in West Dundee, offers a multi-sport approach for athletes, offering academy-style development in Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Cheer, and now Team Handball, with on-site Strength and Conditioning provided by the Parisi Speed School, which is directed by a former S&C coach for the Denver Broncos, as well as onsite Sports Medical. In addition to the amazing facilities where the tournament will be held, another factor in winning the bid was that lodging is more economical here in the Elgin area vs. Chicago or other large cities.
Rot added, “This tournament is important for giving visibility to our sport as Chicago is a key market in our development system.”
2018 will be a Men’s IHF Trophy year in view of the 2019 Youth (U19) and Junior (U21) World Championships, while the Women’s IHF Trophy will take place in 2019 on the path to the 2020 Youth (U18) and Junior (U20) World Championships.
Dennis Berkholtz Captain of the 1972 Olympic Men’s Olympic Team Handball Team and 1976 Olympic Coach for Team Handball spoke enthusiastically about the future of the sport “Under Craig Rot’s leadership USA Team Handball is looking to the LifeZone360 team handball programs to be a model for youth and junior development throughout the U.S. His programs will lead to the young athletes of today to be our Olympic athletes of tomorrow with an emphasis on a 10 year plan to field a medal winning team in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games to be hosted in Los Angeles.” Berkholtz is also the Assistant Director of Local Organizing Committee, and Director of Marketing and Sponsorship for USA Team Handball. (teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball)
“As a Tourism Bureau it is exciting to partner with Lifezone360 as they bring a multitude of new tournaments in a variety of sports to the area,” said Wendi Howard, Sales Manager at Explore Elgin Area. (exploreelginarea.com) Howard stated, “With an international tournament such as this there are many moving parts so we’re happy to assist the Lifezone360 staff and the International Handball Federation with their lodging and anything else they may need to make this event and future handball tournaments a success.” Howard added “We also just successfully hosted thousands of visitors in West Dundee and the Elgin area during the month of April for the International Disabled Hockey Festival.”
All matches will take place at LifeZone360, 999 W. Main Street in West Dundee. The public is invited to come and watch some of the games and cheer on the teams!
The Elgin Area Tourism Bureau serves 9 communities including Elgin, Bartlett, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Hampshire, Sleepy Hollow, South Elgin, and West Dundee. Our mission is to enhance the economic and environmental well-being of the 9 communities in the Fox River Valley through marketing the area and bringing visitors in for events.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: WENDI HOWARD, Elgin Area Tourism Bureau, Business Development Manager; 815-558-6547, Wendi@ExploreElginArea.com
IHF Schedule:
| IHF Schedule Subject To Change | ||
| YOUTH COMPETITION | ||
| Tuesday May 8, 2018 | 6:00 PM | USA vs. CAN |
| Wednesday May 9, 2018 | 2:00 PM | CAN vs. MTQ |
| Thursday May 10, 2018 | 12:00 PM | USA vs. MTQ |
| Thursday May 10, 2018 | 8:00 PM | USA vs. CAN |
| Friday May 11, 2018 | 2:00 PM | CAN vs. MTQ |
| Saturday May 12, 2018 | 4:00 PM | USA vs. CAN |
| JUNIOR COMPETITION | ||
| Tuesday May 8, 2018 | 2:00 PM | MTQ vs. CAN |
| Tuesday May 8, 2018 | 4:00 PM | USA vs. HAI |
| Wednesday May 9, 2018 | 4:00 PM | HAI vs. CAN |
| Wednesday May 9, 2018 | 6:00 PM | DMA vs. USA |
| Thursday May 10, 2018 | 2:00 PM | HAI vs. MTQ |
| Thursday May 10, 2018 | 6:00 PM | CAN vs. DMA |
| Friday May 11, 2018 | 4:00 PM | DMA vs. HAI |
| Friday May 11, 2018 | 6:00 PM | USA vs. MTQ |
| Saturday May 12, 2018 | 2:00 PM | MTQ vs. DMA |
| Saturday May 12, 2018 | 6:00 PM | CAN vs. USA |